Antoinette Ale is the founder of Haircrush which is a place for hair care discovery. and discussions online. She took five minutes to tell us how she created her beauty brand.

What made you decide to set up your own beauty business?

It started back when I was at University in the Midlands where there were not any black hair stylists around at the time. I had always been into hair as my Aunt owned a salon back in London, so I started doing hair for a few friends. The word spread and I ended up making a lot of money doing hair for other girls at University.

Haircrush actually started off as a hair styling business. I called it Haircrush because clients would always bring me a picture of their hair-inspo asking for the same hairstyle. Over time, as my clients started to ask me more questions about haircare and how to maintain their hair between appointments, so it felt right to create a platform where I could share this information more widely. In August 2018, Haircrush made the transition from a styling business to a platform for black haircare.

What is the concept behind Haircrush?

At Haircrush, we envision a world where all black women feel empowered to make healthy hair choices. We work towards this vision by creating useful content and events around healthy haircare for black women. This includes product reviews, hair stylists recommendations and hair care tips. All this is available via our monthly newsletter called, Your Hair Appointment. You fill out our hair quiz and based on your needs and we send you a personalised hair care email every month packed with tips and recommendations.

What sort of research did you do to find out what sort of service your customers wanted?

The brand was created organically based on customer feedback from my time as a hairstylist. I created a space to share what my clients at the time felt was missing out there in terms of hair care advice. We also looked at what other platforms were out there and why we were going to be different. Since we launched, we send regular surveys our subscribers to make sure they are receiving the information they want and need. I think that the most important thing about running a platform like this. You have to be in touch with what your community needs so you can constantly adjust and make sure you are providing value.

How did you decide on the look and feel of your brand?

I was inspired by a few beauty brands such as Glossier, Goop and Into the Gloss. I think when deciding on the look and feel of your brand, always have three to five brands that you admire and take inspiration from them. Use that to form your own brand identity. I made a mood board of these brands and then worked with a designer to create a brand that was bespoke to mine.

What are your future plans for the brand?

I’m excited for the future - we want to continue to help black women make healthy hair choices by providing them with all the tools they need. We are working on a healthy hair course bringing together experts in the field to create something that women all over the world can access to help them have a better relationship with their hair.

We will continue with our educational events in partnership with the most forward-thinking haircare brands. The other side of the coin is the hair styling industry. As I used to be a hairstylist myself, we really want to be able to support black hair stylists grow successful businesses which is why Haircrush PRO will be launching at the end of the year.

What are your favourite beauty products?

I absolutely love Camille Rose hair products, I think they have made some of the most moisturising products I ever used. ASIAM is also pretty amazing and of course my trusted Cantu leave-in conditioner. In terms of skincare, I love Kiehls and Lancome does my favourite foundation.

What advice do you have for anyone who wants to set up their own beauty business?

The first thing I would recommend is speak to potential customers. Forget desk research in the first stages, just speak to as many of your ideal customers as possible. Find out what they struggle with, what their needs are and their story. Really try to understand them because that’s the only way you can create a business that truly serves them.