From TechCrunch · Dominic-Madori Davis · · 1m 50s
Dawn Myers simplifies curly hair care with Mint tool
Dawn Myers' Mint hair tool cuts wash time from 90 minutes to 7-10 minutes for curly hair.
In brief
Dawn Myers' Mint hair tool cuts wash time from 90 minutes to 7-10 minutes for curly hair. Dawn Myers' Mint hair tool reduces curly hair wash time from 90 minutes to 7-10 minutes by detangling and styling in one stroke. Originally reported by TechCrunch.
Dawn Myers' hair care struggle
Myers wears her hair up in a big afro and finds wash days tedious for textured hair.
“I was watching 'Shark Tank,' and there was another curly girl idea”
Wash days take 90 minutes
Washing and styling textured hair takes about one hour and 20 minutes with current tools.
“it takes around an hour and 20 minutes to wash and style her own hair”
Gap in textured hair tools
The beauty hardware space lacks tools designed for textured hair, a complex and expensive niche.
“a lack of tooling for textured hair”
Historical context of hair care
Historically, Black women were mandated to cover their hair due to its perceived ugliness and unkempt appearance.
“If you think back to slavery, we were mandated to cover our hair”
Myers' business idea
Myers sketched a business idea after a Shark Tank pitch and built a prototype at Ace Hardware and CVS.
“Soon after that episode aired, she whipped out a legal pad and sketched out a business idea”
Richualist's Mint product
Richualist's Mint tool detangles, conditions, gels, and styles hair in one stroke using refillable pods.
“It even has warming technology to gently heat the product before it’s applied”
Mint reduces hair damage
Mint reduces shedding and breakage by up to 70% by eliminating the need to tug on hair strands.
“it helps make hair a bit healthier, reducing shedding and breakage by up to 70%”
Dow partnership
Richualist partnered with Dow for engineering help and manufacturing guidance after an early prototype caught their attention.
“We built it with the materials science company Dow”
Funding challenges
Myers sold her home and liquidated her 401(k) to fund the product, securing $1.4 million in commercialization.
“We were able to get about $1.4 million in the door to commercialize the product”
Cancer diagnosis
Myers was diagnosed with stage three colorectal cancer in 2022 while preparing to expand the business.
“Then, in 2022, just as she was about to expand and go to market, she was diagnosed with stage three colorectal cancer”
Shark Tank appearance
Myers appeared on Shark Tank in 2023 and secured deals from Mark Cuban and Emma Grede.
“She applied to Shark Tank in 2023 and appeared on the show later that year”
Product launch
Richualist launched Mint after securing deals from Mark Cuban and Emma Grede, expanding into Ulta’s online website.
“Grede then helped it expand into Ulta’s online website earlier this year”
The essence
Dawn Myers' Mint hair tool reduces curly hair wash time from 90 minutes to 7-10 minutes by detangling and styling in one stroke.
