Hairstory is a brand with a genuine origin story and real innovation, but some of its marketing claims deserve a closer look before you spend $48 on shampoo.
Correct. This made my fine, thick, oily, wavy hair look like shit for months while I waited out the promised "transition period" from customer service. It just kept looking worse until I grabbed some clarifying shampoo in desperation and... problem solved. For my money, Davines is the best -- extremely targeted care that's mostly sulfate-free and yes, expensive, but lasts 3-4 times longer than a bottle of Hairstory ever did for me.
Hi Emily. Sorry to hear you didn't have a good experience with New Wash. Were you able to troubleshoot with out CX team? Experiencing challenges with New Wash is not uncommon. This is because you need to change the way you wash slightly. Our CX team tracks people experiencing challenges who reach out and partners with them to figure our what they could be doing differently to achieve success.
Overall CX save rate: 62.5% — Our recent data shows that of 8,247 customers who contacted support about New Wash problems (usage issues, transition questions, "not working as expected," etc.), 5,157 went on to place at least one more order afterward. Among existing customers specifically (86% of those who contact CX), the save rate is 70.3%.
Please let me know if you would like to try again. I would be happy to set up a personal call with you and our head of Customer Service - she is exceptionally good at helping people through.
You've got to be joking. Did you not read my post? Yes, I tried to troubleshoot with your CX team several times. It is not because I need to change the way I wash. It is Not. Good. For. Every. Hair. Type.
Sorry, Emily. I'm glad you tried and appreciate your efforts. You're clearly one of the 37.5% our CX team wasn't able to "save." We can agree to disagree on the "every hair type" relevance. The data I posted below in response to Kevin certainly speaks for itself. Respectfully, Eli
I haven’t been paying any attention whatsoever to beauty launches. However, I’ve been needing a new shampoo for like 20 years so definitely trying this.
Maybe the brand is leveling up its valuation to attract investors, or it could be looking for a complete buyout (as Gordon did with Bumble & Bumble). Or maybe the brand's growth had stagnated, and they needed a retail rollout to build capital. 🤷♂️
Hi Kevin and Paula. I'm happy to jump in and share exactly why we entered Ulta. We believe deeply that non-detergent cleansing creams like New Wash are hands down better for your hair and your scalp. The corollary is that we believe shampoo is the enemy of good hair. It is also bad for your scalp. 50% of people report having scalp issues at some point in their lives. That doesn't make sense to me from an evolutionary perspective.
Selling on our own website and through about 5,000 hairdressers has been amazing and our company has grown very nicely, but we have yet to break through in a meaningful way. Most people don't know about cleansing creams and they don't have any idea there are alternatives to shampoo that (we believe) are better.
Going into Ulta introduces the core concept of cleansing creams / detergent-free shampoo to millions of new people all across the country. Do we expect to convince every one of them to make the switch? Not even close. But we believe that Hairstory can be to shampoo what Oatley is to milk - the leading alternative to something you never even thought could or should be better.
I hope this helps and I invite your feedback. This is an important moment for Hairstory and it is great to have a chance to clarify our motivations.
If you have any interest in learning more about detergent-free cleaning, I have a Substack called Soapless where I talk all about it. Here is a link to the first post: https://elihalliwell.substack.com/p/soapless
I saw the launch on the Ulta app, as someone often lured in to the sparkle and shine of a new brand/product, I appreciate your report of the historicals of what and why .. knowing that it may be for you or not for you means a lot .. as a reminder that IT’S OK.. it’s not you .. it’s me.
Hi Kevin. Eli Halliwell here. I'm Hairstory's co-founder (and I also worked with Michael at Bumble) and I was the CEO for the company's first seven years. Now I'm exec chair. I really appreciate you taking the time to dive deeply into Hairstory, our products and our business model. If I may, I'd also like to offer a few slightly different opinions, just for the record!
First, New Wash is not a co-wash. Co-washes are conditioners and they don't have any amphiphilic molecules (on purpose) which means they don't clean. New Wash cleans with fatty alcohols that are indeed amphiphilic molecules and it actually cleans quite thoroughly. If you would like to learn more about the science behind our non-detergent cleansing system, I'd recommend reading Mauricio Bellora's Substack. He has a PhD in Pharmacology and Biochemistry: https://mobellora.substack.com/
Next, I'd like to address your skepticism about the core premise behind New Wash, namely that foaming shampoos over-cleanse your hair and scalp, and that switching to a non-foaming, non-detergent cleansing cream can calm down your scalp's oil production. While Mauricio's articles will give you the science behind why this is true, I will simply share the empirical evidence from our nearly 1 million customers and 25,808 reviews. Our customers repeat purchase at the highest rates in the entire haircare industry. This is because once you switch to New Wash and experience the benefits, you can't go back to normal shampoo. The change in the oil balance of your hair and scalp is exactly what makes this difference possible. One tangible, measurable change: our customer claim they are able to go longer between washes when they switch to New Wash from shampoo. 504 reviews specifically reference being able to go longer between washes. Here are a few examples.
I love that I can go longer in between washes." (New Wash Original, 5★)
"I can now easily comb through the hair without having used conditioner and so far have extended out to washing every 3 days." (New Wash Original, 5★)
"Now I wash my hair every 3–4 days. I can go longer between washes and my curls feel so healthy." (New Wash Rich, 5★)
"I feel my scalp produces much much less oil than it used to." (New Wash Deep, 5★)
Finally, I'd like to specifically address your skepticism that New Wash works for all hair types. Here we have massive empirical data, all present in our 25,808 reviews.
Fine / Thin Hair
Reviews: 4,275
Average Rating: 4.38
Positive Rate: 82%
Curly Hair
Reviews: 3,060
Average Rating: 4.61
Positive Rate: 89%
Wavy Hair
Reviews: 1,407
Average Rating: 4.52
Positive Rate: 87%
Color-Treated / Dyed Hair
Reviews: 1,398
Average Rating: 4.57
Positive Rate: 88%
Grey / Silver Hair
Reviews: 483
Average Rating: 4.66
Positive Rate: 91% — Highest positive rate of any segment
This is getting long, so I'll wrap up! I really appreciate you taking the time to write about us and I'm particularly grateful that you've been such a longtime customer of Hairstory. Clearly, I believe passionately in our company and our products and I'm happy to have the opportunity to address your concerns / skepticism here in this post. I'm not trying to convince you of anything - I just want to represent what I believe as well.
I wasn't expecting your comment to be a marketing deck, though 😉.
But obviously, you feel you were misrepresented in my article, and I apologize for that.
As a product developer (including haircare and hair styling products), I'm aware of the efficacy of fatty alcohols/amphiphilic molecules for cleansing. When formulated correctly, they are a good non-stripping, barrier-supportive cleansing option - they just aren't very effective at removing the build-up of styling products on hair and scalp, which is why Hairstory introduced Pre-Wash, correct?
So while I understand your defense of New Wash's efficacy, I feel it's important to acknowledge that while New Wash is a good hair and scalp cleanser, Pre-Wash is needed to pick up where New Wash's cleansing ability may fall short.
Hi Kevin. I LOVE this dialog. Thank you so much...
I totally forgot to address your question about Pre-Wash and you are 100% correct. As I shared in the reviews data, people who self-describe as oily are the least satisfied at only 70% positivity. We created Pre-Wash to address that cohort and to minimize the chance that people who aren't naturally oily would have an adjustment period. My own wife bailed on New Wash five days in her first time using it over a decade ago. When we decided to start Hairstory she tried again and after a full week she was in the clear. If she had been able to use Pre-Wash from the start, I'm convinced she would have been happy from the start.
All good questions and comments and I appreciate your attention to detail. And sorry for all the statistics, but I find data useful.
Correct. This made my fine, thick, oily, wavy hair look like shit for months while I waited out the promised "transition period" from customer service. It just kept looking worse until I grabbed some clarifying shampoo in desperation and... problem solved. For my money, Davines is the best -- extremely targeted care that's mostly sulfate-free and yes, expensive, but lasts 3-4 times longer than a bottle of Hairstory ever did for me.
Hi Emily. Sorry to hear you didn't have a good experience with New Wash. Were you able to troubleshoot with out CX team? Experiencing challenges with New Wash is not uncommon. This is because you need to change the way you wash slightly. Our CX team tracks people experiencing challenges who reach out and partners with them to figure our what they could be doing differently to achieve success.
Overall CX save rate: 62.5% — Our recent data shows that of 8,247 customers who contacted support about New Wash problems (usage issues, transition questions, "not working as expected," etc.), 5,157 went on to place at least one more order afterward. Among existing customers specifically (86% of those who contact CX), the save rate is 70.3%.
Please let me know if you would like to try again. I would be happy to set up a personal call with you and our head of Customer Service - she is exceptionally good at helping people through.
Hope this helps.
Best, Eli
You've got to be joking. Did you not read my post? Yes, I tried to troubleshoot with your CX team several times. It is not because I need to change the way I wash. It is Not. Good. For. Every. Hair. Type.
Sorry, Emily. I'm glad you tried and appreciate your efforts. You're clearly one of the 37.5% our CX team wasn't able to "save." We can agree to disagree on the "every hair type" relevance. The data I posted below in response to Kevin certainly speaks for itself. Respectfully, Eli
I haven’t been paying any attention whatsoever to beauty launches. However, I’ve been needing a new shampoo for like 20 years so definitely trying this.
Thank you so much!!!
I am just curious: is they were being successful with salons and stylists, why move into retail?
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
But won’t this hurt their clientele and the story they already built? Seems like a lateral move
I don't know what the motivation really is.
Maybe the brand is leveling up its valuation to attract investors, or it could be looking for a complete buyout (as Gordon did with Bumble & Bumble). Or maybe the brand's growth had stagnated, and they needed a retail rollout to build capital. 🤷♂️
Hi Kevin and Paula. I'm happy to jump in and share exactly why we entered Ulta. We believe deeply that non-detergent cleansing creams like New Wash are hands down better for your hair and your scalp. The corollary is that we believe shampoo is the enemy of good hair. It is also bad for your scalp. 50% of people report having scalp issues at some point in their lives. That doesn't make sense to me from an evolutionary perspective.
Selling on our own website and through about 5,000 hairdressers has been amazing and our company has grown very nicely, but we have yet to break through in a meaningful way. Most people don't know about cleansing creams and they don't have any idea there are alternatives to shampoo that (we believe) are better.
Going into Ulta introduces the core concept of cleansing creams / detergent-free shampoo to millions of new people all across the country. Do we expect to convince every one of them to make the switch? Not even close. But we believe that Hairstory can be to shampoo what Oatley is to milk - the leading alternative to something you never even thought could or should be better.
I hope this helps and I invite your feedback. This is an important moment for Hairstory and it is great to have a chance to clarify our motivations.
If you have any interest in learning more about detergent-free cleaning, I have a Substack called Soapless where I talk all about it. Here is a link to the first post: https://elihalliwell.substack.com/p/soapless
Thanks for letting me dive in here...
Best, Eli
Thank you. 😊
Thanks Kevin. I have been curious about this product for a while. I’ve been a no sles/sls for over 30 years, so this appears to be worth a try.
I saw the launch on the Ulta app, as someone often lured in to the sparkle and shine of a new brand/product, I appreciate your report of the historicals of what and why .. knowing that it may be for you or not for you means a lot .. as a reminder that IT’S OK.. it’s not you .. it’s me.
Great to hear you saw us in the Ulta app! Thank you for sharing!
Hi Kevin. Eli Halliwell here. I'm Hairstory's co-founder (and I also worked with Michael at Bumble) and I was the CEO for the company's first seven years. Now I'm exec chair. I really appreciate you taking the time to dive deeply into Hairstory, our products and our business model. If I may, I'd also like to offer a few slightly different opinions, just for the record!
First, New Wash is not a co-wash. Co-washes are conditioners and they don't have any amphiphilic molecules (on purpose) which means they don't clean. New Wash cleans with fatty alcohols that are indeed amphiphilic molecules and it actually cleans quite thoroughly. If you would like to learn more about the science behind our non-detergent cleansing system, I'd recommend reading Mauricio Bellora's Substack. He has a PhD in Pharmacology and Biochemistry: https://mobellora.substack.com/
Next, I'd like to address your skepticism about the core premise behind New Wash, namely that foaming shampoos over-cleanse your hair and scalp, and that switching to a non-foaming, non-detergent cleansing cream can calm down your scalp's oil production. While Mauricio's articles will give you the science behind why this is true, I will simply share the empirical evidence from our nearly 1 million customers and 25,808 reviews. Our customers repeat purchase at the highest rates in the entire haircare industry. This is because once you switch to New Wash and experience the benefits, you can't go back to normal shampoo. The change in the oil balance of your hair and scalp is exactly what makes this difference possible. One tangible, measurable change: our customer claim they are able to go longer between washes when they switch to New Wash from shampoo. 504 reviews specifically reference being able to go longer between washes. Here are a few examples.
I love that I can go longer in between washes." (New Wash Original, 5★)
"I can now easily comb through the hair without having used conditioner and so far have extended out to washing every 3 days." (New Wash Original, 5★)
"Now I wash my hair every 3–4 days. I can go longer between washes and my curls feel so healthy." (New Wash Rich, 5★)
"I feel my scalp produces much much less oil than it used to." (New Wash Deep, 5★)
Finally, I'd like to specifically address your skepticism that New Wash works for all hair types. Here we have massive empirical data, all present in our 25,808 reviews.
Fine / Thin Hair
Reviews: 4,275
Average Rating: 4.38
Positive Rate: 82%
Curly Hair
Reviews: 3,060
Average Rating: 4.61
Positive Rate: 89%
Wavy Hair
Reviews: 1,407
Average Rating: 4.52
Positive Rate: 87%
Color-Treated / Dyed Hair
Reviews: 1,398
Average Rating: 4.57
Positive Rate: 88%
Grey / Silver Hair
Reviews: 483
Average Rating: 4.66
Positive Rate: 91% — Highest positive rate of any segment
Thick / Coarse Hair
Reviews: 1,736
Average Rating: 4.41
Positive Rate: 83%
Damaged / Over-Processed Hair
Reviews: 960
Average Rating: 4.53
Positive Rate: 88%
Coily / Kinky / Afro-Textured Hair (including 4a, 4b, 4c)
Reviews: 169
Average Rating: 4.51
Positive Rate: 87%
Asian Hair
Reviews: 63
Average Rating: 4.33
Positive Rate: 83%
Oily / Greasy Hair
Reviews: 1,517
Average Rating: 4.05
Positive Rate: 71% - this is the lowest positivity rating and these customers self-describe as being naturally very oily
Here is a link to a Substack I wrote on this very topic! https://elihalliwell.substack.com/p/one-product-every-hair-type-heres
This is getting long, so I'll wrap up! I really appreciate you taking the time to write about us and I'm particularly grateful that you've been such a longtime customer of Hairstory. Clearly, I believe passionately in our company and our products and I'm happy to have the opportunity to address your concerns / skepticism here in this post. I'm not trying to convince you of anything - I just want to represent what I believe as well.
Thank you!
Best, Eli
Hi Eli,
I appreciate your input.
I wasn't expecting your comment to be a marketing deck, though 😉.
But obviously, you feel you were misrepresented in my article, and I apologize for that.
As a product developer (including haircare and hair styling products), I'm aware of the efficacy of fatty alcohols/amphiphilic molecules for cleansing. When formulated correctly, they are a good non-stripping, barrier-supportive cleansing option - they just aren't very effective at removing the build-up of styling products on hair and scalp, which is why Hairstory introduced Pre-Wash, correct?
So while I understand your defense of New Wash's efficacy, I feel it's important to acknowledge that while New Wash is a good hair and scalp cleanser, Pre-Wash is needed to pick up where New Wash's cleansing ability may fall short.
Best, KJB
Hi Kevin. I LOVE this dialog. Thank you so much...
I totally forgot to address your question about Pre-Wash and you are 100% correct. As I shared in the reviews data, people who self-describe as oily are the least satisfied at only 70% positivity. We created Pre-Wash to address that cohort and to minimize the chance that people who aren't naturally oily would have an adjustment period. My own wife bailed on New Wash five days in her first time using it over a decade ago. When we decided to start Hairstory she tried again and after a full week she was in the clear. If she had been able to use Pre-Wash from the start, I'm convinced she would have been happy from the start.
All good questions and comments and I appreciate your attention to detail. And sorry for all the statistics, but I find data useful.
Best, Eli