‘Why should our hair get to eat when millions of people can’t?’: Oxfam launches shampoo to highlight global food inequality
To mark National Hair Day (October 1), Oxfam has launched Only Shampoo to raise awareness about global food inequality.
It highlights that while our hair has access to ingredients like pineapple extract, almond oil and milk proteins in our shampoos, millions of people in Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia, and South Sudan face emergency levels of hunger and malnutrition.
Oxfam Australia chief executive Lyn Morgain said it’s staggering to think that, here in Australia, many shampoos contain more nutrients than millions of people have access to every day.
“We want every Australian, as they wash their hair today, to think about the global inequality that has led to tens of millions of people not having enough to eat – and to start conversations with their friends and colleagues, to get people talking about the unacceptable hunger crisis that is gripping East Africa and beyond.”
Australian beauty brand People Haircare worked in partnership with Oxfam and Bullfrog to develop the product formulation for Only Shampoo.
Founder Katherine Ruiz said: “As a brand that champions beauty and self-care, we recognise the glaring contrast between the abundance enjoyed by some and the scarcity faced by millions around the world.”
Bullfrog, in partnership with Praytell, set out to craft a compelling narrative linking everyday routines to a larger global issue.
Bullfrog deputy ECD Dan Sparkes added: “The campaign is designed to stir a sense of unease, to take something as familiar as shampoo and use it as a mirror to reflect on how disconnected we’ve become from the realities of inequality.”
On launch day, Oxfam will also take over popular subReddit r/showerthoughts to make Only Shampoo the top shower thought on National Hair Day and get hundreds of thousands of Aussie Redditor’s talking about the Hunger Crisis.
A limited run of Only Shampoo has been created for influencers, activists and media personalities like Daria Varlamova, Tarang Chwala and Kirstin Tibballs.
This initiative is part of Oxfam’s Unaccept Inequality platform, which continues to push for a more equitable global future.
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