The Cut: The Beauty Products the ‘Queen of Statement Hair’ Uses to the Last Drop Amika hair oil, Pat McGrath eyeliner, and Mented blush

After nearly two decades as a hairstylist, Naeemah LaFond’s looks have appeared on Yara Shahidi and Whitney Peak, as well as on the runways of Christopher John Rogers and Sandy Liang. LaFond — who has also served as Amika’s global artistic director for the past six years — recentlyteamed up with Pinterest to develop the app’s “hair pattern,” a tool that allows users to refine their hair searches by six different hair patterns: protective, coily, curly, wavy, straight, and shaved/bald.

The message behind “hair pattern” is an important one. Before, “if you searched ‘beautiful hair’ on Pinterest, the immediate results that you would get would be images of white women, probably with blonde, straight hair — and that’s just the internet in general — but that should not be the standard of beauty,” LaFond says. “You should feel seen whether you have curly, coily, or loc’d hair.” When you search “beautiful hair” now, you’re offered multiple hair types, and you can narrow down the pins even further.

It was also important to use the right terminology — and that’s where the “queen of statement hair” came in. She explains, “I wanted to make sure that we weren’t just randomly taking terms out of the sky, that we are thinking about why we are using a certain word, how we’re describing it, and that it’s all coming from a place of love and respect.” She knows it’s just one step in a larger conversation about inclusivity, but ultimately hopes everyone feels represented.

Below, some of the beauty products that LaFond uses to the very last drop, including the eyeliner that doesn’t budge, the blush that she always wears on Zooms, and the hyaluronic acid serum that’s changed the texture of her skin.

Kreyol Essence Haitian Black Castor Oil

“I’m Haitian, and I grew up using Haitian black castor oil. It’s used for so many things, but I love putting it on my eyebrows and my edges. It keeps everything growing and healthy and lush. This brand is really good quality, otherwise you’re probably getting castor oil from a random store that doesn’t even have a label on it so you don’t know exactly what you’re using.”

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