I have been doing hair for 20 years. I have worked in several different salons before I opened my own in February, 2008. I had worked with other stylists who had their own product lines and I was very interested in starting my own.
Fortunately, the people I worked with were generous enough to give me information about how they started theirs and after doing some research I decided to get started.
First, I had to figure out what I wanted my products to do. I decided that I wanted products that worked well on all hair textures [because] that was my clientele. I also wanted products that worked if you wore your hair straight or curly, because my clients also wear their hair both ways–versatility was a must!
Second, I had to decide on what I wanted in my products. Things like: provitamins, keratin, essential oils, raw material, etc. This required more research:
–What do these materials do?
–How would they react to the hair?
–Do they fit the needs of my clients?
–How will one material mix with another?
Although I knew that a chemist could help me with these questions, I wanted to go in having some knowledge.
Third, it was time to find a chemist! After doing my research I found a company that had a chemist, did the testing and would fill my packaging–all in one place. This saved me a lot of time.
After 1 1/2 years we finally came up with products I liked! To top it off, I also came up with a logo, developed packaging and created a look for my products, all within the same time frame.
In all it took me about 2 1/2 years to develop my first product line and now I have two lines…working on my third. I have say after the first one, it does get a little easier each time.
For more info on Dana’s Loft and her products visit: www.danasloft.com
