TRESemmé x SimpleeBEAUTIFUL Launch Texture Certification Program to Educate Stylists Nationwide in Textured Hair Care

New Offering From the #1 Styling Brand in the U.S. Expands on the Brand's Long-Term Commitment to Achieve Equity for Black Women in Hair Styling  

ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J., April 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Continuing their mission to bring quality salon care to women everywhere, TRESemmé is launching a new Texture Certification Program that will train and certify licensed hair professionals nationwide in treating, cutting, and styling textured hair. This program is an expansion of the TRESemmé Future Stylists Fund, which was launched in 2020 to address bias and inequality throughout the beauty, fashion, and entertainment industries. Created in partnership with textured hair expert and educator Diane Da Costa of SimpleeBEAUTIFUL CurlyTextured Academy, and shaped by celebrity stylists and TRESemmé ambassadors Lacy Redway and Nai'vasha, the TRESemmé x SimpleeBEAUTIFUL Texture Certification Program will grant licensed U.S. stylists the opportunity to advance their skillset and ensure a fundamental understanding of textured, curly and coily hair care. By the end of 2022, TRESemmé aims to certify more than 1,000 stylists with this continuing education program.

To counteract the lack of textured hair training offered in cosmetology schools, the TRESemmé x SimpleeBEAUTIFUL Texture Certification Program is designed to train licensed U.S. stylists who need additional instruction on how to treat and style textured hair types. Currently, no state cosmetology licensing departments require a fundamental understanding of textured and coily hair care, resulting in fewer stylists with the professional skills to serve diverse hair types. Informed by a nationwide survey of consumer clients and stylists, the program leverages findings from TRESemmé's Hair Bias Report that revealed 86% of Black women reported facing challenges in finding consistent, quality hair care at salons¹. Experiences ranged from difficulty finding a stylist who can care for their type or texture of hair, to facing bias and discrimination in the salon chair. Similarly, 65% of professional stylists wish they had more training on textured and coily hair (a number that jumps to 70% among white stylists)². The TRESemmé x SimpleeBEAUTIFUL Texture Certification Program will help to advance stylists' cosmetology education and practice, and provide them with the vocabulary and skills required to confidently and competently serve all clients, no matter their hair type.

"I am extremely passionate about textured hair care and have dedicated my career to educating stylists and consumers on how to truly care for textured hair types," said Diane Da Costa, celebrity stylist, author, and CEO of SimpleeBEAUTIFUL who is the lead instructor for the Texture Certification Program. "Partnering with TRESemmé not only brings awareness to this industry-wide issue of hair discrimination but will introduce this much-needed skillset to more stylists nationwide."

Moving forward, TRESemmé will require all stylists who work with TRESemmé at future events, such as New York Fashion Week and Project Runway, to complete the Texture Certification Program so TRESemmé can continue leading by example in closing this training gap and increasing representation of diverse talent across the industry.

"As a leader in hair care, we have a responsibility to use our influence and platform to make a difference and bring awareness to the lack of certified textured hair care training in the industry," said Jessica Grigoriou, Brand Director, TRESemmé. "Every woman, regardless of hair type, deserves to have access and feel confident that they will receive quality hair care at every appointment so they can express themselves authentically, and we want to do our part to increase inclusivity in the beauty industry."

The TRESemmé x SimpleeBEAUTIFUL Texture Certification Program consists of the following three trainings to receive certification. Registration opens on Wednesday, April 27 and closes on Tuesday, May 31. Seats are offered on a first come, first served basis for qualifying stylists:

• TEXTURE FUNDAMENTALS: Live webinar available for up to 1,000 licensed U.S. stylists to receive virtual training on the basics of textured hair care, including how to identify different texture types, speak with proper language and terminology, identify best product matches, and use professional tools for styling and cutting textured hair. The completion of the Texture Fundamentals course will be required to register for the following two courses.
• PERFECTING THE TEXTURED CUT: This hands-on training will educate on specific cutting techniques and tools to use when working with different textured hair types. This course will be offered in-person at a New York studio.
• THE ART OF TEXTURED STYLING: This hands-on training will educate on specific texture techniques, product, and tools for styling and will offer tips for working with different textured hair types. This course will be offered in-person at a New York studio.

Stylists who attend and complete all three Texture Certification courses will receive an official certificate of completion from TRESemmé and SimpleeBEAUTIFUL, verifying that they are educated and trained in how to treat, cut and style textured hair. They will be able to better serve customers with textured hair types and will also be added to the TRESemmé online directory of textured hair certified stylists to increase their client network and visibility.

The TRESemmé x SimpleeBEAUTIFUL Texture Certification Program is the latest announcement from TRESemmé highlighting their continued commitment toward becoming a brand that champions diversity, equity, and inclusion for Black women. This announcement extends the offerings of their Future Stylists Fund Program, which recently announced this year's $100,000 scholarship winners.

For more information about the TRESemmé x SimpleeBEAUTIFUL Texture Certification Program and details on how stylists can register, visit Tresemme.com/fsfcurriculum.

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Void where prohibited. The TRESemmé x SimpleeBeautiful Texture Certification Promotion is sponsored by Conopco, Inc., d/b/a Unilever. Open to legal residents of the 50 U.S. & D.C., 18 & older, who are licensed hair stylists. Begins 9:00 a.m. ET on 4/27/22 & ends 11:59 p.m. ET on 5/31/22, or whenever 1,060 (as broken out in rules) Course Packages have been awarded, whichever occurs first. For official rules, click here.

Unilever is one of the world's leading suppliers of Beauty & Personal Care, Home Care, and Foods & Refreshment products, with sales in over 190 countries and products used by 2.5 billion people every day. We have 149,000 employees and generated sales of €50.7 billion in 2020. Over half of our footprint is in developing and emerging markets. We have around 400 brands found in homes all over the world. In the United States and Canada, the portfolio includes iconic brands such as: Dove, Knorr, Hellmann's, Lipton, Magnum, Axe, Degree, Dollar Shave Club, Q-tips, St. Ives, Suave, TRESemmé, and Vaseline.

Our vision is to be the global leader in sustainable business and to demonstrate how our purpose-led, future-fit business model drives superior performance. We have a long tradition of being a progressive, responsible business. It goes back to the days of our founder William Lever, who launched the world's first purposeful brand, Sunlight Soap, more than 100 years ago, and it's at the heart of how we run our company today.

The Unilever Compass, our sustainable business strategy, is set out to help us deliver superior performance and drive sustainable and responsible growth while:

• improving the health of the planet;
• improving people's health, confidence, and wellbeing; and
• contributing to a fairer and more socially inclusive world.

While there is still more to do, we are proud to have been recognized in 2020 as a sector leader in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index and – for the tenth-consecutive year – as the top ranked company in the 2020 GlobeScan/SustainAbility Leaders Survey.

For more information on Unilever U.S. and its brands, visit: www.unileverusa.com
For more information on Unilever Canada and its brands, visit: www.unilever.ca

Contact: Joey Bosserman, [email protected]

SOURCE TRESemmé