“No cosmetology training, purely operating off of passion,” Meet Lianne. She is the Creator of ChroniCurls, a platform dedicated to taking you through her natural hair journey, and the mind and owner behind the hair product line Pop! Curl Color. Her decision to go natural came about during pregnancy. She wasn’t sure whether or not relaxed hair upkeep was good for the baby at the time and knew that soon would come the time to do her baby girl’s hair. What started as simply documenting this journey via YouTube and Instagram five years ago has now generated a very large following and her making a name for herself in the cosmetology business realm, enhancing multiple curl patterns at a time with homemade products! She is originally from Danville, VA, but as an Airforce wife has done a lot of moving.
What inspired your transition from relaxed hair to going natural?
“At the time I decided to go natural I was pregnant with my daughter. I didn’t know if relaxers were good for her and I thought about how my mom always took me to the salon. I told myself I need to know how to do my daughter’s hair.”
What led to you sharing this transition with the public?
“I got comfortable with styling my natural hair and wanted to document it. It was also during the time that blogs like Curly Nikki and natural hair YouTubers were becoming more popular.”
What was your why in creating Pop! Curl Color?
“I wasn’t satisfied with other temporary hair colors on the market. I felt other products made the hair dry, so I wanted something that was fun and colorful but moisturizing and defining at the same time.”
What does Pop! Curl Color do for our hair?
“My products are temporary hair color and curl products.”
Are there any FDA regulations or testing that have to be followed when creating and selling hair products?
“No specific FDA regulations for cosmetic products but they do have strong recommendations. It also depends on your specific state’s regulations.”
When did you realize hair care and creating such products was a passion?
“When I realized I loved creating content about it on my YouTube channel & blog. I loved doing my hair. I loved the feeling I would feel when I would edit a video and it would come out exactly how I wanted it to.”
“My viewpoint on beauty and hair in general began to change and that’s when I realized I wanted to make natural hair a part of my life.”
What were some initial thoughts prior to kicking everything off, business wise?
“Initially I thought I would end up sticking to youtube, full time, and eventually making money off of that, but it didn’t work out that way. I had been sitting on this idea for a year and something told me to simply work on my own product when I had time. A few months ago I was able to launch it.”
Any initial fears prior to going forward with your products?
“Uncertainty had me super scared. I knew the concept was good, but I didn’t know if people would like it. I had never started a business before and also because I already had the large following on other social media platforms, I thought if it failed everybody would know!”
And how did you overcome these fears?
“It was a lot of prayer. I’m also in a groupchat with other bloggers. We all have similar interests. One day I went in the chat and told them what I was feeling, and they were all just so encouraging, as well as my husband.”
“Having somebody else to hold me accountable for what I said I was going to do pushed me over the edge.”
Advice for those interested in entering the cosmetology realm but hesitant due to uncertainty, no school training, or afraid of failing?
“Do your research, ask questions, and just do it! Everything doesn’t have to be perfect. I was recently reading something that said “Launch it broken. Fix it live.” So even its not perfect go ahead and just do it. Launch it and continue to work on it as it goes along, because if you’re waiting for it to be perfect, it’ll never launch.”
Describe to me a typical Pop! Curl Color day or week.
“Pretty busy. I make the gel at home. I take a day I’m not working and make what I think I’ll need for the next week or two. Two days out of the week I spend packing and shipping. I have a process in place to stay organized so that when I’m off and my kids are home I can keep my attention on them.”
Personal strength that you feel have contributed to the success of Pop! Curl Color?
“I am very flexible, business and personal life wise, because things are not going to always go the way I want them to but I have to be quick coming up with another plan.”
Are your products for all hair textures ?
“My products are for all wavy, curly, and kinky hair types.”
Biggest accomplishment thus far from all of this?
“My biggest fear was people wouldn’t like it or understand it, so I’m proud that people really like it. I get really excited when customers send me pictures. It validates the idea behind the business to begin with and makes me feel good. I want women to like it and feel good about their hair.”
Lianne’s advice for those interested in making such products is to do your research, test other products, know what it is that you want, and to join online groups and websites that will guide you into launching your own products.
Outside of being an entrepreneur and using her social media platforms to influence and promote her products you can find Lianne exercising, enjoying the outdoors, online shopping, and being an Airforce wife as well an amazing mother to two beautiful kids! She also received a Bachelors degree from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill and a Masters in Health Sciences from Duke University. Her background is in medicine and she currently works part time as a Physician Assistant out of Alaska. If you’re natural and looking for quality products to enhance your curl pattern and add temporary color you should definitely follow her social media platforms!
Instagram: @chronicurls
