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A little-known actress by the name of Paula Kent decided to turn her attention away from the big screen and toward something that was a little more mundane. By doing so she was about to rocket her name to the front of the field.
As an actress, Paula had to go through frequent style changes as she prepared for a variety of different roles and became increasingly frustrated to find that a lot of the hair products on the market in those days were inordinately harsh and difficult to deal with. It appears that she was especially sensitive to the majority of the products used by the makeup artists and the actresses of the day and as she had a particularly entrepreneurial bent, she decided to do something about it.
Her hairdresser at the time, by the name of Jheri Redding, agreed to work with her and together they developed three initial products, based on a specific approach. In particular, she was very concerned about the pH content of the products of the day and their new products focused on a range of acidity that was meant to complement the natural pH of both hair and skin. In addition to the initial products the pair decided that intensive training was needed in the industry and set about providing this with the help of licensed cosmetologists in various salons.
Taking a part of each of their last names, the duo created Redken and the organisation went on to become one of the leading companies in the field of product technology related to hair care around the world. This success did not go unnoticed and one of the world leaders offered to buy the company in 1993. L'Oreal became the new owner and continued a powerful expansion. Today the organisation and its products can be found in over 50 countries around the world.
Not many people know that Redken pioneered the concept of protein reconditioning which essentially turned the science of hair care away from reactive repair and toward proactive reconditioning.
While Redken has been known as one of the technological leaders in the industry over the last few decades, other organisations have carved their own path to success. For example, the company behind Paul Mitchell hair products is best known as the industry leader in direct technician education and training. The company behind Tigi hair products is known for its "off the wall" products and its attempts to make the world of hairdressing more socially relevant and more "hip."
The world of hair care is indeed very different to that of 50 years ago and for this we owe thanks to innovators like Paula Kent.
