For anyone managing thick, natural coils or an afro, wash day is rarely a quick routine. The multi-step regimen of cleansing, detangling, conditioning, and shaping textured strands requires significant effort, an array of specialized formulas, and hours of patience. Recognizing the physical strain and time commitment involved in this routine, entrepreneur Dawn Myers set out to transform how textured hair is maintained through specialized consumer hardware.
Myers, who regularly spent an hour and twenty minutes washing and managing her own hair, traced the inspiration for her venture back eight years. While watching a hair product pitch on the television series Shark Tank, she started evaluating the existing personal care tools filling store shelves. Conventional heat styling devices such as blow dryers and curling irons were engineered primarily to alter hair chemistry and straighten curls rather than nurture their natural pattern. Modern technology had largely bypassed the unique requirements of textured hair.
A Historical Pattern of Neglect in Personal Care Hardware
The gap in hair styling hardware reflects deeper historical attitudes toward textured hair. Dating back to the era of slavery, Black individuals faced mandates to cover their heads, giving rise to protective coverings like do-rags because naturally textured hair was deemed unacceptable by mainstream standards. Subsequent innovations, including heated metal combs, chemical relaxers, and flat irons, focused almost entirely on straightening curls.
It is only over the past fifteen years that women of color and individuals across diverse backgrounds have widely embraced their natural curls without conforming to chemical straightening. Despite this cultural shift, commercial hardware innovation remained dormant. The engineering required for textured hair was viewed as expensive, complex, and unnecessarily niche by mainstream manufacturers.
From a Homemade Prototype to the Creation of Richualist
Following that Shark Tank broadcast, Myers drafted her concepts on a legal pad before purchasing raw components from Ace Hardware and CVS. She assembled an initial working prototype that she described as looking like Frankenstein, proving that a single handheld device could perform multiple styling functions simultaneously. That concept formed the foundation of her company, Richualist.
The company developed its flagship product, named Mint, which detangles, conditions, applies gel, and styles strands in a single pass using swappable, refillable product pods. Built-in thermal technology warms the styling formulas slightly before application, enabling deeper penetration into coarse hair strands.
The device compresses the styling process down to roughly seven to ten minutes, offering immediate relief to users overwhelmed by lengthy routines. By eliminating repetitive pulling and aggressive combing, the tool also helps reduce hair breakage and shedding by up to 70 percent. The device is also offered in a travel size version to accommodate users on the go.
Engineering Support From Materials Science Firm Dow
During participation in a startup accelerator, the early prototype drew interest from materials science corporation Dow. The chemical giant was establishing a dedicated unit focused on textured hair care and saw potential in Myers’ engineering concept. Dow partnered with Richualist, contributing technical guidance and manufacturing expertise to bring the hardware closer to production standards.
Securing investment, however, remained an uphill battle. Developing hardware is notoriously capital-intensive, and pitching tools for textured hair to traditional venture capital presented additional hurdles. Myers observed that executive suites and research laboratories often lacked personnel familiar with the practical reality of a wash day. Explaining the distinct structural bonds of textured hair required persistent education of investors unfamiliar with the market. Myers eventually joined an elite cohort of the first 100 Black women to raise over $1 million in venture financing.
Personal Sacrifice and Scientific Fact-Finding
To finance the early research and prototyping phases, Myers sold her residential property and liquidated her 401(k) retirement savings. The financial gamble ultimately enabled Richualist to secure approximately $1.4 million in funding to validate and commercialize the hardware.
Bringing the device to consumer readiness required five full years of research and development. Because foundational consumer data on textured hair regimens did not exist in academic or corporate archives, Myers and her team had to conduct proprietary research to measure metrics such as the exact volume of product the average consumer applies during a typical regimen.
Navigating Cancer Treatment and Reaching Commercial Scale
In 2022, as the company was gearing up for market expansion, Myers received a diagnosis of stage three colorectal cancer. During grueling chemotherapy rounds at Johns Hopkins, she worked from her laptop directly from the treatment chair to finalize investment terms.
In 2023, Myers auditioned for Shark Tank and filmed her segment later that year while wearing an abdominal compression wrap beneath her outfit to support her surgical recovery. The episode aired in 2024, culminating in an investment agreement with Mark Cuban and serial entrepreneur Emma Grede.
The strategic partnership helped drive the commercial launch of the Mint device, with Grede facilitating its distribution through the Ulta online marketplace earlier this year. With demand pushing the device toward sold-out status, the company is preparing its next production scale-up, positioning textured hair care alongside the most sophisticated hardware in the beauty industry.
