I quit my job reporting on Silicon Valley to start a haircare line because I was doing my hair one day and wondering why products couldn’t just work.
Not because I was looking for a new career path. Not because I was itching to start something of my own. I only realized the incredible gratification that comes from building something of your own once I started this journey.
So at the center of my journey has been investigating how to make a quality product. I take you along for part of that journey in today’s new episode.
Episode 12 is out now:
Apple Podcasts link here. (The embed seems broken on Substack.)
You’ll hear interviews with two cosmetic chemists, and a conversation with my own, on formulation theory.
As someone who is used to making stories about other people, it’s really difficult and painful for me to make episodes like this one.
Let me know what you think about this episode in the comments. And tell me what you want to hear about in the next behind-the-scenes look!
We will be spacing these out from one another, so the next couple episodes will be back in familiar territory, with stories that use curly hair as a lens to look at our world.
Subscribe to the show on Apple and Spotify, and follow me on Instagram and TikTok for bonus clips.
Wondering why products could not just work while doing your own hair is the most relatable origin story for a curly line. Bringing in cosmetic chemists to talk formulation theory is the kind of behind the scenes most brands never show, and I can imagine how uncomfortable it is to put your own process on the record after years of telling other people's stories. What surprised you most about how long it takes to get a formula right?