Terms of Service

Welcome to The Art of Black Hair. By accessing or using theartofblackhair.com (the "Site"), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service ("Terms"). Please read them carefully. If you do not agree to these Terms, do not use the Site.

These Terms govern your use of the Site, including all content, features, community submissions, stylist directory listings, and any paid services offered through the Site.

1. Use of the Site

You may use the Site for lawful, personal, non-commercial purposes. You agree not to:

• Use the Site in any way that violates applicable local, national, or international law or regulation.
• Scrape, crawl, or systematically extract data from the Site without prior written permission.
• Submit false, misleading, or fraudulent content, including fake stylist listings or fabricated community stories.
• Upload or transmit viruses, malware, or any other harmful code.
• Attempt to gain unauthorized access to any part of the Site, its servers, or any connected database.
• Harass, abuse, or harm other users or community contributors.
• Use the Site to send unsolicited commercial communications (spam).

2. Community Submissions

The Site allows users to submit community stories, Crown Wall photos, and other user-generated content ("Submissions"). By submitting content, you:

• Confirm that you own or have the right to submit the content, including any photos of other individuals (for whom you have obtained consent).
• Grant The Art of Black Hair a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide licence to display, reproduce, and distribute your Submission on the Site and in our newsletter.
• Acknowledge that all Submissions are subject to moderation and may be rejected or removed at our discretion.
• Agree not to submit content that is defamatory, obscene, hateful, discriminatory, or that infringes any third-party intellectual property rights.

We reserve the right to remove any Submission at any time without notice. Submitting content does not guarantee publication.

3. Stylist Directory Listings

Paid stylist directory listings are subject to the following additional terms:

• Accuracy: You are responsible for ensuring that all information in your listing (name, location, specialties, portfolio photos) is accurate and up to date.
• Professional standards: Listings must represent genuine hair care professionals. We reserve the right to remove listings that misrepresent qualifications or services.
• Payments: Listing fees are processed via Stripe. All fees are non-refundable unless required by applicable law.
• Verified badge: The "Verified" badge is awarded to stylists who provide a valid professional license number or portfolio evidence. It indicates verification of submitted credentials, not an endorsement of service quality.
• Removal: We reserve the right to remove any listing that violates these Terms or that receives credible reports of professional misconduct.

4. Intellectual Property

All original content on the Site — including editorial text, AI-generated imagery, design elements, section copy, hair care guides, and the site's visual identity — is the property of The Art of Black Hair and is protected by copyright law. You may not reproduce, distribute, or create derivative works from this content without prior written permission.

Historical and cultural information presented on the Site is drawn from publicly available sources and is provided for educational purposes. We make no claim of ownership over historical facts or cultural heritage.

If you believe any content on the Site infringes your copyright, please contact us at [email protected] with a description of the alleged infringement.

5. Affiliate Links & Sponsored Content

The Site may contain affiliate links to hair care products and services. When you click an affiliate link and make a purchase, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. Affiliate relationships do not influence our editorial recommendations — we only link to products we believe are genuinely beneficial for Black hair care.

Sponsored content, when present, will be clearly labelled as "Sponsored" or "Paid Partnership." We maintain editorial independence and do not allow sponsors to dictate content.

6. Disclaimers

The Site is provided "as is" and "as available" without warranties of any kind, express or implied. We do not warrant that the Site will be uninterrupted, error-free, or free of harmful components.

Hair care information on the Site is provided for educational and informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional advice from a licensed cosmetologist or dermatologist. Results from hair care routines vary by individual.

We do not endorse, verify, or guarantee the services of any stylist listed in our directory. Any arrangement between a user and a listed stylist is solely between those parties.

7. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, The Art of Black Hair shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising from your use of the Site, including but not limited to loss of data, loss of revenue, or personal injury. Our total liability to you for any claim arising from use of the Site shall not exceed the amount you paid us in the 12 months preceding the claim, or $100, whichever is greater.

8. Governing Law

These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the United States. Any disputes arising from these Terms or your use of the Site shall be resolved through binding arbitration in accordance with the rules of the American Arbitration Association, except that either party may seek injunctive relief in a court of competent jurisdiction for intellectual property disputes.

9. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. When we do, we will update the "Last updated" date above. Continued use of the Site after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms. For material changes, we will notify registered users by email.

10. Contact

For questions about these Terms, contact us at: