Pinterest has launched a first-of-its-kind hair pattern search tool
When we’re on the hunt for swoon-worthy hair inspo that we can take to the salon and berate our hairdresser with, there’s no better place to start than Pinterest. Heck, the platform is basically a massive and ever-changing moodboard.
And now it’s about to get even better, as the social media platform announces another inclusive beauty feature. Following the successful launch of their ‘Skin Tone Ranges’ function (which allows users to filter based on skin tone), they’ve now turned their attention to hair, further fine tuning their beauty searches by utilising augmented reality technology.
Created with BIPOC people in mind, the new ‘Hair Pattern Search’ function will allow users to filter their searches based on specific hair patterns (protective, coily, curly, wavy, straight and shaved/bald), making collating your dream hair mood board just about a million times easier.
Image credit: Provided by Pinterest
Or at least that’s the idea, as explained by Annie Ta, Head of Inclusive Product at Pinterest. “We built hair pattern search using computer vision technology to help identify hair patterns in images. By doing this, we hope we're able to use technology for good and make it easier for people, no matter who they are, to find hair inspiration for them on Pinterest.”
Chrissy Zemura, of Sydney’s Zemura salon also spoke on the innovation in a statement released by Pinterest: “As a hairstylist working on afro-textured hair, I’ve had to work twice as hard to find hair inspiration for my clients and myself.”
Zemura claims that the new tool is “ground-breaking and a huge step forward to help people of all backgrounds, but specifically black and brown creators feel seen and respected.”
“The world is so diverse, and what Hair Pattern Search has done is take the act of making diversity work, by creating a more inclusive search tool. This has allowed me to do half the work when it comes to helping my clients find customised inspiration online,” explained the stylist.
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Main image credit: @theestallion
Briar Clark got her start in the media industry in 2017, as an intern for Marie Claire and InStyle. Since then, her keen interest in fashion and beauty has landed her gigs as a Digital Content Producer and Beauty Editor with titles like Girlfriend, Refinery29, BEAUTYcrew and beautyheaven. She loves the way seemingly innocuous topics like skin care and style have the ability to put a smile on people’s faces or make them think about themselves a little differently. A big believer in self love and experimentation, Briar has made a point of becoming the Australian beauty industry’s unofficial guinea pig for unusual treatments and daring hair trends. When she’s not testing out the latest beauty launches, Briar is big on broadening her horizons, mostly in the form of food but she’s also partial to travelling to new destinations both near and far (and of course, allocating an extra bag to bring their best beauty offerings home with her).
