Thanks to a constant stream of deep treatments, cleansers and leave-in conditioners (to name a few products designed for textured hair), it’s safe to say that for Black women, haircare routines involve a lot of trial and error. But one brand aims to change that.
Enter: BREAD Beauty Supply.
A clean line of essential haircare products specially made for women of colour with 3A to 4C curls, BREAD is super popular in the US and was previously only available at Sephora. Excitingly, the brand has just arrived in the UK and is exclusive to Cult Beauty. BREAD’s founder, Maeva Heim, has 4C hair herself and set out not only to disrupt the hair space by simplifying our complicated haircare routines but to challenge the narrative around textured hair in general. You won’t find the term ‘anti-frizz’ here.
So what can you expect? The collection currently features a tight edit of wash day essentials, including a Hair Wash, Hair Mask and Hair Oil, not forgetting that Instagram-worthy ’90s scrunchie. Each product is vegan-friendly, cruelty-free and the formulas boast natural oils and extracts, such as Australian kakadu plum and starflower oil, known for nourishing hair.
Forced to take care of my hair at home due to salon closures, I was of course intrigued. So is BREAD’s hotly anticipated three-step routine worth the switch? Here are my honest thoughts.
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BREAD Beauty Supply Hair-Wash: Gentle Milky Hair Cleanser
The first thing I noticed about this collection was the packaging; there are no plastic bottles to be seen. The cleanser comes in a functional, squeezy pouch to reduce plastic waste and was easy to store in the shower or next to the bath.
The cleanser itself (meant to be used in lieu of shampoo) is super creamy, gentle and formulated for sensitive scalps. The texture reminded me of marshmallow with a subtle fruity scent that coated each strand without any sticky mess. It’s infused with argan oil and aloe vera juice for deep nourishment, as well as lemon tea tree oil for optimal scalp health. The cleanser didn’t strip my hair like most shampoos do. My hair didn’t feel ‘squeaky clean’ but moisturised instead, and I found it easy to use my fingers to detangle my hair in the shower without any breakage.
BREAD BEAUTY SUPPLY Hair-Wash: Gentle Milky Hair Cleanser, $, available at Cult Beauty
BREAD Beauty Supply Hair-Oil: Everyday Gloss
Okay, this is the hero product for me. I don’t tend to use oils in my hair at all because sometimes it weighs down my strands or makes my hair frizzy. But I forwent my usual leave-in conditioner and used this instead. I was pleasantly surprised.
The silicone-free formula contains potent kakadu plum (which has 50 times more vitamin C than an orange and protects hair against environmental aggressors) and starflower oil. Both help to strengthen hair follicles. I was really — and I mean, really — shocked at how beautiful this made my curls. I didn’t have to do anything; I let my hair dry naturally and it gave me the best curls of my life. I’m not surprised that this oil is currently sold out on Cult Beauty because if there’s one product you should absolutely cop, it’s this. Once it’s back in stock, of course.
BREAD BEAUTY SUPPLY Hair Oil: Everyday Gloss, $, available at Cult Beauty
BREAD Beauty Supply Hair-Mask: Creamy Deep Conditioner
Like the cleanser, this hair mask is also housed in a functional pouch. While it wasn’t particularly easy to squeeze out with wet hands in the bath, the formula made up for it. The deep conditioner is packed full of super fruit extracts, including Australian kakadu plum and starflower oil, which left my curls really soft, bouncy and moisturised without weighing them down. The formula has a velvety texture, making it easy to finger-comb through hair, helping to detangle. I was really pleased to see how soft and defined my curls were after rinsing it out and there was no shedding to be found!
BREAD BEAUTY SUPPLY Hair-Mask: Creamy Deep Conditioner, $, available at Cult Beauty
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