For the first time on British TV, a 2021 Christmas TV ad entitled ‘Get it Right This Christmas’ will feature a Black woman with natural hair. Airing on Channel 4 and produced by Afro hair care brand Afrocenchix. It features a woman struggling to tame her naturally coiled hair before a Christmas party, until she receives an Afrocenchix kit from a friend. “You’re trying to get ready, your hair isn’t what you want it to be, and then you end up making do,” says Rachael Twumasi-Corson, Afrocenchix co-founder and CEO. “This time the solution comes from a brand that understands the unique needs of people with Afro and curly hair.”

While Channel 4 is keen to showcase more diverse businesses in its Christmas ads, ‘Get it Right This Christmas’ is about more than just the TV ad. With the Afro hair care market worth over $42 billion, beauty and hair care brands would do well to turn their attention to customers with Afro hair – especially since they feel that there’s room to better address their needs. But considering all hairdressers in the UK are learning to cut and style Afro hair as part of their training, it seems that change is afoot. There’s an opportunity for brands to help lead this change, by working to cater to this historically underserved customer segment.