In June 2019, Ciara Imani May was in the process of growing her hair out. She decided to do so with the help of protective styles, choosing towear braidsback to back. That was when she started experiencing extreme scalp irritation.
"I was researching and foundthis articlethat details the actual materials used to make synthetic hair and the connection was immediately apparent [to me] between the type of plastics used to manufacture our braiding hair and the reaction that I was experiencing," May tellsAllure. "I wanted to [see if] the material itself was causing this reaction and also creating all this pollution."
In 2020,Refinery29 reportedthat synthetic wigs are "composed of ultra-fine strands of plastic" and non-biodegradable materials that contribute to growing landfills. Furthermore, the cheap price of hair is driven by theexploitation of poor laborers, who are often women of color.
Aspiring to be a better steward of the environment, May, 26, quickly recognized where there were gaps in the availability of sustainable options for her protective hairstyles — and sought to fill them by creating her own line. Months afterlab testing popular hair brandsand at least eight grants later,Rebundleofficially launched on January 17, 2021.