Lulu Cordero's Bomba Curls is the First Female-Owned Afro-Dominican Haircare Brand at Target

Story written by Tiffany Gonzalez

Lulu Cordero, founder of the curly-hair care brand, Bomba Curls

“This is deeper than hair. This is curls, this is culture, this is about uplifting a community. This is about bringing that representation.”

Like many Afro-Latina Dominican girls, I grew up stressing my hair and learned quickly to always aspire to "tener el pelo lizo," or have straight hair. It has been a physical and mental journey to get to where I am today, fully accepting the beauty in my curls. I've tried countless natural hair products, but none had roots in Dominican culture. I was raised on Dominican beauty home remedies, so when I read about Lulu Cordero, the founder, and formulator behind Bomba Curls, I could not resist the opportunity to talk to her and learn more. 

The products were launched in September 2019 but began selling in retail stores in 2020 amidst the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, it has sold in Nordstrom (which has sold out three times by the time of my interview with Cordero), and JCPenney, and it is officially the first female-owned Dominican haircare brand sold at Target. Bomba Curls is "made by curly-haired people for curly-haired people," and that's exactly what someone like me wants! It also has a list of accolades to its name, especially its Forbidden Hair Mask, which has been featured in Women's Health Magazine as 2021's Best Hair Mask; in SELF Magazine's 2020 Health Beauty Awards; POPSUGAR for the best conditioning treatment for natural hair textures; and VOGUE as one of the best deep conditioners for reviving curly hair. Achievements that genuinely speak volumes about the products and their quality.

For The Mujerista, I talked to Lulu, whose energetic personality was enriching, about her own natural hair journey as a Dominican woman, her determination, hair tips, and of course, everything Bomba Curls.

(T) Tiffany for The Mujerista
(L) Lulu Cordero

T: What makes Bomba Curls different from other natural hair care products?

L: This is deeper than hair. This is curls, this is culture, this is about uplifting a community. This is about bringing that representation. This is about making people feel good. This is also about making our community feel seen! Because for a very long time, we have been invisible, and it's high time that we change that. It's high time people saw us, and it's high time to celebrate us! That is exactly what Bomba Curls is all about. I'm super proud of what we are accomplishing, the barriers we are breaking, and showing the world that success can look like us, too– with our melanin, curls, and kinks! We are Bomba, baby!

T: I love that, and I love your energy! Now, being Dominican myself, I know of the great emphasis that is put on Eurocentric-styled hair. So how did suffering from traction alopecia and starting a healthier lifestyle spark a new haircare journey for you? 

L: Bomba Curls was born from my natural hair journey. [Laughs] It wasn't an easy one. It started back in 2004, which was the stone age for the natural hair movement. [Laughs]

Starting that journey as a Black woman and embracing that natural texture by choosing to live a cleaner, greener lifestyle wasn't easy, but also adding to that layer of being Dominican and growing up in a culture that doesn't celebrate natural hair. For a long time, it was about me learning to embrace my texture and what works for my texture. My first relaxer was actually when I was nine years old. They brought me into that Dominican salon and said, “Put on that relaxer [“Hay que desrizarla”].” Nobody knew how to deal with my natural hair, so that [getting a relaxer] became a part of my beauty regimen. 

When I embraced my natural hair, I always rock it in tight bulled, back buns. What ended up happening, over time, was that I started to suffer from traction alopecia. Sadly, my hairline started to recede. I'll never forget going back home, and my dad's first words to me were, “My daughter, you're going bald [“Mi hija, te estas poniendo calva!]!” It's a part of the culture. Our parents are very transparent; they call it as they see it. That definitely did something to me, and it affected my confidence. My mom saw how it affected me and suggested some methods women back home use when taking care of their hair. If there's one thing about Dominicans is that we love hair!" [Laughs] "We love hair. We love hair growth and hair care. We might not necessarily turn that attention to natural hair care, but we certainly do know hair. 

T: How did this all lead to Bomba Curls?

L: I was pre-med and have a really strong background in Chemistry, which played out in a way that has allowed me to formulate my own hair care products with Bomba Curls. At the time, I said, “Okay, if I could wave a magic wand and create a product that could help me solve my own issues with my hair, what would that look like?” And that was how the Dominican Forbidden Oil ($28) was formed. It was inspired by Dominican heritage and those Dominican hair care secrets we use back home for hair growth. It worked wonders for me, and people started to see that change. I had that 'AHA!' moment, “Maybe I can sell hair products and help curly-haired girls and boys that are transitioning with their hair, learning to love their hair and to embrace their hair!”

T: I grew up having to do all these 'tratamientos' [hair treatments] i.e. 'huevos con mayonesa' [eggs and mayonnaise], and I'm curious about the specific Dominican rituals and/or products that led you to the formulations of Bomba Curls.

L: The Forbidden Oil, our firstborn baby, was born because my mom said, “Well, why don't you use coffee?” Back home, women use coffee to grow their hair. I went back up to school from Christmas break and said, “Okay, let me dig into this research and these peer-reviewed articles; let me see if mom was telling me lies.” [Laughs] And Mami was right. The science behind certain things and studies did show that caffeine helps stimulate the follicles and [has] so many additional benefits when it comes to hair care. Then I challenged myself and said, “What else can I add to this?” That's where the rosemary [romero], another ingredient from back home came in, the castor oil [el aceite de ricino], and even with our hair mask [Forbidden Mask ($28)], the cinnamon, banana, aloe, and so many other ingredients that back home, for generations, have been used to care for hair. Now we are introducing these ingredients that we have known and loved for generations to a new market here in the states, showing what Dominican hair care looks like when it's applied to the care of our natural curls and kinks.

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T: I'm emotional listening to you!

L: Yes, sis! You already know their favorite question is, “When are you going to fix your hair? [cuando te vas arreglar ese pelo?]” And hearing that statement somehow implies that something is broken about it in the first place! And there is nothing broken about us! That's what it is about with Bomba Curls, literally and figuratively celebrating who we are and our roots. I'm trying to continue the work that my mom started in me, planting those seeds of self-love.

T: That's all SO important because you still hear [pelo malo] bad hair, especially when referring to kinks. But I'm glad you brought up protective styles because they are still frowned upon. Can Bomba Curls be used with protective styles?

L:  I proclaim that I am proudly team pelo malo! [Laughs]

T: I love that!

L: You're going to see us be professionals and break barriers! Our hair oil is our number one seller. It works awesome for protective styles. I always recommend using it as a scalp oil but also using it to refresh your braids, to keep [them] moisturized and strong throughout that growth process. If you're transitioning, that part of your hair where the relaxed and natural hair meet is the most fragile portion of your hair, the most easily prone to breakage. We always recommend constantly moisturizing the hair to help strengthen it and help make that transition process as easy as possible.

T: You did all of this during COVID-19! That's a big accomplishment in itself. Could you talk a bit about that process and how you made it to such great expansion in just a short, but as we all know, long two years.

L: Bomba Curls is a pandemic baby! [Laughs] There were supply chain issues with our raw materials. I'm super-duper big on quality. I'm vegetarian and have been since I went natural in 2004. That was one of the reasons why I went natural I wanted to embrace a clean, green lifestyle. The products are a reflection of that journey. Dealing with the pandemic and dealing with sourcing the highest quality materials; was rough, but the community pulled up! We tried to be as transparent as possible. It was really surprising and refreshing to see that they stuck with us. They understood and waited. It shows the power of community and authentically representing what you are representing.

T: What's next for you and Bomba Curls? What do you wish to see expanded or implemented in the natural hair industry?

L: For Bomba, I would love for us to continue to break barriers in retail and across the world. To spread curl love across the world and just continue to launch new products. I'm a perfectionist and there's so much pride behind the work I do. I want to give you my best. You deserve the world and then some! Touching lives across the world; that's the dream.

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After our interview, per Lulu's recommendation, I tried the Forbidden Hair Mask, formulated to pull moisture into the hair, for a few weeks. Pro tip: Because curly hair has difficulty obtaining and maintaining moisture, Lulu recommends deep conditioning weekly.

Opening the container immediately, you smell the island: fresh butter, coconut, bananas, and cinnamon. It was like giving my hair a tropical vacation. Lulu said I should expect high moisture levels afterward, and she was not lying. My hair was so soft that I forgot how upset I'd been with it just a few hours ago. Bomba Curls has been a game-changer to my hair care regimen, and I can't help but feel so much Dominican pride!

Bomba Curls is now available at Target. Shop directly from and learn more about Bomba Curls here.