We’ve all been there.
Trying to find the right product for our hair that gives us the right feel, touch and look that we want but doesn’t contain harmful ingredients that will damage our hair later on.
So many of us have just said, “forget it” and started to try to create our own hair product, but even that can become frustrating.
Kim Lewis was in the same boat.
When Kim made the decision to change from chemical-based hair products and cut off her heat-damaged hair, she tried to find natural ingredients to make organic products herself.
But the ingredients were hard to find, and making them in her kitchen was more than a notion, it was exhausting.
“It was definitely a learning process,” said Lewis, 25, of Chicago.
Around this same time, her husband Tim, a University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign double major in Economics & Psychology left college without a job. Without having any income coming in, Tim was forced to work at Starbucks.
“It was just so intense,” she said. “I was working over 80 hours a week, and I’m like 21. I really hated the life I was in because I felt that I had no control over my time, and I wasn’t doing something that I loved.”
Knowing his talent for trivia, his wife Kim signed him up to be on “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire” where he put his knowledge of random facts to good use by winning $100,000.
With his wife’s frustration of finding the right hair recipe, he then invested $25,000 into Kim’s first business and the two started their own business, CurlMix. He has been her biggest supporter ever since and is CurlMix’s business strategist.
The business ships a box full of natural ingredients directly to customers, giving them the tools to create their own natural hair products without ever leaving home. Unlike many other subscription box retailers, subscribers of CurlMix are also provided online video tutorials.
Products include Apple Cinnamon Edge Control, Brown Sugar Hair & Body Butter, Curl Styling Jelly and more. There are some pre-made samples as well.
In under a year, CurlMix has turned into a six-figure company, Lewis said.
Their innovative take on Do–It–Yourself hair products has won praise from top industry publications such as…
… Refinery29, Essence Magazine, Ebony Magazine, Hype Hair Magazine, and Naturally Curly. With a Bachelor’s Degree in Logistics & Marketing from the University of Illinois, Kim has taken the DIY spirit to heart and continues to push the brand further.
Here is a review of CurlMix from a real user posted on one of their social media pages:
“My sister was diagnosed with breast cancer on Good Friday. She has always struggled with eczema and dry skin. Her condition worsened with the chemo treatments. In looking for ways to keep her mind off things, I ordered the Mango Body Butter for her. It happened to come the day we decided to shave her head as her hair had been falling out all week. When she opened the mailbox and read out loud “the DIY box for curly hair”, she said “is this some kind of a sick joke or something?” I said, just open it. Needless to say, she enjoyed creating the product and has since fallen in love with it as it has helped her skin tremendously. She asked about getting another kit, but I advised her that it has been retired. While she can’t use most of the products yet, I know she will subscribe once her hair starts growing back, as I rave every month when I get my new kit. We are anxiously awaiting your next DIY that can be used on more than just hair. Just know that you’re doing great things for more than just the DIY hair community. Thanks!”
– Andrea
For more on CurlMix, check them out here.