Have you heard of UK beauty brand Ruka Hair? Ruka is a textured hair brand that is driving innovation in the textured haircare space. Founded in 2021, the brand offers hair styling products, hair extensions and wigs, and hair services.
Ruka can also be found in Selfridges for the UK folks, where you can make an appointment with a trichologist (also referred to as Dr. Ruka), or a professional hairstylist for a variety of services like:
- discovery and exploratory hair assessments
- quick styles, like a blow out or a trim
- installations of Ruka hair clip-ins, wigs, and ponytails
- and cornrows (for those of us who still just cant quite get the hang of it!)
Now I don’t live in the UK, but I am familiar with the brand from social media. I first came across the brand during my search for natural hair extensions, and was pleasantly surprised by the brand and its offerings – like their notable edge gel.
What is a Trichologist?
Trichologists are certified experts of the hair and scalp. They can help clients better understand their hair and what products or routines may be needed to best resolve their hair troubles. Or if you’re just interested in learning more about your hair and scalp type, they can assist with that too!
What Makes Ruka Different From Other Haircare Brands?
Ruka stands out to me because of their partnership with the shopper to identify, educate, and meet the desired hair needs and goals. By giving their customers the option to go from shopper to client, they are providing a more informed and encompassing shopping experience for the customer. Hair can hold a lot of emotional and personal meaning to an individual, especially in the Black community. And, an unfortunate part of the Black hair experience can be buying and trying numerous hair products in hopes of finding something that works for your hair, only to later find out that they aren’t giving the results you needed. Imagine learning about what your hair needs and doesn’t need, and then being able to go to Target or Walmart and buy with those considerations in mind. Yes please!
With so many brands competing for the Black dollar- especially in the haircare space – this is a standout quality that differentiates Ruka, while also making the services of a trichologist more accessible. Ruka does not currently provide everyday haircare essentials like shampoo or conditioner, but that doesn’t mean the information Dr. Ruka provides won’t still be of value.
Within the past few years, the beauty space has seen a significant increase in the number of haircare brands that are intended for textured hair and Black hair. Which is great! More products are available outside of the beauty supply store to meet the demands of Black hair. This surge and expansion has brought us great brands like Mielle and even numerous celebrity Black haircare brands, like Pattern. If Ruka were to introduce science-based everyday hair products to compete in this space, I’m optimistic it could work out for them in the long-run.
Ruka Hair is still in its earlier stages and phases, but I wouldn’t take my eye off them. The brand recently had their first event in the United States in Brooklyn, New York. A three day pop-up event that consisted of various events spanning from learning sessions, to demos, and even walk-in hair appointments with Dr. Ruka!
I would love to see the brand grow and establish a presence in the US similar to how they show up in Selfridges stores in the UK. Imagine a Ruka curl bar available in Nordstrom or Macy’s along with the other in-store beauty services?! There’s something about the idea of being able to go to the mall and get your wig installed or cornrows done that screams accessible and true inclusive representation. Plus, maybe this could help bring back mall culture by making a full self-care day out of going to see Dr. Ruka?? But that’s a conversation I’ll save for another day 😉
Make sure to check out Ruka Hair on IG and explore their products on us.rukahair.com. Oh, and don’t forget to take the hair quiz while you’re there! We may not be able to see Dr. Ruka here in the US, but we can still follow some of the doctor’s orders while we’re here. ❤
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