Strands Turns ONE!

Cue the noisemakers and party poppers, because this month marks our one-year anniversary (and what a year). We can’t say it’s been a walk in the park launching during a global pandemic, but boy have we learned a lot. For one, we’ve had to lean on you, our community, every step of the way—and wow, you’ve really shown up. Thanks to our beta testers, we co-developed our brand right in step with you until we got everything just right (yep, even that sleek logo design was your idea). Over 17,000 hours later, a whole lot of funds invested, and more hairs split than you’d like to know, Strands was born. And after all that, our driving passion, just as it was on day one, is to offer game-changing, eco-friendly, biology-backed hair care that’s tailor made for each individual.

So thanks for sticking it out—your before and after testimonials and glowing feedback, not to mention the shoutouts we’ve gotten from some top-notch publications (hi, Allure), have made it all worth it.

But enough gushing...let’s take a quick stroll down memory lane. 

It all started in our founder’s apartment in the summer of 2018 with a rather ancient testing machine (hey, he was on a budget) and a handful of hair samples. This was on the heels of realizing that the average person was relying on guesswork when it came to understanding their hair type. Cut to a makeshift lab and a very bewildered roommate who wasn’t too hip on the idea when he found hair strewn everywhere and chemistry flasks teetering on the kitchen counter. 

Those days, of course, were short-lived. Soon an experienced team took shape and developed the foolproof scientific process we still rely on.

The very first bottle set was made for our now Chief Innovation and Product Officer’s sister and we still use her profile for practice runs today (thanks, Micheline!). We changed our test kit three times before we got it right and we’re still fine-tuning it to this day. True story: In one iteration, we actually had a shower drain hair collector in the kit. 

Even though our team gets bigger every month, we’re still a close-knit tribe. We care about each other’s birthdays, pets, and kids, and actually look forward to hanging out (exhibit A: the office keeps a supply of every person’s favorite snack on hand). Hailing from all walks of life, we all nurture each other and cheer each other on. 

And the best perk? The feedback we get from you, like the personalized comments, suggestions, and compliments we receive in so many of your hair samples. In a digital age, handwritten notes are golden. 

So here’s to you—for believing in us, for getting us to where we are today, and for, well, being the icing on our birthday cake. We’ve got some big things in store this next year, and we can’t wait to do it with you by our side.