Contributed by Rebecca Johnson

Actress, fashion icon, and activist Tracee Ellis Ross launched a hair care line for Afro-textured hair. Pattern was available online September 9 and will be available in select Ulta stores on September 23. The line will include products and tools for in and out of shower use. Twenty years in the making, the Girlfriends star made her first pitch for her line back in 2008.

In an interview with Curly Nikki, Ross chronicled her journey to loving her hair and highlighted her battle with her hair while working on set to get the iconic “Joan Hair.” She recently shared that the cast will reunite on “Blackish.” 

At the time, Black actresses that sported their natural curls on camera were few and far in between.

“By the time I made it onto Girlfriends, I was one of very few women wearing their hair naturally in Hollywood. I learned to embrace my natural texture and curl pattern and love it and care for it. But it was a journey not supported by commercials, entertainment and rows of products in every store,” she told WWD.

Tracee has been a champion of inclusivity in gender, race, and now hair type. The Pattern’s website and Instagram champion women of all skin tones and hair types.

“@patternbeauty is for those of us who need more than a quarter size of a product. large conditioner size that actually fulfill the unmet needs of our community. accessible pricing because everyone should have access to their most beautiful hair in their own shower, and gorgeous packaging that conjures the legacy of our history and makes us all feel like the royalty that we are.”