Entrepreneur Tammy Pilon-Cecchetto wants to remove one of the biggest barriers preventing businesspeople from biking to the office or squeezing a workout into their lunch hour.
No one wants to arrive at work with helmet hair or sit down at their desk while still soaked in sweat. With relatively few office buildings containing employee showers, Ms. Pilon-Cecchetto has watched office colleagues trying in vain to clean themselves up using a bathroom sink after a midday trip to the gym. She knew there was a better solution.
This year, Ms. Pilon-Cecchetto is officially launching Hat Trick Hair, a portable all-in-one hair product that neutralizes odor, replenish nutrients and rejuvenates hair.
With ingredients such as tea tree oil, peppermint and sea salt, the Quick Fix mist leaves one’s hair and scalp feeling fresh, clean and healthy in addition to fighting dandruff and inhibiting lice.
Its Restyle product line helps to hold hair and are ideal for people who wear caps, hard hats, helmets or toques, as well as businesspeople trying to stay active.
“More and more people are walking and biking to work, or trying to squeeze physical fitness into their day,” Ms. Pilon-Cecchetto says. “But many people don’t have enough time for a workout and a shower during their lunch break.”
However, the uses for Hat Trick Hair’s products go beyond white-collar office workers. In fact, the idea first came when Ms. Pilon-Cecchetto was watching her nephew play hockey.
“After the game, the stench coming off these 12-year-olds was horrendous. We joked, ‘You’re not getting in my car,’” Ms. Pilon-Cecchetto says.
The culprit, she realized, was their sweaty hair and helmet.
Armed with a diploma in holistic nutrition, the Ottawa resident worked with a Hamilton-based chemist to develop a formula for the made-in-Canada product that would be kid-friendly but still kill the odor.
But as the development progressed, Ms. Pilon-Cecchetto realized there were additional opportunities. Her husband was looking for a hair product that offered a little hold, without being starchy or sticky.
She also realized that many people don’t have easy access to water or time for a shower, such as kids rushing out the door or patients who are spending several days in a hospital. Hat Trick Hair offers portable product that help such individuals quickly clean their hair.
At the moment, Hat Trick Hair is primarily sold directly from the retailer online. It’s also sold at Repurpose General Store, a social enterprise in Centretown that’s affiliated with Operation Come Home. The local charity is an employment, education, and support centre for homeless and at-risk youth.
Hat Trick Hair is donating 70 per cent of all purchases of its products from Repurpose to Operation Come Home.
