Monique Rodriguez’s Mielle Organics Makes History as the NFL’s First Textured Hair Care Partner

Black hair is in the end zone, and Mielle Organics is running the play.

The powerhouse textured haircare brand, founded by Monique Rodriguez, just became the first official textured haircare partner of the NFL, marking a historic win for the culture and another significant milestone for a company that started with a leap of faith and a kitchen-table dream, AfroTech reports. Rodriguez walked away from a career in nursing to build Mielle alongside her husband, Melvin, and today they continue to lead as CEO and COO following the brand’s 2023 acquisition by P&G Beauty.

Mielle’s rise has been nothing short of legendary. The brand is stocked in more than 100,000 retailers, including CVS and Walmart, and secured $100 million in funding in 2021. That momentum has carried straight into this latest groundbreaking partnership with the NFL, a move that expands visibility for textured hair care on one of the biggest stages in sports.

Tracie Rodburg, the NFL’s senior vice president of global partnerships, said the league is “excited” to work with Mielle and believes it will strengthen its connection to players and fans nationwide.

Rodriguez shared why this moment hits home, stating, “We’re honored to be the first textured hair care partner of the NFL through our partnership with P&G. For so many of us, football represents family and community. It’s attending cookouts, tailgates, reconnecting with family and friends, and showing up in your favorite team colors. And for millions of fans, that includes twisting, braiding, and caring for your textured hair before kickoff.”

President of Mielle Organics, Omar Goff, underscored what this means for athletes and fans everywhere. “When textured hair products are in the locker room, players can show up as their full, authentic selves and leave with the same confidence they carry onto the field. This partnership reinforces that textured hair isn’t a niche, it’s central to the culture, the preparation, and the game-day experience. Together, we’re creating possibilities and expanding access with textured hair fans around the world through one of the most powerful ecosystems in sports and media.”

This new collaboration will bring more textured hair products directly into NFL locker rooms, offering athletes high-quality solutions that help combat dryness, breakage, and frizz under the helmet. It also pushes the conversation about representation forward in a major way, ensuring textured-hair athletes see themselves fully supported in every part of their game-day rituals.

And this isn’t Mielle’s first time changing the sports landscape. The brand also made history as the WNBA’s first textured hair care partner in 2023. Reflecting on that milestone, Goff said, “Mielle was built on the foundation of providing high quality, natural products for textured hair. The WNBA partnership enables Mielle to empower players through exceptional hair care.”

From the courts to the fields, Mielle Organics continues to show what it looks like when Black-owned innovation claims its space, breaks barriers, and wins.

Cover photo: Monique Rodriguez’s Mielle Organics Makes History as the NFL’s First Textured Hair Care Partner/Photo credit: Mielle Organics