White Women have been posting videos on TikTok about the Mielle Rosemary Oil and chile, the product has been selling out everywhere causing quite THE controversy on social media.
Here is how it all started
Tiktoker Alix Earle included the infamous oil mix in an Amazon favorites video, and shared it to her 3 million+ followers.
In the video, she said she had been using the Mielle Rosemary Oil for a little over a month and she has seen ‘tremendous hair growth’.
Like many videos from popular influencers, this caused a frenzy in stores.
Here is the original video:
@alixearle this & more linked in bio ???????????? #amazonfinds #2022products #rspartner
White women have been purchasing the product and sharing their own videos on how they use it and their amazing results.
Here are a few:
@kellyannestone Replying to @naechloe how i use the mielle rosemary oil on my hair!! ???? its also added to my amazon page for you!! #hairoilroutine #hairoilsforgrowth #besthairoilstogrowyourhair #besthairoils #healthyhairtips #healthyhairjourney #hairtok #haircareonabudget #miellehairproducts #miellehairoil #tangleteezerbrush
and
@thehealthyhur This is my exact routine right now! & ITS WORKING. Repeat Sunday/Monday steps for any hair wash days! #hairgrowth #rosemaryoil #rosemarywater
and
@hairbysamspezia my overnight oil routine using @MielleOrganics rosemary oil, quick and easy! #fyp #hairtok #hairloss #hairlossremedy
Why this is controversial
From a business perspective, this is great..right?!
More sales and support for Mielle from a demographic that typically would never walk by the ‘black people shelf’ let alone purchase a product.
However, opinions are split!
Some black women are calling out white women for shopping in the ‘ethnic aisles’ (that are already small as hell) for products designed with black women in mind.
Listen below:
@ronelle__ I live in New Hampshire (yes you read that right) and the selection of Black hair care products is already abysmal. Please consider using alternatives, Mielle Organics is the only reason I still have natural hair ????
Here are a few opinions from Twitter:
i’m annoyed that even w products originally catered to black women (aka mielle’s rosemary oil), when looking up reviews on TikTok, white women are still appearing at the top of the search :/
— Anu☆ (@anuolu99) December 30, 2022
and
White women have found about Mielle and have sold out the rosemary oil from all stores. I swear we can’t have anything. This is one of few brands meant for curly hair and they were already expensive af. Now not only will they be jacking their prices up but we have to fight with
— Rain enthusiast (@AomAola) January 1, 2023
and
White women buying out Mielle rosemary oil is some shit I never expected to see. I’ve been using it for a minute and scarcity is a problem because of white women??! Bffr..
— slim thick legend (@_dimeyysburner) January 1, 2023
and
Its over heard they found Mielle’s rosemary oil and its sold out pic.twitter.com/KBIqIlcwrL
— Dee (@itsDeeeee__) January 1, 2023
and
Now why in the hell is yt women (mainly w/t straight hair) buying out mielle rosemary oil like that shit is NOT FOR YOU. We can’t have shit for ourselves ?
— key (@K3Y3RA) January 2, 2023
and lawd, this video!
https://www.tiktok.com/@dough.rien/video/7183447544712744235?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7081780589518931498
And there are those who either don’t care or feel as if the controversy will cause scarcity.
You guys wouldn’t stop harping on about the Mielle Rosemary oil til white women discovered it and now, not only is it sold out everywhere, but now knockoffs have entered the market.
A matter of time before Mielle changes the formula and hikes the price up too.
UNO ANNOYING AF
— Bully Beef Dutty Gyal (@BrayForJade) January 1, 2023
and
Lately I’ve been seeing ppl up in arms about non black people buying the Mielle rosemary oil and…I do not care LMAOOOO. Why? Bc products are not race based, along with the fact that I don’t think anybody should be using raw oils in the year of 2023.
— ?•Squirt Marks The Spot•? (@SunshowerFro) January 1, 2023
Here is the kicker though, white women who hopped on the trend are now complaining that their hair is way too greasy after use.
They have now resorted to diluting the oil in an effort to make it work for them.
This isn’t a surprise, the formula works best on curly, kinky hair textures, not straight hair. As a matter of fact, black women would probably never use this product after a fresh silk press.
https://www.tiktok.com/@briettanicole/video/7183500509234433326?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7081780589518931498
Our opinion
The science:
Pure Rosemary oil with an emphasis on PURE….can be used on any SCALP and is known to aid in hair growth because the plant contains carnosic acid, which heals nerve damage, and tissue damage, and improves cellular turnover.
Marnie Nussbaum, MD, FAAD, a board-certified dermatologist said “it encourages nerve growth and improves blood circulation highlighting that the reason blood circulation is so important to hair growth is that without a proper blood supply, the follicles do not get the nutrients they need to grow the hair, and they can die off.”
With that said, there are a few oils that do this, peppermint oil, tea tree oil, and stinging nettle.
We do understand where black women are coming from when they say ‘we can’t have anything’ because for so long we did not have healthy hair products created with our hair type in mind.
Black-owned companies, like Mielle, Alikay Naturals, and The Doux to name a few have created formulas that are convenient, marrying pure ingredients with others in an effort to provide quality products for black women.
They have pretty much covered all the bases: Hair growth, styling, protective styles, wash days, bad hair days, refreshing curls, you name it we have it!
It wasn’t until after we started to take ownership of our own hair needs that OTHER larger cosmetic companies started to include curly hair in their lines, and even then ingredients were questionable.
On the other side of things, we do not know one black-owned business that would complain if another demographic sold out their products.
At the end of the day, these people are in business to make money, and more money in our community gives us more autonomy to create more.
Mielle has also made it clear that the formula will not change:
The formula hasn’t changed and we have no plans to change it.
— Mielle Organics LLC (@MielleOrganics) January 1, 2023
Oh, and by the way, we call cap on anyone who dares make a video claiming to see ‘tremendous growth’ in a little over a month based on this product.
That is simply biologically impossible.
What is your opinion?
Comment below!
