Lola’s Green Hair: Your source for new and gently used hair products
During my many internet browsing sessions I came across the new website by fellow twitterling LolasGreenHair. I loved the concept and couldn’t wait to share it with our trend setting readers. This website and the service it provides fills a void in the natural hair community where you can EXCLUSIVELY list natural hair related products to sell and buy. Below is the interview with owner and creator Lola!
What is the vision for website? Where you would like to see the website’s growth in 2 years?
My vision for Lola’s Green Hair is to become THE foremost hub for buying and selling gently used and nearly new hair care products. Currently there are a handful of hair care forums and some hair care blogs that offer their members and readers the ability to exchange products, but the reach of the product postings goes no further than the members and readers of those limited sites. Other than Lola’s Green Hair, there currently isn’t an online centralized hub with the sole purpose and supporting architecture and functionality to seamlessly connect buyers and sellers of nearly new hair care products.
There are at least a dozen performance indicators that my team monitors daily, but the one that we watch the closest is Average Sales Time. Unlike traditional customer-centric sales models, Lola’s Green Hair is unique because we cater to two very different customers types with 2 very different needs—buyers and sellers. Lola’s Green Hair doesn’t sell a tangible product, but rather a service. Our goal is to offer this service while exceeding our customers’ needs and expectations. By utilizing our resources to reduce the Average Sales Time, we’re meeting the needs of both customer types in the best way possible. Currently, a product listed on Lola’s Green Hair on average sells in less than 8 days, which is pretty good. However, moving forward, we’d like to see that time reduced to 2 days. And as always, we will continue to bring a wide selection of products, as well as a wide pool of people interested in buying the products.
How did it all begin?
Lola’s Green Hair grew from personal need. Although I’m now a reformed “Product Junkie”, in my earlier days as a natural, I bought every hot product that was being reviewed and raved about. I also experimented quite a bit with natural ingredients, mixing up my own hair care products. It took me a long time, but I finally found those staple products on which I could always rely. I had just 2 products on my vanity top that I used daily: a spritz bottle with ½ water and 1/2 aloe vera juice, and a leave-in conditioner that I mix up. But if you peeked under my vanity cabinet, and in my linen closet, and in the guest bathroom, you’d find bottles upon bottle of products, many that had only been used a couple of times. I’m a big advocate of sustainable living, and my family and I have adjusted a lot of our habits to be more environmentally respectful. However, the excessive amount of wasted hair product I harbored was out of whack with what we were striving for.
I was able to sell and exchange some of these products in hair forums I frequented, but again, there is no central means to pull this off easily, so it was a bit of a hassle trying to get rid of these products on multiple sites. And so, as the saying goes, necessity is the mother of all invention.
What made the owners transition into natural hair?
I transitioned to natural hair about 10 years ago. My mother didn’t allow me to relax my hair until I was 14, and then only reluctantly. I went from having healthy, thick, long hair, to having hair that was damaged, and broken off. But I kept relaxing for years even though my sensitive scalp would burn within a couple of minutes of the relaxer being applied. The pain was so intense that I started putting off appointments with my stylist. Soon I was going 3 months at a time in between relaxers, just to avoid the burn. Somewhere along the way when my poor scalp could take no more, I made a snap decision to begin having my hair pressed and stop relaxing. I’d see my stylist every two weeks for a press and trim until all of the relaxed strands were snipped away. I was so relieved and wondered why I’d never considered it before.
I continued wearing my hair pressed for years. Here and there I’d rock a Wash N Go, but by and large I wore my hair bone straight, mostly cut in a chin-length bob. About 18 months ago, I left a very stringent corporate work environment with a very narrow view on how executives should present themselves to work for an office that was much more liberal and relaxed. I literally let my hair down, and for the most part gave up the flat ironing. I then went through another transition with a series of small chops until the heat damaged hair was gone.
Highlights of the website and why people should join
I would encourage anyone looking to save money (buyers and sellers alike) to visit Lola’s Green Hair. Sellers can post a 15-day ad for just .99. Buyers can connect with sellers anytime for no cost at all. Lola’s Green Hair also includes a blog in which we regularly share product reviews, interviews with fellow hair care aficionados, and even hair horror stories. We also host a number of exciting contests and giveaways! Lola’s Green Hair is a resourceful, easy-to-use, and secure hub that connects likeminded consumers. “Good” hair doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg!
Join Lola’s Green Hair Today and Begin Saving!
Category: Business Spotlight, Trendsetters
