Tracee Ellis Ross has some exciting news for fans of her natural hair care brand, Pattern.
After launching the popular beauty line last September, the actress is now preparing to release "phase two" of the collection. The 47-year-old shared the news in an Instagram video Monday, revealing that she previously put the expansion on hold to focus on the Black Lives Matter movement before realizing just how important her brand is right now.
"As we continue to protest and gather and strategize and hold those in power accountable and reimagine our future and vote, I am reminded that celebrating Black beauty is a part of this revolution," she said. "And I'm reminded of the urgency that propelled me to persist for 10 years to create Pattern."
The "Black-ish" star went on to express pride in being a black-owned business and said Pattern has been "centered around the beauty of blackness from the start."
The brand currently includes a range of products including a conditioner, shampoo, serum and mist spray for several curl textures, and Ross' fans were pretty excited to hear that she's expanding the line. "We are the essence of beauty!!!💗 Looking forward to this next phase!" @iluvnecistyle wrote.
And they loved her uplifting message, too. "Goodness what a bright spark in the world you are 💕😍" @slewis1016 wrote, while @katieskipsey commented "Love your energy. Love your hair!!! So beautiful!"
In her video, Ross called hair the "portal into our souls" and announced that phase two will be released on June 19, otherwise known as Juneteenth, a holiday that commemorates the day when enslaved people in Texas were set free.
Ross told fans that phase two, called Style Your Pattern, is all about "strutting and sculpting and being free," especially for the Black community: "I'm reminded that sharing the beauty of Blackness, the power of Blackness, the importance of our Blackness has always been urgent."
The Style Your Pattern collection features five new products, including a curl gel, styling cream, edge control, hydrating mist and strong-hold gel. There are also four additions to the brand's existing shower line, including a jumbo hydration shampoo, jumbo leave-in conditioner, jojoba oil hair serum and a clarifying shampoo. Ross is also offering shoppers three new styling tools and accessories — an edge tool, a wide-tooth comb and a hair pick — in addition to a hair tool kit and a mini conditioners kit. Prices for the new collection range from $7-42.
“It’s always been the plan to bring styling products to Pattern. Curlies, coilies and tight textures know our hair, the types of products that work for us, and what we want. We’ve been listening, and it’s been great incorporating feedback into the development of these new products. I’m super proud of how the brand and our community have come together as we continue to fulfill the beauty needs of the natural hair community,” Ross said in a statement.
In a 2017 interview with TODAY's Willie Geist, Ross revealed why talking about her hair so publicly sends a strong message to other black women.
"What is considered beautiful, what is considered sexy has not always included darker skin, different shapes or features and different textures of hair. Although it can seem like a very shallow and sort of aesthetic conversation, it is truly more of an activist conversation that has to do with making space for the self that I am, my legacy, my history, my identity and my racial legacy that comes through in the story of my hair," she said.