Bomb Ass Fro isn’t just a mantra, it’s a movement and product that has been flying off the online shelves in 2023. As a New Orleans, LA native, CEO, and founder Sydni Raymond wanted to ditch the complexity and complication of styling natural curls with a one-stop shop remedy, a hair jelly. She desired to not only inspire confidence in her customers but also provide them a simple and effective way to combat pesky frizz and humidity. We sat down to chat with Sydni about how she created her sold-out hair jelly and what she’s learned from her experience as a business owner.
How did living in NOLA impact your relationship with your hair?
I think at first it was definitely a learning curve for me. You do have to learn how to use the humidity to your benefit because there are pros and cons to it. My gel definitely has humidity-fighting ingredients, although it has glycerin in it. When a lot of people see glycerin they get concerned but it’s definitely a unique formula and overall this has been a learning curve for me. You mentioned your own experience with the climate in New Orleans and when I walked outside it can be frustrating to see it immediately frizz up after spending an hour on your hair. The winter can be a bit better, but it is a trial-and-error situation where I’ve always tried to work with it instead of working against it because you will never fully win.
What inspired the name of your business?
It kind of just came to me, I am a person who has always received compliments on my hair and the misconception that it’s easy to style because it’s a looser texture. I had to get used to having curly hair like anyone else, and I think that’s an experience that a lot of people can relate to. We’ve been conditioned to feel like our curls needed to be straightened and we needed to use chemicals in our hair. I just wanted to give Black women specifically the confidence to rock their Bomb Ass Fro, no matter what texture you have or if you’re still learning how to do your hair. I want you to walk in the room with my product and embody having a Bomb Ass Fro and feel confident.
Why did you choose to make your first product a jelly?
I am a gel girl and I just got tired of trying to figure out all of the methods like the LOC method and what order I should have to put the products in my hair. Do I use the moisture I prefer? When do I use oil? So I wanted to reduce all of those steps. I wanted to make it simple so all you have to use is the gel which has all of the properties that all of the other methods are supposed to add to your hair without the endless steps. I personally find it confusing and natural hair is already such a learning curve and then we’re trying to figure out which steps to take and what is right for my hair type. I wanted to help people achieve good-looking hair with the least amount of effort.
How would you describe the difference between a jelly and gel?
A gel has more of a cast, more of a hard cast I consider, and a different consistency. My gel is a looser consistency but it’s not as thick as a regular gel would be. I intentionally created it that way because I wanted to be able to maneuver through different textures. I feel like gels can kind of get stuck because they don’t have as much slip as I like. I chose to go the jelly route for consistency and being able to detangle your hair so it’s an easy-flowing experience without a lot of manipulation.
What ingredients are in your product?
The first ingredient is water, and glycerin, and then there’s a fruit extract mix, which is it has different hair growth and humidity-fighting components. It’s considered a botanical gel and doesn’t have any PCPs or harsh ingredients which I’m proud of because most of my ingredients are naturally derived, but it also still performs well. I want to make a note that I chose to use glycerin because I still wanted the product to have a moisturizing property, and If I’m going to consider it all into one gel, I need to have that moisture factor there. Water brings moisture to your hair and glycerin extracts the moisture from the air and puts it into the hair. You can use all the leavens and oils and butter in the world but the ultimate component to moisture is water, and so it was important to me to ensure that moisture is being put into my customer’s hair.
What is an important milestone you’ve experienced as a business owner?
Recently I got selected to be the first product-based brand for New Orleans entrepreneur week. I got to pitch on stage, which was exciting and nerve-wracking but it was a proud moment for me because it just showed, you know, how quickly my brand is scaling and where it has the potential to go. It’s important to have that affirmation that other people believe in what I’m doing and I’m headed in the right direction.
How have you created an audience for your product on social media?
All of Bomb Ass Fro’s audience is organic to this date and we haven’t spent a dollar in marketing because we haven’t had to. I’ve had some great influencers back me because they love the product and they see the vision and want me to win. I totally appreciate each of them for that support so they’re a big aspect of that word of mouth reviews.
What can we look forward to from Bomb Ass Fro this year?
We will be expanding our product line this year to offer a deep conditioner and possibly a shampoo. I’m very specific on what I want each product to be and it took me a year and a half to formulate the jelly. Shampoo and conditioners are essential to the natural hair experience so it’ll be a bundle. Since we sell out a lot, we’re going to offer a subscription-based model as an option to customers so you can ensure that you have the product instead of waiting weeks.
