A San Francisco haircare startup raised $1 million from Alexis Ohanian's VC firm to open a Drybar for women of color
There are a million definitions in the natural hair world of what protective styling means, Montgomery told Business Insider.
"We're thinking a lot about what would resonate with women at that very, very tightest extreme on the textured hair spectrum," she said.
Naza Beauty also addresses a void left in the market by modern hair brands attempting to fill the needs of women with textured hair.
"They'll use terms like "Curly Girl" or "Curl-friend," and at the beginning of the natural hair movement, that signals that this is the product that works for black girls and natural hair," she said.
But, she said, despite these brands trying to be inclusive, in recent years what they've done is address only a very specific, looser type of curl.
"That's come to be sort of the standard face of the natural hair movement, which is very different from the way it began," she said.
A more nuanced spectrum of hair types needs to be taken into account, such as for women with afros, Montgomery said.
And the salon experience itself needs to be updated to cater to women with textured hair needs. Historically, the process has been riddled with uncertainty, she said.
"A lot of what's difficult about the process of getting your hair done as a black woman in general anywhere is sort of anxiety of the unknown," Montgomery said.
There's making an appointment with a stylist, who may or may not be able to fit you in, then setting a date for a week or so in advance. Then, if you're wanting extensions, picking out the hair and either going to the store to pick it up or ordering it online, hoping that it arrives in time for your salon appointment.
Many salons that cater to textured hair needs are cash-only, Montgomery said, so then you have to stop at an ATM on the way there to withdraw cash. And then you cross your fingers, hoping that your stylist is actually available to take you at the time that you booked.
And if you go to a more mainstream salon, there's the looming "textured hair charge," a common occurrence for black women with thicker hair. Stylists will sometimes upcharge you $25 to $50, claiming that it'll take extra time and extra work.
"It's an experience that can be really frustrating, and has been for a long time," Montgomery said. "There's never been any room for innovation."
And so in 2018, a few months after she experienced a particularly long salon session, she officially began work on the company.
"I was just like, 'Okay, this is real,'" she said. "'This is valid, and I can do this.'"
The company's San Francisco salon at 985 Valencia Street in the city's Mission District has a hard opening of February 22nd. But a physical location is only one part of the startup's broader goal.
Montgomery is also working to create product development opportunities for partners nationwide.
But for now, her decision to launch in San Francisco, a city with a rich African-American history and whose 21st-century population is increasingly dwindling, is intentional.
"The black women that are here are really interested in this problem and have a very invested interest in solving it," Montgomery said.
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