Guest post - Good Wash Day Hair Towels
Today, I welcome Karen to the blog. She is better known as the founder of Good Wash Day Hair Towels. I was guilty of sporting a T-shirt around my head until I was introduced to Good Wash Day.
Karen: I had straightened my hair for 20+ years until I started embracing my curls in early Spring 2020. I went down a rabbit hole of shampoos and conditioners and stylers and gels and cationic surfactants and polyquats. Followed shortly after by porosity and density and humidity and various styling techniques. (I don't do anything by halves: GAH!)
Early on, my research led me to swap out my usual bathroom towels for a more hair-friendly option. I tried T-shirts, a popular choice, but found them awkward to use: I avoided microfibre towels altogether on environmental grounds. I wanted a combination of the two: a jersey cotton t-shirt towel, big enough to wrap my hair in, in a range of colourful options, made in the UK and ethically sourced. I couldn’t find such an item, so I created one.
This type of towel is a well known concept amongst the curly hair community. When used in a certain way (to ‘plop’) they can help set waves and curls. But they are also beneficial because they improve hair health, and in order to get the most out of waves and curls, hair needs to be healthy.
Hair is most vulnerable when wet and when I think back to how I used to ‘rough’ dry mine with a traditional towel I liken it to exfoliation! Jersey cotton towels are much gentler and kinder to hair. They reduce friction, damage, split ends, dryness and frizz: I believe we all want that, no matter our hair type! And they also reduce drying time, but without leaching moisture and essential oils from within the hair. This saves precious time, and also reduces exposure to hairdryer heat (if you use one) in turn improving hair health, so it’s a win win.
When thinking about creating my towels I had two non-negotiables. They needed to be made from top grade organic jersey cotton, and handmade here in the UK.
All my fabrics are certified by the worldwide leading textile processing standard for organic fibres. Certification criteria includes employee welfare and ecological and social factors, and it covers the entire supply chain.
In a similar vein, I've also spent a long time sourcing recyclable packaging materials from other small independent businesses, where possible. Being a natural minimalist my intention is to keep packaging to a minimum, but as with all things it's a balancing act: I want my products to arrive safely, and to have a bit of a wow factor.
And talking of other small independent businesses, I always choose them where possible. I buy my fabric from such a business. Anna makes some of my towels: she has been with me from the very beginning when she would make my prototypes and we would have snatched five minute conversations on my doorstep (due to lockdown). She also runs her own successful tailoring and alterations business. Holly is a local photographer. Katie is a couple of junctions up the M3: she worked her graphic design magic on my branding. I’m about to switch to a local printer for my postcards, business cards and gift cards. It’s a pleasure to visit my accountant who is a joyous thirty minute drive away, in the middle of the Hampshire countryside. It feels good to support other small businesses after the year everyone has had.
I sell my towel on Etsy (where it’s already a bestseller), my own website and the Amazon marketplace.
Before starting my business I spent four years working for a Winchester based start-up who made and sold products on the Amazon marketplace, so those skills are being put to good use. I’m also using the business studies degree I undertook at Peter Symonds Adult Education college five years ago, and my pre-children IT career skills. It feels like my entire working life has brought me to this point.
Products have come and gone, and I now understand what works for my hair and what doesn’t. I stick to the same trusty few potions, repurchasing as and when required. And my towel? It’s a keeper.
Thank you Karen! To find out more about Good Wash Day towels click here
If you would like to feature as a guest blogger, please contact me at silkgenie@hotmail.com