The Colombian pop icon opens up about launching her debut hair-care brand, reclaiming her natural curls, and why she’s finally done with DIY beauty experiments. Shakira has always known how to command a stage—with her music, her moves, and yes, her hair. Whether she was a crimson-haired rock goddess in the late ’90s or a tousled blonde dancing through global stadium tours, her hair has long been a signature of her evolving identity. Now, the Colombian superstar is stepping into the beauty business with a mission that’s as personal as it is powerful: to create a hair-care line that finally gets Latina hair right.
A career told in hair
From her earliest albums to her latest tour, Shakira’s hair has been a visual timeline of her artistic evolution. Her fans can track the eras: the dark, natural waves of Pies Descalzos, the fiery red dye job of Dónde Están los Ladrones?, the platinum reinvention of Laundry Service, and of course, the iconic curls that danced through La Tortura and Hips Don’t Lie. Hair has never been an afterthought—it’s been part of the message.
But behind the glamorous transformations lies a long journey of trial, error, and plenty of damage. “I’ve been one of those women who come out of the beauty salon crying,” she admits. “My hair has been through a lot of trauma—keratin treatments, bleach, flat irons. That’s why I needed to start wearing it organically and be proud of my natural texture.”
It was this personal realization—and the lack of effective products on the market—that pushed her to create something of her own. “Before Isima, I was mixing my own formulas in the kitchen,” she says. “Avocados, oils, conditioners from here and there—just trying to find hydration. One day I thought, ‘What am I doing? There has to be a better way.’”
A science-backed approach to real hair needs
Isima isn’t just another celebrity line stamped with a famous face. The brand is grounded in biotrichology, the science of hair and scalp health, and introduces a patented TriModal Method designed to treat the hair holistically—from cortex to cuticle to scalp.
The product lineup is as thoughtful as it is lush. There’s the Curls Don’t Lie Perfector Creme, which Shakira herself uses while on tour. “I put it on wet hair, braid it into four sections, rehearse all day, and then I have voluminous waves by showtime,” she says. There’s also an exfoliating scalp scrub, a light yet rich hair oil, and the Superbomba Triple Repair Peptide Treatment Mask, which she swears will leave even the most stressed strands soft and revitalized.
“I’ve tried everything out there,” she says. “Most products either define the curls but leave them dry, or hydrate but flatten the texture. I wanted products that could do it all—shine, softness, bounce, scent, everything.”
For women who’ve been underserved
At the heart of Isima is a desire to fill a long-standing gap in the market. For decades, women with curly, porous, or overprocessed hair—especially Latina women—have been left out of the beauty conversation. Shakira is determined to change that.
“Latina hair has absolutely been overlooked,” she says. “It’s either curly like mine, or just wavy, or dry and in need of moisture. We need products that understand that complexity and celebrate it, not flatten it.”
Her relationship with her own hair texture has evolved over the years. “I’ve had moments where I wanted to hide it, straighten it, change it,” she reflects. “Now, I want to embrace it. I want other women to feel that too—to feel proud, to feel seen.”
A look back—and forward
Shakira’s own hair icons growing up weren’t always who you’d expect. “I saw Kelly Preston in a movie with blonde curls once, and I said, ‘That’s it—that’s my next look,’” she recalls. “Later I saw Poison Ivy in Batman and went red. That’s why my hair has been through everything—the worst and the best.”
Still, some things are non-negotiable. She laughs as she recalls one particularly regrettable decision: “Someone once told me to cut my hair short—and I did it. Immediately I thought, ‘What did I do?’ It felt like my power was gone. I would never go short again. Hair is a huge part of my identity.”
As for regrets? She has none—just lessons and a deeper understanding of herself. “I’ve experimented a lot, and I wouldn’t take it back,” she says. “But now, I know what my hair needs. And I finally have something that works.”
The future of Isima
For Shakira, Isima isn’t just a side project—it’s a movement. “This is just the beginning,” she says. “I have new ideas, new formulas, things I want to patent that I think will be as revolutionary as what we’ve already created.”
She hopes the brand will offer more than just great hair days. “I want women to feel that they’ve found a solution, especially those of us who’ve been underserved,” she says. “It’s not about hiding your hair—it’s about amplifying its beauty, its story, and its power.”
In true Shakira style, she’s not playing it safe. She’s rewriting the rules—and doing it with full, glorious volume.
