Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a device that could dry your curls without disturbing the pattern? What if this tool could give you more volume? Well, now there is one.
Memphis native and entrepreneur Ayshia Collier was inspired by her own struggles of obtaining volume in her curls to create a device that could air dry and prop curls at the roots without plugging a cord into an outlet.
“I struggled with my hair for years, like a lot of curly haired women and there was this one problem that didn’t have a real solution,” Collier says. “Curly hair tends to have a good amount of volume but for some, it is flat on top and bigger on the bottom. I stood in my bathroom, frustrated and wishing that I had a device that could lift my roots away from my scalp while they dried. So I thought this definitely doesn’t exist so why don’t I make it so.”
Collier’s device gives individuals the freedom to focus on other activities while air drying and getting volume, and simultaneously depleting the time spent diffusing in front of a mirror.
Did Ayshia always plan on pursuing her curly hair invention as a business endeavor? Not quite.
“I had no plans of becoming an entrepreneur until I moved to Austin four years ago. All the people around me who had the entrepreneurship spirit inspired me. I thought, well if they can do it, then so can I. I started brainstorming on different business ideas and originally planned on starting a scooter rental company. I went back to this hair tool idea that I came up with, when the rental company didn’t pan out.”
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And behold, the curly crown.
This gives every curly girl the convenience of not having to flip one’s hair down, tease and diffuse, and minimizing the hair routine. There is only one roadblock, however: the curly crown isn’t in stock yet due to low funds for manufacturing.
The prototype was actually made out of craft pipe cleaners. It wasn’t functional, but it was enough to get the idea across to the community. Later, Collier was able to afford CAD files and 3-D prints, until an unexpected turn of events happened. A drunk driver hit her when she was riding her moped, but thankfully, Collier walked away with only staples and a neck injury, plus a settlement that helped develop the CurlyCrown.
After the prototype, Collier went through many other drafts and had conversations with designers to make sure it worked properly. Now that the CurlyCrown has been perfected, it needs to be manufactured in order to get it into people’s hands or hair.
In order to raise the necessary funds to get this new invention into production, Collier needs to raise $32,000; each CurlyCrown costs from $300 to $600 to build. The money raised from her Indiegogo campaign will go towards the tooling mold, manufacturing, packaging, shipping, advertising and other miscellaneous costs.
Collier never intended to be a businesswoman in the world of curly hair. She only desires to help every curly girl out there who yearns for big curls full of volume. “I have definitely grown into the entrepreneur state of mind. I know from all of the great feedback and reactions that I’ve gotten that this is something people want just as much as I do. I plan on producing several other hair tools as well; CurlyCrown is merely the beginning.”
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