SLAYYY Hair just made hairstory!
The Black-owned, woman-owned brand is officially the first Black-owned braiding hair brand to hit Target’s shelves, according to Beauty Independent.
“We know that our core customer wants convenience,” Diann Valentine, the founder of SLAYYY Hair and the CEO of Glow + Beauty stores in the Southern California cities of Hawthorne and Inglewood, told the news outlet. “Being in Target allows us to reach them as well as more consumers in a much faster way.”
Who Is SLAYYY Hair?
Founded by Diann Valentine in 2021, SLAYYY Hair was created out of a need for premium-quality, itch-free, pre-stretched braiding hair made for Black women by Black women.
Valentine had experienced itching, scalp irritation, and breakage for years.
So determined to find a healthier, non-toxic option, the President and Creative Director of Glow + Flow Beauty dove deep into research, and after two years of numerous trials and errors and invaluable feedback from the community, SLAYYY Hair was born.
Fast forward to today, and SLAYYY has become a staple among braiders looking for high-quality yet affordable hair extensions that don’t compromise on style or comfort. And with the Target deal, the brand is set to become a household name in the US and beyond.
What To Know About Their Deal With Target
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According to Beauty Independent, SLAYYY Hair is bringing its signature shades—1 Black Stallion, 27 Pecan, Merlot, 30 Spice, 1B Shadow, and 4 Chocolate— to over 200 Target stores and online.
But that’s just the beginning. With a major summer expansion on the horizon, the Black-owned brand is set to hit another 486 stores by April, solidifying its place in the beauty aisles alongside industry giants like Darling, Curlkalon, Unique Bargains, and Tirrinia.
Thanks to this new partnership, SLAYYY Hair is expected to generate $2 million in sales this year, a 150% increase from 2024.
But What About The Target (DEI) Boycott?
SLAYYY Hair’s Target launch comes at a pivotal moment for Black-owned businesses and the beauty industry at large. Earlier this year, Target announced it was rolling back its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives, sparking outrage and calls for a boycott from customers.
The backlash has since led to a noticeable drop in Target’s in-store and online traffic, raising concerns about how the boycott might impact Black-owned brands like SLAYYY Hair.
According to Valentine, the news came as a shock. She says that when SLAYYY Hair began discussions with Target just six months after launching, DEI wasn’t part of their conversation.
And while she understands the frustration, she also worries that the boycott could unintentionally harm the very Black-owned brands consumers want to uplift.
“The only thing that we can do is to continue to build awareness and continue to ask consumers to really question the reason for this boycott,” she says. “Because, if you choose to do that, then you’re hurting Black brands.”
And What About The Safety Of Synthetic Hair? Should Consumers Be Worried About That With SLAYYY Hair?
No, you shouldn’t.
Valentine says she’s long been aware of the concerns about toxins in synthetic hair from customer feedback at her Glow + Flow Beauty stores.
That’s why she spent two years—and thousands of dollars—developing the SLAYYY Secret Sauce, a proprietary cleansing process designed to remove chemicals linked to itching, scalp irritation, and hair loss.
“We didn’t need to recreate the wheel,” she says. “But we needed to answer the call of Black women who are suffering in silence just trying to wear a protective style or a cultural style that is truly native to who we are.”
What’s Next For SLAYYY Hair?
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SLAYYY Hair is just getting started.
Along with its anticipated Target expansion this summer, the brand is rolling out a line of synthetic ponytails at T.J. Maxx and Marshalls.
But that’s not all.
A new styling tool designed to make parting, braiding, and takedown easier is in the works, along with fresh color options, shorter lengths, and scalp care technology—all created with Black and Brown women (ages 25-44) in mind.
“Black people built this industry, so I just felt like it’s time that we start taking it back,” Valentine says. “And I wanted to be one of the people on the forefront of that charge of saying, this belongs in our community, and we can super serve our community better than you can because we care.”
