6 Black beauty creators share their top hair and makeup tips

TikTok is teeming with beauty content creators who influence makeup looks, product purchases, hairstyles and treatments, as well as sharing their expert techniques. Like with most industries, diversity falls short in the beauty world — which matters not just for representation, but because we need to see products and techniques applied on a variety of skin tones and hair textures.

We spoke to some Canadian content creators whose TikToks specifically focus on Black makeup, skin, and hair. They gave us their favourite beauty secrets and trends of the moment, and the advice they want you to know.

Manuela (@m.dacostaa)

Manuela is a triple threat — a fashion, beauty, and travel creator. In her 'get ready with me' videos she does her hair, makeup and shows off her outfits for nights out on the town. And she has the most fun doing it! In fact, she considers it therapeutic. "Doing my makeup is my way of expressing myself with creativity. As a Black woman, my hair plays a big role in my routine. I am frequently switching up my styles, which is something that I am known for on my TikTok page."

Manuela's favourite beauty trend right now: The heavy blush and bright under-eye combination is her current go-to. "I picked up on this beauty trend from TikTok [and] more specifically the Black beauty creators from the United Kingdom." She brushes a good amount of blush onto her cheeks, and blends it out with a lighter shade of setting powder.

One beauty secret she wants to share with you: "There is no textbook definition of beauty…On my page, I am expressing myself through my makeup, hair, and fashion, [but] some things that I love and incorporate into my routines may not be everyone's cup of tea and that is totally okay. All of these beauty things are a form of art, and what makes this art in particular so special is that no one can tell you that what you are doing is wrong."

Seya (@seya.maria)

Seya focuses on hair care and skin care. If you scroll through her TikTok page, you'll find different methods of washing and caring for her hair — she takes you through the process from start to finish and her wash day videos are her main hit. "My community is always so interested in how I manage my naturally long curly hair and maintain my length. I'm always getting questions about how to grow hair, which products are best for hair growth, etc."

Seya's favourite beauty trend right now: Healthy hair starting at the scalp. She says a lot of people in the natural hair community are "learning how to properly cleanse and the correct products to use to keep a healthy scalp…. If hair starts off with a horrible foundation, the rest of your hair won't flourish the way you want it to."

One beauty secret she wants to share with you: "Learning your hair porosity is the key to learning your hair. Why is it dry? Why is it lacking in shine? Why do I have so many split ends? Why is my hair breaking?" In other words, you have to know your hair to take the best care of it.

Kiara (@kiarablanchette1)

If you like to have fun and try new things when it comes to beauty, check out Kiara's page. As a content creator (and poet!), she tries out and talks about products, plus she has an ongoing series called "Makeup Playtime" where she lets a colour or theme inspire her makeup look for the day. One of her viral videos also includes her cutting her own hair! "I've had a lot of people refer to this video when cutting their own curls, or tell me that they've shown this video to their hairstylist which I think is so cool. I love that people are using my curls as a reference to appreciate their own curls."

Kiara's favourite beauty trend right now: Applying blush and bronzer… on the nose! "I think it really brings colour and life to your face."

One beauty secret she wants to share with you: "Diffuse your curls upside down for extra volume. It makes such a difference."

Elizabeth (@ladylizbee)

If you're into detailed makeup techniques, Elizabeth's page is the one. She covers full-face makeup looks, but also has videos that focus on a singular skill or feature — an eyeliner technique, an everyday eyebrow look, the perfect bold blush. In fact, she thinks her "blush combo" tutorial is a great example of her channel because she's combining high-end and drugstore brands for a beautiful finish, and using a shade she didn't expect to look good on her for viewers with her same complexion. 

Elizabeth's favourite beauty trend right now: Multipurpose product use, like applying blush on your eyes and lips. "It's convenient and comes out looking so put together and pretty." 

One beauty secret she wants to share with you: A tip for looking fresh first thing. "To avoid puffy eyes when I have early mornings, I try to sleep on my back and I wear a silk eye mask. [It]  works every time for me."

Shaneal (@curlcodeblack) 

Shaneal promotes natural hair positivity and teaches you how to care for your hair. "Everyone's natural hair journey is a unique experience — we are constantly learning how to love our hair and how to care for our unique hair type."

Shaneal's favourite beauty trend right now: Mini twists for hair protection. It's a "versatile low manipulation/protective style that is easy to maintain and helps you retain length."

One beauty secret she wants to share with you: To both embrace and love your natural hair. "Being on a natural hair journey is such a beautiful experience — getting to know your curls and coils, creating a regimen that uniquely fits your hair type and understanding your natural hair's needs and wants is key to creating a successful hair care regimen."

Daisy (@maaguiie_)

For beauty and wig expertise — Daisy's page is the one. Her makeup videos are detailed which makes them easy enough to follow along to even if you don't speak fluent French, which she does. She showcases beautiful, full-glam makeup looks, and her specialty is showing her audience how to put on and style wigs. 

Daisy's favourite beauty trend right now: "I recently tried '90s layers on a straight wig and I looveed the result. I definitely want to do it more often!"

One beauty secret she wants to share with you: "It's not really a secret, but cutting your lace in a zigzag motion makes all the difference in melting the lace."

For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians — from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community — check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.