For many with natural curls, wash day is more than just a chore—it’s a complex ritual involving detangling, lengthy styling, and often discomfort. Founder Dawn Myers noticed those frustrations firsthand. From the time she spends washing and styling her own hair—about 1 hour and 20 minutes—to observing how traditional tools misaligned with textured hair needs, she saw an opportunity to build something better.
Out of that realization came Richualist and its flagship product, Mint. Unlike typical hair tools, Mint aims to streamline the wash-day process: it detangles, conditions, gels, and styles in one stroke, using refillable product pods. A built-in warming feature gently pre-heats the product for application. Myers estimates that Richualist cuts styling time down to 7–10 minutes, also helping reduce hair shedding and breakage by up to 70%.
The Birth of Richualist
Myers first began sketching the concept after watching a beauty pitch on TV, realizing there were virtually no tools crafted specifically for naturally curly or textured hair. She assembled a makeshift prototype using parts from hardware stores and drugstores—her early “Frankenstein” version—and kept refining the idea over years of R&D.
Seeking scientific ballast and manufacturing expertise, Richualist partnered with Dow, which had recently launched a unit focused on textured hair. Together, they co-developed the materials and processes needed to bring Mint to life, including formulating how much product users actually need—a figure not well documented in existing beauty research.
From Personal Sacrifice to Market Launch
To fund the work, Myers tapped into personal resources—selling her home and cashing out her 401(k)—eventually raising around $1.4 million to bring Richualist to the commercial stage. The journey was far from linear. In 2022, Myers was battling stage three colorectal cancer while finalizing funding, even closing her venture round during treatment.
Her persistence paid off after her appearance on Shark Tank in 2023 (aired in 2024), where she secured investment from Mark Cuban and Emma Grede. That opened the doors to wider retail reach, including getting Mint into Ulta’s website earlier in 2026. The product is now close to selling out, and the company is planning its next moves in production and distribution.
Richualist was recently selected as one of 200 startups for a major industry showcase this year taking place during Disrupt 2026. Myers, currently preparing to present, says she’s driven not just by business goals, but by the symbolic impact of seeing textured hair care share the stage with sophisticated tech companies.
This work addresses long-ignored technical differences in hair types. Myers emphasizes that textures, strand bond structure, and user practices demand tools made for these realities—not generic appliances or chemical treatments. Her message: wash day should empower, not punish.
What this means: Richualist’s Mint could shift how people with curly hair approach their care routine. If it delivers on efficiency, reduced breakage, and a more enjoyable experience, it could force beauty hardware brands to pay attention. For consumers, the biggest change is less time, less damage, and a product tuned to their hair—not the other way around. What to watch next: product performance under real-world use, pricing and sustainability of refill pods, and expansion of distribution beyond Ulta. Innovations here may redefine what hardware in beauty really means.
