So much has changed since the launch of Bangstyle.com. 10 years have passed – and during this time we’ve been through all kinds of changes. We’ve grown, we’ve moved, and gone through breakups, marriages, and a global crisis together – experiencing joy, grief, uncertainty, and happiness together. Throughout this time, we’ve encountered all of these ups and downs and made sure Bangstyle was by your side through it all.
Looking back over the past years, I will say, it feels like we are the lucky ones. Not all businesses fared well through the COVID-19 pandemic. And being a hair-focused company it was a scary time for us, especially when salons shut down. We had to shift and pivot, we had to do what strong women do – we had to figure it out.
Being a female entrepreneur has its distinct challenges, I will spare you the details, but I can assure you some moments would leave you stunned, and others scratching your head. The beauty industry isn’t always as pretty as we make it out to be. But, with that said, my talented, passionate team – a group of creative, innovative women – found ways to keep the site alive by shifting our focus, bringing you the world of beauty, and doing what we do best – working together.
We doubled down on articles about tips, tricks, brands, and simply highlighting our favorite things… and you kept reading. All of this left me feeling truly grateful….and also asking the question, what’s next?
We have always been, and continue to be, passionate about the beauty industry. Caring as deeply about the brands we work with as what goes in the bottle we align ourselves with brands that share our values that we are proud to promote, that make you look, and feel better by using them.
So what’s our “what’s next”? A store!
A store that purposefully launches today on International Women’s Day. A store that’s meant to share with you the products that make us feel our best – because at our best, we are powerful. Women are a force to be reckoned with and something to be celebrated. There is nothing more important than celebrating women in a time that has left so many of us feeling disheartened or less than valued in today’s world. We are finding our voices, our tribes, our sense of self and I am here for it, 150%!
Just like every celebrity has a skincare brand now, it might feel like everyone has a store – but, like everything else we do, we are doing it differently for you. We are curating bands we believe in. Brands that perform. Brands that are reasonably priced. Brands that have clean, vegan (as much as possible) and clean ingredients, brands that give back and stand by their word. We want to share with you the brands we have in our showers and bathrooms, the brands we use to get ready in the morning, and hope that this candid peek into our beauty cabinets builds your trust in the women behind the Bangstyle brand and our recommendations!
To start, we are launching with the focus that started it all – haircare. And stay tuned because soon you’ll see us launch all our beauty favorites – from skincare to makeup.
Get To Know The Women Behind Bangstyle
Ashlee
To kick things off, I’ll go first. This feels a little like a confession but…. My name is Ashlee. I am 47, and yes that feels like a mind f*ck to say out loud, but here I am, fine lines and all. As one would imagine, anti-aging is on my mind so it’s where my beauty recommendations come from. I work from home and since COVID happened, I’ve become even more of a homebody. I have been vegan for 8 years and prefer to support brands that have a solid commitment to cruelty-free and vegan options that support the environment or a cause. Ironically, no I am not a hippie, but I keep it pretty clean and low maintenance and am just a big fan of doing the right thing when and where you can.
I have curly hair, fine curly hair…. I am constantly searching for anything that will make my hair feel fuller and thicker (PS, I found it and it’s in the store – the Nick Stenson Beauty Texture Spray…talk about a game changer). A good styling cream to keep my curls (and fizz) in check is essential here in Texas, I reach for the Vicious Curl Anti-Gravity Styling Cream and always scrunch in one of my favorite brands, INSIGHT. Their Styling oil, non oil is a game changer. For skincare, it’s all about wrinkle prevention. I could bathe in retinol at this point, so stay tuned for that too. I am not opposed to Botox or anything else that makes you look and feel your best. Because feeling your best is the best kind of self-care. And that’s what this whole thing is all about.
Ashlee's Picks:
Nick Stenson Beauty Texture Spray ($34.00) / Vicious Curl Anti-Gravity Styling Cream ($22.00) / INSIGHT Styling Oil, Non Oil ($38.00).
Lori
HI! I’m Lori – I’m currently 37 and offer my opinion about brands and products on the daily in the article section on bangstyle.com. While I have my Cosmetology License, my opinion actually comes by way of having too much hair and not enough time to do it. I am constantly on the hunt for anything that improves my medium curly, fine, highlighted hair and saves me time. The biggest culprit standing between me and great hair days is the hard water in London, or the fact that anytime I try to dry my hair my son wants to steal my blow dryer and pretend he’s vacuuming (or hoovering as he says).
For this reason (among many others), I air dry when I can with the help of INSIGHT Styling Cream and sneak in Nick Stenson Smoothing Créme anytime I have a moment to blow dry.
The Biotop 911 Quinoa Vinegar Rinsing Foam is a fan-favorite in our household to remove the hard water buildup, my hair, and precious time.
Lori's Picks:
INSIGHT Styling Cream ($37.00) / Nick Stenson Smoothing Créme ($36.00) / Biotop 911 Quinoa Vinegar Rinsing Foam ($46.50).
Jessie
Helllllooo there - I’m Jessie. I am 36 and my feelings on brands and products live at the cross-section of what performs and what is easy to use. I have a high density of fine hair. It is also VERY long (i.e., your girl could go topless and be fine). My hair does have a natural wave to it so it will hold any heat-styled loose wave I put into it, but with time will start to fall into an even looser wave due to the weight of my hair from its length. While I am capable of styling my hair, and actually do enjoy doing that, I like styling to be more of a “want” vs a daily need. I’m a firm believer in spending money on things that will make my daily happenings more low-maintenance so I like my color to look on-point and have been working towards establishing a manageable hair routine that currently has me at my healthiest hair ever. My day-to-day is keeping my hair as easy as possible so that I can spend my time doing things I love: going to hot yoga, wrangling my new puppy, and/or hanging out with my husband. My routine is pretty … routine.
My 3 non-negotiables right now are Nick Stenson Beauty Moisture Shampoo, Biotop Professional 700 Keratin + Kale Hair Mask, and Nick Stenson Beauty Leave-In Conditioner. When heat-styling my hair, I religiously reach for my Nick Stenson Beauty Texture Finishing Spray to give my mids to ends a little more grip and staying power.
Jessie's Picks:
Nick Stenson Beauty Moisture Shampoo ($34.00) / Biotop Professional 700 Keratin + Kale Hair Mask ($45.00) / Nick Stenson Beauty Leave-In Conditioner ($36.00) / Nick Stenson Beauty Texture Finishing Spray ($34.00).
Nina
Hi Everyone! I'm Nina, I am 40 years old and I love what I know works for me. I'll try something new occasionally but I also realize now that I have sensitive skin, and for that reason, I'm usually pretty tentative when it comes to trying something new. I have a medium density of fine hair with a natural loose curl to it, it is long which weighs down the curl and I almost always blow it dry so people are usually surprised to hear it's naturally curly, that is unless I'm at the beach or fighting humidity! My hair is also still recovering from having my first baby a little over a year ago, but I'm happy to report there is still a lot of new growth coming in. While I can usually squeeze out some time to blow it dry, I don't have time for much else so I have to multitask my routine in the shower these days. I blow out my hair but I don't heat-style it after that, I twist it up and pin it there until it's time to go for a nice loose wave that hopefully says to the world "Oh, she did a little something". Time is a little hard to come by these days, so I rely on the brands and products that have always helped me so I can focus on spending time with the people I love.
Recently I have been incorporating Biotop Professional 911 Quinoa Hair Mask into my hyrdrating routine for a little extra care to protect my ends while I'm focused on adding some length.
Nina's Picks:
Biotop Professional 911 Quinoa Hair Mask ($42.50).
What we hope to bring you with the launch of our store is insight into who we are as the women behind the Bangstyle brand and helpful tips and product picks from brands we’ve personally curated. Most of all, we want to hear from you. We want to know what you need, what you think of the latest products and trends and what you hope to see more of. We’re here for you and all your beauty needs. Welcome Home, Beauty!
