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13th Annual Essence Black Women In Hollywood Awards Luncheon

Source: David Livingston / Getty

Issa Rae is known for rocking a stunning natural hairstyle. From her time on “The Mis-Adventures of Awkward Black Girl” to her hit HBO series “Insecure,” Issa’s hairstyles have become part of every Black woman’s natural hair vision board. And in true Issa fashion, the writer, director, and actor has discovered a way to share her haircare regime when her fellow naturalistas, and we’re obviously taking notes.

In a new partnership with Sienna Naturals, Issa has teamed up with the brand’s founder and CEO, Hannah Diop, to become the new co-owner and face of the haircare brand. Her first order of business? A complete rebrand of the line that’s aimed at curly, coily, and Afro-textured hair. To celebrate the deal, Issa spoke with Allure magazine about her new business venture and how much hair has always been part of her identity.

“I think hair has always been a part of the conversation for me, and it’s been such a huge part of my identity,” Rae explained in a phone interview. “[Even my] debut was a big chop that I did for Awkward Black Girl.”

The rebrand will now feature the Salon In a Box ($75) collection, which includes H.A.P.I. Shampoo ($18), a leave-in conditioner Dew Magic ($18), the Plant Power deep treatment ($22), and the Lock & Seal hair oil that adds moisture and helps seal your cuticles ($22), all of which are perfect for natural girls hoping to have the same salon look and feel while in this endless quarantine.

Issa continued, “I think ingredients are so important, specifically thinking about how the past products that I’ve used have all been primarily focused on styling. I think, for me, it’s been getting to the root of taking care of your hair, making sure that your scalp is healthy, [knowing the] ingredients, and making sure that you’re not manipulating your existing texture or the existing oils in your scalp.”

The Sienna Naturals Salon In a Box is available for pre-order now and the also brand promises that they have a ton of other products coming down the pipeline in the near future. For Issa however, she sites the shampoo, conditioner, and deep treatment as some of her favorite products so far.

” I wash my hair quite frequently, so I would have to say the shampoo, conditioner, and the deep treatment,” she confessed to Allure. “The Plant Power is amazing and I tend to be lazy, so I need something that is going to last me a long time, [something that’s] going to make my hair feel soft like it’s intended to. The Plant Power does just that. And I have dry hair and it can be brittle — this restores my hair to help it feel healthy again. I also love the daily oils. I have a very dry scalp, but it really just nourishes my hair and doesn’t feel too gunky.”

When it comes to her overall self-care, Issa says that the health of her skin is just as important as the health of her hair. In addition to sharing her hair care routine with us, she also dropped her skincare routine. “This pandemic has been so great just for my hair. I see my hair growing and being healthy and for once, that goes for skin too. I have been actually able to experiment a bit more, but I use Dr. Sturm Products, like the hyaluronic serum. That has worked wonders. I moisturize a lot, all over because, again, I’m a very dry person in general and I just find that as long as I’m moisturizing my skin, it helps the glow.”

For 2024’s iteration of MadameNoire and HelloBeautiful’s annual series Women to Know, we knew we wanted to celebrate the people who help make the joys of film and television possible. To create art is to create magic. This year, we spotlight Hollywood Executive’s changing the face of cinema.