Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade always prioritize their family. And their latest business venture, PROUDLY—a community-forward brand that uplifts melanated babies through self-care products—is an extension of that. As Kaavia grows up before our eyes, the power couple has decided to launch baby hair care products to help support the needs of Black and brown kids.

"Kaavia is becoming very independent and wants to do her 'own' wash days, but a lot of hair care products are made for adults," said Union. "Those shampoos and conditioners aren't hypoallergenic or tear-free, so it was important for us to create safe baby hair products." The actress and Wade recognized the need to protect babies and children of color at all costs. 

Because of this, they have taken extra steps to ensure parents feel at ease when using PROUDLY hairline. Union continued, "We made a point to become E.W.G verified. This was our way of ensuring our products were safe for newborns to adolescents."

The E.W.G., or environmental working group, is a non-profit with the goal of informing consumers about the ingredients in hair and skin care products. According to the website, brands must meet the E.W.G's standards, which include being free from certain chemicals, materials, and contaminants. 

Also, brands must be fully transparent about what's in their products and follow good manufacturing practices. "It isn't easy for Black-owned companies to receive this verification, so we feel grateful to have it. We want to offer our kids the best options available," stated Union.

PROUDLY hair care will be in Target on September 3rd with shampoo, conditioners, and a detangler. Each hair item will be produced with ingredients that cater to natural hair textures that require different moisture levels. This is revolutionary since most wash goods for children come in 2-in-1's, typically covering both body and hair. Unfortunately, these options do not benefit melanated babies and their hair types. "Our babies need scalp care too," said Union. "When we use combined bath products, it dries out our children's scalp and hair," adds Union.

As a community, we know how empowering it can be to care for our strands, but it all starts with being informed. Wade said, "I didn't know about the harsh effects of two or three-in-one baby products. Many of us aren't educated in hair care because we just did what our parents showed us and trusted it." 

Natural Black hair care selection was limited until a few years ago. As a result, many families use relaxers on themselves and their young children. Creating products for us by us and hair education is critical in assisting the next generation to feel proud of their hair. "We created a blog called The Villiage to drive education and answer those questions someone may be too intimidated to ask," says Union.

"Our products are also very transparent. You can read and learn what's in them as you go along, which is great," said Wade. "Now this is an intentional brand we can get behind!