Taraji P. Henson Says Launching Haircare Line Was ‘Out Of My Own Necessity’

The “Hidden Figures” star opened up about her personal hair journey that led to the 2020 launch of her vegan haircare line, TPH by Taraji.

Oscar-nominated actor Taraji P. Henson never imagined that running a haircare line would be part of her story.

The “Hidden Figures” star opened up about her personal hair journey that led to the 2020 launch of her vegan haircare line, TPH by Taraji. “I’ll just never forget when I had to do my own hair for the first time,” Henson told LA Times. “I was in the mirror and I was crying. I had the brush and the comb stuck in my hair.” Henson recalled a moment when she had to get her hair done on set of the 2001 film, “Baby Boy.” She was embarrassed for the stylist to see her roots because her relaxed hair at the time was due for a touch-up.

It wasn’t until she had a positive experience at a salon owned by another Hollywood stylist, that she began to fall in love with her natural hair. Henson went natural at the age of 30. Finding a product that would clean her scalp while wearing her protective styles was a challenge that inspired the actress to create her own scalp-care concoction. “I understood very young that your scalp is your foundation,” Henson said. “It needs to be healthy in order for your hair to grow. But now I have this weave and all of this, how do I clean my scalp? So that was a real problem for me that I had to find a solution to, but I never saw myself starting a haircare line. It was literally out of my own necessity.”

The entrepreneur was able to test her concoction during a vacation with a friend. Henson’s friend and her daughter were irritated by itchy scalps under their weaves and were relieved after trying the product. Henson’s creation was the blueprint for TPH’s master cleanse scalp wash.

Henson is impressed by the amount of Black women who have broken into the haircare market with their brands like Pattern by Tracee Ellis Ross, Sienna Naturals by Issa Rae and Hannah Diop, Flawless by Gabrielle Union and 4U by Tia Mowry.

“No one cared about our hair but us and now, all of a sudden, you got all these big brands, now they got natural [hair] commercials.”

She said it shows the “deep economic power we’re proving that we have as Black women.”

TPH by Taraji offers a range of products made to improve scalp health and all hair textures. The line features shampoos, scalp masks and curl creams made without parabens or sulfates. The latest launch includes hair strengthening products made with biotin and Jamaican castor oil. Henson also launched a collection of products that uses apple cider vinegar remove build-up that can occur from wearing protective styles. TPH products are available at Walmart, Sally Beauty, Target, CVS and Walgreens.