When Flawless by Gabrielle Union hit the shelves, it immediately set itself apart from other celebrity-owned beauty brands for nourishing ingredients and dedication to textured hair. Flawless by Gabrielle Union is starting the year off by expanding the collection from the essentials like shampoo and deep conditioning masques to stylers that will elevate your hair game. The collection is heavily inspired by the salon experience – one that allows individuals to be vulnerable, talk about issues of importance in the community, and escape the stressors of life. Flawless by Gabrielle Union wants to pay homage to this experience by also giving people the opportunity to renew their looks and spirit, which is why we are so thrilled to be introducing these new products.
Flawless by Gabrielle Union wants to pay homage to this experience by also giving people the opportunity to renew their looks and spirit
We sat down with celebrity hairstylist Larry Sims and co-founder of Flawless by Gabrielle Union. Sims originally began his entertainment career fifteen years ago in Chicago as a professional dancer and choreographer for some of the most influential artists in music, including Missy Elliot and Sean P Diddy Combs. However, Sims always loved hair and quickly realized that is where his ultimate passion lies. It was not long before Sims started amassing his own list of celebrity clients including Gabrielle Union, Janet Jackson, Queen Latifah, David and Victoria Beckham, Christina Milian, and Mary J Blige. As the co-founder of Flawless, Larry aims to provide product knowledge and style education to everyone. Check out more from our interview with Larry below where he breaks down each new product and shares insights into how the collection was created.
What was the goal of creating these new products?
We really wanted to make sure that we got products out to our consumers and our supporters that were super affordable and on-trend. We wanted to make sure that it was affordable and accessible no matter what your social or economic status was and or is. We’re really proud to say that we’re able to still give the efficacy of the same quality without compromising our ingredients and we’re really happy.
What was the inspiration for expanding the brand to stylers?
These new stylers were an homage to what a beauty shop is and the experience people had within them growing up. There are two different experiences between a beauty shop and a salon. We wanted to create a marriage of both cultures and show that no matter if you’re in a shop or in a salon both of those experiences still warrant the quality of these new stylists that we have. We’re really proud and excited for everybody to see the campaign that’s coming out.
Let’s talk products, can you break down each product for NaturallyCurly?
5 Butter Miracle Leave-in Conditioner
First, have our 5 Butter Miracle Leave-in Conditioner ($10.99), it is absolutely moisturizing and amazing. We originally launched the 5 Butter Miracle Mask which is super hydrating and moisturizing. The goal was to build off the success we had with that product and we believe we have a conditioner that a lot of our consumers really love. The fact that we had all 5 Butters in it that was topped off with a bit of sweet honey, was amazing. That extra hydration is essential for a curly girl or guy that’s rocking their natural style hair which can be a bit drier. We really wanted to really dive into the moisture and the hydration of this leave-in, so this is really great.
Elongating Curl Custard
We originally launched with our defining curl cream rather and a lot of curlies like to cocktail it with a gel to get the elongation. We listened to our consumers and decided to create a product for them that became our Elongating Curl Custard ($10.99), which is super defining and is really shiny. It seals the cuticle. It has amazing ingredients in it and it just gives you that elongation and that definition without the flaking or drying. It does not create that crunch that is typically associated with gels so you’re gonna have a soft finish with definition.
Styling Glaze
I’ve been in this business for many years and I’ve used glaze products on so many people and one of the problems with glazes is that if you’re under lights, if you’re working long hours with heat, sometimes they can melt. It can run that. As a stylist, it was super important to come up with the right combination of ingredients so that it doesn’t perform in that way. With our Styling Glaze ($8.99) it’s great for high ponytails, buns, and up-dos. I’m really proud of Gab and I think that it probably is one of her favorite products. When we had test series and tried to figure out the components of the products she was like no I’m keeping all of the testers, so she robbed me of the testers. We’re really excited for everybody to get their hands on them, these are absolutely fantastic.
Nourishing Scalp Spray
Next is our Nourishing Scalp Spray ($10.99) for those that are rocking natural hairstyles like Bantu knots, braids, or flat twists. If you’re rocking your foundation underneath your units and you don’t want to start all over, you can really refresh your scout with this product. It has aloe, peppermint, bacuri butter, and coconut oil in it and it’s all just really refreshing. It allows you to get a little bit of longevity out of having to start over on your wash days. We did launch with. scalp soothing tonic and the difference between both products is that the scalp soothing tonic soothes the scalp, but it also gets rid of build-up from products you were using. This completely refreshes and nourishes your scalp, so you can use these two in combination.
What product would you recommend our readers try out for the first time?
From the styler line, I would say the first thing that I would recommend trying would probably be the elongating custard. I’ve noticed in the market that a lot of people have the same issues with the finish of custards, whether it be flaking, crust, or it’s not defining or elongating. This is super versatile for women that are wearing it as a wash-and-go, twist-outs, or the shingles method. It starts off with moisturizing, replenishing, and hydrating it.
Are stylers are they best used alone or can they be cocktailed?
We wanted to make sure that the line was standalone but also cocktailed in any way that fits a person’s specific needs because as we know there isn’t one hair texture or one process that works for everyone. You can’t do like a one-size-fits-all in terms of your hair. Every hair texture, routine, and lifestyle has specific needs, so we really wanted to make sure that these products could work alone or in tandem together which can be a cocktail.
Why do you think there has been a renewed interest in scalp care?
Gab has children and when you think about her own hair journey, where she has lost hair due to IVF treatments and trying to get pregnant, we specifically have gone down a very deep dive into how to grow her hair back from basically nickel size and bald spots. We tried everything under the sun, but what we realized as a company and as friends is that it really starts number one with what you put in your body and then what you do outside of your body.
Outside of your body, it starts with your scalp, so when we talk about how to get healthy hair growth consistently, I always lead with a proper diet and drinking tons of water. I encourage stimulation and exercise to invigorate your blood flow from the inside and then from the outside. You’re going to have beautiful hair, but if the scalp isn’t nurtured and taken care of, then it all goes to waste. Taraji is a good friend of ours and we support TPH by Taraji and her tagline is “healthy scalp, healthy hair.” I feel like in the space she was one of the first elected to lead the charge. She blew the horn on that and I really appreciate that as well.
What is a fun summer style that you’d love to see created with these products?
Summer is definitely coming. I feel like box braids are happening. You know, one thing that I was doing with Janet Jackson in particular is that I was adding hair to her box braids. Everybody was trying to figure out how we did it, what it was and and the method we created. I just love the fact that people can have an opportunity to protect their hair but also incorporate extra hair into their protective styles without putting any heat on their hair. I’m really excited to see that trend pop this summer.
Have you tried the Flawless by Gabrielle Union products? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
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