Dwyane Wade Recalls Moment Doing Kaavia's Hair That Inspired Baby Hair Care Line: 'I Was Trying'

A daddy-daughter moment gone awry inspired the couple to formulate a product line that's easy to use, contains healthy ingredients and is affordable

Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade host the PROUDLY Hair Care launch at the Babylist L.A. Showroom on September 14, 2023 Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade host the PROUDLY Hair Care launch at the Babylist L.A. Showroom on September 14, 2023
Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade at the PROUDLY Hair Care Launch. Photo:

Jerritt Clark/Getty

Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade continue to be inspired by their children.

One particular daddy-daughter bonding moment gone awry between the NBA alum, 41, and daughter Kaavia James, 4, became the catalyst for the couple to add hair care products to their PROUDLY baby care brand.

Not only are the products clean, but they're easy to use for those parents who, like Wade was at one point, may not be exactly versed in dealing with their kids' sensitive hair.

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"I'm not saying I'm doing Kaav's hair often — because she doesn't allow me to — but just as dads, when we get an opportunity to have that moment with our daughter or our son, when it comes to the hair moment, in our community, that hair moment is everything," Wade tells PEOPLE at the baby hair care launch event, held at the Babylist Showroom & Shop in Beverly Hills on Thursday.

"I remember when I was trying to do [Kaavia's] hair and I was just trying to put water in it and detangle it, right?... I was trying to put water in and comb it out." But for the little one, the addition of water only made her hair curlier. The more Wade tried to comb, the more it curled up — making the whole experience painful for the tot.

"I don't even do her hair anymore because of that one moment," he revealed.

Gabrielle Union, Dr. Naana Boakye and Dwyane Wade attend the PROUDLY Hair Care Launch at Babylist L.A. Showroom on September 14, 2023 Gabrielle Union, Dr. Naana Boakye and Dwyane Wade attend the PROUDLY Hair Care Launch at Babylist L.A. Showroom on September 14, 2023
Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade with dermatologist, Dr. Naana Boakye.

Jerritt Clark/Getty

But never ones to phone it in, Union and Wade went to work and called upon experts like dermatologist Dr. Naana Boakye and pediatrician, Dr. Heather McGowan, who helped inform them on the best way to formulate a product line that would be good and safe for melanated babies.

"[PROUDLY came from] a need, honestly. When Kaavia was born and we started looking, we realized that there were literally no brands in the baby aisle that centered the needs of melanated babies," Union tells PEOPLE.

"The whole concept of the brand is just about us," the Bring It On actress, 50, continues. "We were like, 'I think there's room for us to create literally the products of our dreams. Not just for our child, but all melanated babies.'"

After initially launching PROUDLY with skin care products in 2022, the power couple recently added a softening shampoo, moisturizing medium conditioner, nourishing heavy conditioner and defining detangler to their brand. It's a series of products Wade proudly stands behind, mostly because it makes the process that much more manageable — especially for the hands-on dads who may not exactly have experience doing hair.

"It has to be easy. Dumb it down for me," he jokes. "If you look at the lineup, the lineup is easy. It starts with a detangler. Boom. I know what that is. Then from there, I go to the shampoo, then from there, now we got two conditioners."

"It made it easy, and it's not too complicated. Obviously, for all of us, but for the moments when dads get to have their moment, I don't want to be in there, like, 'Ah, what do I do next?' The steps are lined up for us."

Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union host the PROUDLY Hair Care launch at the Babylist L.A. Showroom on September 14, 2023 Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union host the PROUDLY Hair Care launch at the Babylist L.A. Showroom on September 14, 2023
Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union host the PROUDLY Hair Care launch at the Babylist L.A. Showroom.

Jerritt Clark/Getty

Vital to their mission was also making sure that the products were EWG-approved to be made without any "sketchy" ingredients.

"A lot of Black and Brown parents leave the baby aisle way too soon and start using adult products on kids," Union notes. "That's what happens. We leave the baby aisle because we want products that actually work on our kids' hair. But are they suited for babies 0 to 3? No, they're not."

With that in mind, the couple ensured that their products are tear-free, hypoallergenic, non-stripping and extra-moisturizing. The hair care line is infused with ingredients such as jojoba oil, murumuru butter, marshmallow root, shea, mango butter and more, that help strengthen, moisturize and add shine to a baby's hair.

Even more impressive is that the products are also affordable — another factor Wade and Union pushed for. All the hair care products are sold for $12.99.

"There's no point in saying we've got the solution, but we've priced you all out of it," says Union. "That's actually cruel, so we wanted to make sure our products were not only effective, affordable, but accessible."

Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade host the PROUDLY Hair Care launch at the Babylist L.A. Showroom on September 14, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade host the PROUDLY Hair Care launch at the Babylist L.A. Showroom on September 14, 2023 in Los Angeles, California.
Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade with their products.

Jerritt Clark/Getty

In order to achieve that accessibility, the pair partnered with Target. "[We told our team], 'Listen, we want these amazing products. We don't want to cut any corners. We don't want anything cheap. We don't want anything sketchy. We want everything clean. And we want to keep it at $12," Wade reveals.

"Credit to our team for understanding that, understanding how important it is for our community so our products can show up in the communities because it's not outpriced. That was something that was very important. There's no reason to build a brand, like [Gabrielle] said, if we can't find it."

PROUDLY products are available at Target as well as the company's website, PROUDLY.com.

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