JASMINE BROOKS

Jasmine Brooks, a design student from Plano, Texas, centered her senior degree project around empowering and building confidence in those trying to embrace their natural hair. Growing up with thick and curly hair — a hair type unlike both of her parents — Jasmine experienced the ups and downs that come with learning not only to care for her hair but to love it in its natural state as well. 

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“FRANKLY, EVERYONE SHOULD BE CONFIDENT WITH THEIR NATURAL HAIR.”

Learning how to care for your hair and what products work best for different hair types is a unique experience for everyone. Jasmine’s goal is to make this sometimes difficult experience easier for everyone, knowing that when someone finally learns to properly care for their hair it often reflects a positive shift in confidence.

To gain a wide variety of perspectives and experiences people have with their hair types, Jasmine surveyed and had individuals write love letters or break-up letters to their hair tools, products, and experiences with their hair, as well as conducted fly on the wall observations. With the information she learned, Jasmine created a design solution called HairLab. HairLab is an imagined online-based company that provides simple hair follicle testing. Each test is sent out to the customer in a well-designed box that includes all necessary instructions and an invitation to join the online community. This simple hair follicle test allows each of its users to identify their exact hair type by the shape of their hair follicles. The HairLab website also provides a community page where everyone can share their own stories and experiences with their hair along with any advice they might have to share. Jasmine believes that HairLab will not only empower and bring confidence to those wanting to embrace their natural hair, but also help in breaking social and cultural barriers.