Hola Coco Miracle Hair Mask – Hola Coco was established in March 2017 by Sophie Leah and Gareth Thompson, a couple from Manchester after Sophie’s hair was left brittle and dry due to taking Roaccutane for acne.
After noticing the trend for coconut oil, and other after high-street options had failed, Sophie took matters into her own hands and resorted to making her concoction at home using coconut oil and other cupboard ingredients.
Having been so impressed with the results, the pair then found a manufacturer to create their own Coconut Oil Hair Mask, before selling it online and through social media.
Sophie’s transformation from using the hair mask on a regular basis was incredible and it soon became apparent their customers were having similar results.
Fast forward to 2021 and the brand now has thousands of loyal customers and introduced two new products to the range. The 100% eco-friendly “Bamboo Wide Tooth Comb”, which works perfectly alongside the hair mask distributing it from root to tip and the Hola Coco Microfiber Hair Towel is ultra-quick drying and designed to reduce damage.
Women Talking talks to founder Sophie about her journey from the initial production on the kitchen table into the mainstream.
Why does your product have a better result than other products you have tried in the past for the same hair issues?
“I have fine hair and I found that other hair masks I tried just weighed my hair down. With our Coconut Oil Hair Mask, we wanted the ingredients to really penetrate the hair follicle to leave hair soft and shiny.”
“While we know you can find hair masks that can add shine or volume, finding ones that meet both criteria whilst also adding extra volume can be difficult – I think this is where Hola Coco hits that sweet spot compared to other hair masks on the market.”
What is the mask made from and how does it work?
“The mask is made from luxurious, velvety coconut oil and shea butter. It works by penetrating the hair follicle with its moisturising properties, adding intense softness, silky shine and restoring damaged hair.”
Once you decided you would like to manufacture your product, was it a difficult process to follow through?
“No, not really – our manufacturers got what we were trying to achieve really quickly and were always helpful during the process.”
What have been your hardest obstacles when starting the business?
“Although I’m passionate about marketing and truly understanding our customers and their needs, neither myself nor my partner has a marketing background. We started the company and have been so hands-on it really has been an ongoing learning experience. “
How did you come up with the name of the company?
“The ingredients we use are natural, tropical, and holiday-inspired such as coconut so it conjured memories for me and my partner of when we would go travelling and so “Hola Coco” was born.”
Have you always been interested in beauty? Was this your line of business before Hola Coco?
“Beauty/haircare has always been a huge passion of mine – over the years I’ve spent thousands of pounds on trialling new products. I worked for an online beauty retailer when I first left University and since then I’ve worked in recruitment.”
Will you be adding to your range?
“Our brand new 100% Mulberry Silk Pillowcase is launching soon. The silk doesn’t agitate the strands of your hair meaning you’ll wake up frizz-free.”
“We’ve also seen our customers cry out on social media to add shampoo, conditioner and styling products to our range so we’re looking at, hopefully in the near future, adding them to the collection.”
100% vegan, cruelty-free and paraben-free the hair mask is suitable for all hair types and comes in recyclable packaging, the 500ml tub lasts customers 100% longer than comparative products.
The hair mask, alongside the fully recyclable Bamboo Wide Tooth Comb (£12.99) and Microfiber Hair Towel (£16.99), is now sold online and stocked in hair salons nationwide.
Poppy Watt