HELLO BEAUTY: PIONEER IN FAST-CASUAL BEAUTY
HELLO BEAUTY IS A VENDING MACHINE BUSINESS SPECIALIZING IN BLACK BEAUTY PRODUCTS
BELOW ARE COPYWRITTEN BLOGS WITH SCIENCE-BACKED STATISTICS, ANECDOTES, AND SYSTEMIC RACISM AND HOW THEY IMPACT STUDENTS IN PWI COLLEGES TODAY.
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beauty supplies and belonging
Things You Didn’t Know You’d Miss About The Beauty Supply Store
Walking into your local beauty supply store sometimes seems like entering a sacred space. It’s warm, it’s reassuring, and you know for a fact you will find what you need.
Aisles stretch out before you, filled with products you’ve used like old friends. For many of us, wandering these spaces is a form of therapy. It certainly has been for me.
These small comforting moments become cherished daydreams for young girls because, unfortunately, places with access and consideration of Black women's personal needs are rare. What feels ordinary in one place becomes a luxury in many others.
Going from picking out your specific textured hair shampoo and lip gloss anytime you like, to losing that access and having to adapt at the expense of your comfort and identity—it can be quite jarring.
Many colleges in the US are predominantly white institutions (PWIs), and yet equity-driven infrastructure for students is treated as a suggestion instead of a necessity.
For many Black women, their experiences mirror mine. A mix of excitement to be in a new place and stage of life, like college, but with a quiet fear of exclusion, isolation, and coldness. I was almost anticipating these awful feelings, like it was inevitable.
And some struggles came sooner than expected.
1. It was difficult to find textured hair products. I had to resort to a 2-in-1—and no, I don’t want to talk about it.
2. I didn’t have access to the makeup essentials I’d used daily before college.
3. I had to create many makeshift tools just for basic maintenance of my hair, skin, and body.
4. Despite all the effort, I never felt fully comfortable. I missed the ease and belonging that beauty supply spaces provide.
These are just some of the many challenges faced by Black women, ranging from mildly uncomfortable to deeply unsafe, when their needs are not met.
Hello Beauty exists to bridge the distance between home and a home away from home.
By providing 24/7 access to essential beauty supply products on campus, we help make higher education feel more supportive, more inclusive, and more humane for women.
The comfort of the beauty supply doesn’t have to be left behind.
It can come with you.
Why Beauty Access On Campus Is An Equity Issue
We’ve all been asked that question—what items would you bring with you to a deserted island?
Perhaps a book, maybe a spear, and if you’ve really thought about it, you’d say rubber bands, scissors, a towel, a cheesecloth, and 1-2 empty water bottles to create a makeshift water filter.
College is often described as a place of opportunity—but for many students, especially Black women, it can feel like entering unfamiliar territory without a map.
New faces, peers, structure, and too much of it in place with no thought of you.
Access is often discussed in terms of academics and housing—but rarely in terms of the everyday resources that help students feel prepared, confident, and at home.
One essential that many wouldn’t consider, but would feel the loss of immediately, is beauty products.
Now, in reality, College is not a deserted island. You have wifi, classes, and eventually friends—but for many women and especially Black women, it can feel very isolating. Many colleges in the US are predominantly white institutions (PWIs), and the lack of diversity is widely felt among many students of color.
Although Black women have recently entered college at higher rates than Black, White, and Hispanic men, they face constant scrutiny, exclusion, and a lack of safety. Why are Black women always pushed to the outskirts of society and attention?
Even when they overperform and repeatedly break corporate, academic, and colonial ceilings put in place for them, they are still not at the forefront of institutions and their concerns.
Functional beauty products and items may not seem essential to everyday life, but to many Black women, they are imperative. Entering a space where you already feel different is challenging enough; doing so without access to the products that help you feel like yourself—that’s just criminal.
For many of us, we had to endure a space where we faced microaggressions daily, and endure constant questions about our hair, our skin, and our bodies. These experiences accumulate and inevitably shape how safe and supported we feel in institutional spaces.
Hello Beauty aims to bridge this equity gap.
By providing 24/7 access to familiar, essential beauty products through fully serviced vending machines, we offer more than convenience—we offer recognition. A reminder that someone considered your needs, and that belonging can exist even in unfamiliar places.
Remember, the beauty supply isn’t just a store—it’s a legacy.
It’s a symbol of care, continuity, and community.
And on college campuses, that kind of access isn’t a luxury—it’s essential.