It’s all about hair texture for actress Teyonah Parris. Known for roles in Survivor’s Remorse and The Marvels, the actress didn’t know what her natural texture looked like after years of relaxing her hair. To her surprise, she had curls. And, like many Black women, Parris began experimenting with different hairstyles. Along this journey, she began to notice that there were not many curly hair extension brands on the market. That said, she’s creating her own line, Blūm, out in mid September, to fill the gap.
“In acting, having transitioned into natural hair, I show up to these sets, and they don’t have anything that matches my hair,” Parris tells ESSENCE. “I feel quite inadequate, like a burden, like I was an issue or too much trouble for them to have to figure out what to do with my natural hair,” she explains of the workplace discrimination many Black women face. This reality made her feel like she couldn’t fully embody the character she needed to portray while filming, a sentiment shared by many other Black actresses.
Because of this issue, Parris had to wear her natural hair on red carpets by doing it herself with tips she learned from hairstylists. She further expresses how hairstylists on sets didn’t know how to braid or take care of her hair. “As a Black woman with kinky, coily, natural hair, I’m also someone who loves to have a solution,” she says. “I could show up with my own extensions.”
With this in mind, she created Blūm for women, including herself, to experiment with hairstyles. Plus, the actress can use extensions on set and transform into the character she needed to be.
As for what to expect from the brand? A variety of textures— including wavy, kinky, and curly hair. “It was important to me that I made sure that we keep the texture, the kink, the curly throughout, for those women who need that.”
Along with creating a curly hair extensions line, Parris is a mom, entrepreneur, and actress, making self-care key to her overall wellbeing. One of the ways she shows up for herself, and keeps her hair healthy, is via her minimal hair care routine: washing, conditioning, and trimming.
Afterall, according to Parris, your crown is the foundation of your beauty. “Hair is an expression of where I’m at emotionally, mentally, in that moment,” she says. “The way you have to love your hair and care for it in order for it to grow, is a direct reflection of how you love and care for yourself.”
Bundles, pieces, and wigs will be available at blumbyteyonah.com starting in September.
