Heads up: Searching for hair inspiration just got 100 times easier. Today, Pinterest launched a new technology dubbed “hair pattern tool” that allows users to search for images by hair type. The company says the launch was made with Black, Brown and Latinx Pinners in mind and serves as a major step towards Pinterest’s mission to redefine representation online for everyone.
Now when you search for things like “summer hairstyles” or “cute updos,” you can narrow your search by six hair types: protective, coily, curly, wavy, straight and shaved/bald. That means you can cut right to the chase and find styles that are most relevant to you and your preferences—whether you’re looking for hairstyles for yourself or for your clients. It’s all thanks to a little something called vision-powered object detection—and it’s kinda a big deal for inclusivity in tech.
“This new tool will mark a much-needed milestone for racial equity in the world of coding,” said Naeemah LaFond, editorial hairstylist and global artistic director of Amika (who worked with Pinterest on the launch) in a press release. “Just the simple idea that I don’t have to work twice as hard to find a hairstyle because of my hair type is a game changer.”
Hair pattern tool isn’t Pinterest’s first launch in the inclusivity space. In 2018, the company gave users the ability to search Pins by skin tone—a technology the company has continued to update for more inclusive and personalized search results. “Our mission on the Inclusive Product team is to help everyone feel like Pinterest is a place for them,” Pinterest’s head of inclusive product Annie Ta shared in a press release. “As a visual discovery platform, we have an opportunity and responsibility to do a better job of increasing representation in the products we build.”
As of today, hair pattern search is available in the US, UK, Ireland, Canada, Australia and New Zealand and on iOS and Android (and it’ll also roll out to international markets over the coming months). Translation: You can start getting customized results right TF now. Excuse me while I go map out the rest of my easy summer hairstyles.