Most of our personal care products are made using one dominant ingredient: water. Yet, the world is running out of clean water! On a mission to do things differently and create a sustainable brand, founder Kailey Bradt launched OWA Haircare to cater to individuals who travel and want to save the planet.

Founder and CEO of OWA Haircare, Kailey Bradt, was born in upstate New York and was always trying to sell the world something. “At the age of 3, I would paint rocks and sell them to strangers. The most I got was $7”. Fast forward to modern-day and Kailey is now selling a unique, patent-pending, powder shampoo that is clean, vegan, sustainable and most importantly lathers! (For those who don’t know, a lathering natural shampoo is very hard to find!)

“I was always entrepreneurial and would find ways to make things happen no matter how big or small.”

“The idea of OWA came to me in April 2016 from a personal struggle. I was working for an early-stage startup in LA and was traveling all the time. Short trips though. But, similar to a consultant I would always have my carry-on packed with my mini toiletries ready to go. When it came to my hair care products I found it frustrating to find a product that wouldn’t explode, leak or get snagged at TSA. I tried shampoo bars, but they quickly got gross and picked up bacteria laying around on the countertops of hotels. I really just wanted my liquid shampoo to be delivered in a different format!”

At the same time, Kailey was approached by another entrepreneur to develop their formulation for a beauty brand. Instead of teaming up, Kailey decided that she wanted to focus her efforts on launching her own company, one backed by venture capital funding versus being bootstrapped. OWA has raised $450,000 as of today and is currently raising a seed round.

“It’s different, but it works!”

OWA Haircare launched in June 2019 as a water-activated brand that is sustainable, vegan and clean. Their first product is Moondust, a powder shampoo that comes in a travel-friendly bottle with 60 washes (7X more than an average liquid shampoo). When it comes to her target market, Kailey focuses on professional women who are constantly on the go and need a product that can keep up with their travel, sweat, and anything before or after bed!

It took Kailey three years to develop the formula for Moondust shampoo and like most of our Makers, she worked a full-time job while trying to launch her company. Her background? Oh, well nothing short of being a Chemical Engineer from Rochester Institute of Technology where she later got her Master’s in Product Development followed by working at a chemical company and cosmetic startup. By being hands-on with formulating in her early days, Kailey was setting the building blocks of what would become her life’s work and passion for launching her own company someday.

The Name

OWA stands for Out of this World Amazing. “We are always told to think outside of the box, but I wanted to think outside of this world! I mean, innovation is at the heart of our business and I want OWA to be the go-to brand for folks who want to go to the Moon, or to Mars or even on that quick trip to LAX.”

**“The general feedback we got was oh this is great for the environment, and 40% of the folks wanted to try it just because it was a novel concept.”**

Education has been a big hurdle for Kailey in the beauty industry. She has found that when it comes to hair care, distribution is key, and further yet, you have to be in retail stores. One of the ways she has tried to increase sales is by allowing customers to try the product in-store on their hands to experience the lathering and texture. Fun fact: In 3000 B.C. shampoo used to come in the form of a bar. People would peel the bar and drop the shavings in hot water to create a liquid. It wasn’t until much later that technology allowed us to add preservatives and create a liquid, shelf-stable version!

Another challenge Kailey has faced in this industry is production! Most beauty entrepreneurs will tell you that formulation has been their biggest concern, but with OWA, Kailey created the patent-pending formula herself in her New York apartment on a small scale. She tested it out with over 200 friends before going into production. “When we went to find a manufacturer we found out that they had to purchase new equipment to produce our formula since it could not be easily created by a cosmetic machine. We needed to source a machine from the food industry!”

The Advice

As a young mid-twenties entrepreneur, Kailey tells us how she has found the best luck in meeting investors through mutual contacts or in-person. “I did a lot of cold calling and emailing in the beginning and felt like I wasted a lot of time sitting behind a computer instead of being out at a conference or an event.” Kailey further believes that when you are launching a company you should:

Speak to as many strangers as you can about what you are building and constantly refine your pitch.
Attend at least one event a week, in the beginning, to mingle with angel investors and fellow entrepreneurs.
Stalk angel investors online, find out where they are speaking and go to that event.
Apply for grants from local programs and associations that will fund your product research.

When not working, you can find Kailey traveling the world, nerding out over film photography and chatting up strangers on their haircare routine. Interested in experiencing a new way to wash your hair? OWA Haircare can be found at Credo, Neighborhood Goods and online. Priced at $29, mention promo code: owaforradiche2020 for a 10% discount. Grab your bottle!

Photo courtesy of OWA Haircare.

Written by Alysha Malik.