Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Helena Gibson. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Helena thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

After 20+ years of working in my store Strut Hair Solutions, clients would come in and state they were tired of synthetic ingredients such as Minoxidil in the hair growth products we were selling and they were seeing on the market. Clients were wanting and asking for clean ingredients and really examining what was in a product. That was the moment the lightbulb went off in my head and I decided to take all my experience and create my own line of restorative hair growth products! I was in the best position I could’ve possibly been in: having a client base, plus a team in each of my stores for real-time, honest feedback.

It took me almost two years to gather the right mixture of ingredients and I went through 3 chemists to get this just the way I wanted it. Clean and non-toxic ingredients without sacrificing efficacy. Every obstacle that could have come up, did—and a few of them came up multiple times—but Unveil Restorative Hair Care is finally launched this year! This has been a labor of love. I’m beyond thrilled to bring these products to the world and change the narrative around hair loss and what clean beauty really means.

Helena , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My desire to help others regain their confidence started over 21 years ago by helping my mom who has always struggled with thinning hair.

Her situation was like that of many others: it wasn’t medical-related hair loss, it was hereditary hair thinning. Watching her search for solutions inspired me to open the first Strut Hair Solutions in 2002. Our award-winning brick-and-mortar stores are located in Fresno & San Diego, California, where we sell hair enhancements such as wigs, hair extensions, hair pieces, and topical products.

Now, fast forward 21 years of being in the hair loss industry—I’ve done everything from styling celebrities’ hair, to writing a book about hair and being an educator for top hair replacement manufacturers. I’ve tried and sold it all…all the new products, all the new types of extensions, the latest wig crazes, the DIY hacks…and as I mentioned I started noticing the gaps in the industry.

My mission with Unveil Hair Care is to create non-toxic, clean, sustainable, cruelty-free, and restorative hair-care products that promote a personal state of wellness, thus empowering clients to feel confident in their appearance and show up as their best selves.

For far too long we have ignored the mental toll that hair loss can have on our confidence & self-esteem. After being in the hair loss industry for over 20+ years, I created Unveil to free us from that negative self-image.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

In my experience, your team is the most important in creating the business of your dreams.

I invest countless hours in training, staff check-in meetings, travel, spiffs, and the store environment for them.
One of my 3 core KPI’s is maintaining high morale.

A happy team also means happy clients. When I first started in business everything was about keeping the client happy so I put all my focus there as a new business owner.
It wasn’t until many years later I realized if my team was happy they would take care of the clients. My team is the first one the clients see when they walk into the store, and the first one they talk to when they call in.

We train on phone skills, and customer service skills just as much as we work on our craft skills of cutting and styling the hair. When your team members feel valued and appreciated they will be your support in growing your company.

We’d love to hear your thoughts about selling platforms like Amazon/Etsy vs selling on your own site.

Crazy that I am now in the E-Commerce business after all these years with physical locations. That said, in looking at all the options out there to sell Unveil Hair Care through I ultimately chose Shopify.

What I love is the ease of use. I can go in and print a shipping label easily. Find my customers quickly and message them directly through the app.
The product pages are easy to duplicate and after the initial setup of your site, you don’t need ongoing support to add product pages.

What I don’t like is every add-on costs. It doesn’t seem like a lot at first $50 here and $20 a month there but when you are just starting out that adds up quickly. When you add a quiz, coupon wheel, or authentic review app….all these are extra. My advice here is to trial and error then you’ll find what works for you and your business.

Contact Info:

• Website: unveilhaircare.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unveilhaircare/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UnveilHairCare
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/helena-gibson-5a672820/
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@unveilhaircare