INTERLOCHEN--Its Black History Month -- and one woman is bridging the gap for students in Northern Michigan, who were having a hard time finding textured hair care products.
“When I started here at Interlochen, our president of the Black Student Union came to me and she was super excited, she said I really want a vending machine for black hair care products. And at the time I was like I don’t think that exists,” said Interlochen Center for the Art DEI director Esther Triggs.
It may not be pink, but fast forward to February 2024 and the black hair care vending machine is here. It’s called Key Essential Vending.
Filled with everything from hair oils, gels, conditioners and more for students looking to craft the perfect hair style while leading busy college lives.
Kiara Bastian got the idea for the machine years ago when she struggled to find the right products for her own hair as a student at Western Michigan University.
“You want to make sure that you’re taking pride in your self-care and your look, so that you can perform, therefore, you can go further,” said Bastian. “Looking like you just rolled out of bed, looking like you don’t care for yourself, or you don’t keep yourself up may not put you in the right roles with the right people to get the right opportunity.”
After snagging a deal with Western Michigan, Interlochen Center for the Arts wanted to add Key Essentials Vending to their school.
Kiara wanted to reach out to students to see what products they would like to see.
" We have a google shared document that the students are able to tell me what they need, what they might need, what they’re out of, what they’re into because everyone’s hair care routine is different,” said Bastian. “If you don’t have access to the products but you still want it, I want to be able to give it to you.”
The process, though, isn’t without obstacles.
“So, a lot of the obstacles that I faced were a lot of people saying that it’s a black hair care machine, well, they can just go on amazon or anything, you can go down the street. If college kids can buy this or that they can just buy hair care. Buit what they’re not realizing is in small towns like Kalamazoo, Interlochen or Cadillac, you’re not able to get the hair care products that tame hair at a fast pace.”
With prices rising for everything, Kiara has made it a point to keep products affordable for all students.
“A lot of the students are here to focus on school,” said Bastian. “School is first, beauty is second; however, it’s important. We want to make sure they are still able to afford it. They are still able to get access but not break the bank.”