NU Standard® STORY

Autumn Yarbrough created NU Standard® because products didn’t exist to solve the dryness, breakage, frizz, and hair loss challenges she faced daily – and she was tired of it.

It needed to make more sense, especially with how much she spent on haircare products. “With all the innovation, patents, and cutting-edge discoveries. I could not understand why results weren’t happening for me.”

Understand Autumn has always been a relentless go-getter and problem-solver. Instead of complaining to companies that did not care and people who could not help, Autumn decided to attack the problem herself – and that is how NU Standard® was born.

For decades, there has been little R&D and innovation on how women with textured hair could better care for it.

“We won’t be last in line or left out anymore regarding haircare innovation. Dealing with the industry’s systemic issues forces you to choose purpose or profit,” Autumn said. “Think about it, salons and hair are probably one of the last segregated industries in America.”

The industry needs to consider the textured hair community when it begins the creative process of advanced science-based products because, traditionally, most companies don’t design products for porous and inelastic textured hair. Those customers should be prioritized.

Also, NU Standard® does not want women solely depending on wigs, extensions, and weaves because they can’t confidently wear their own hair due to the lack of innovative products to solve their problems. It should be a choice, not a constraint.

“We can sell off branding and popular trends, but I refuse to do so. The time is now to change the haircare landscape and commit to innovative textured hair solutions.”

Autumn’s grandfather, Comer Cottrell, Jr., started Pro-Line International, a global haircare company. Her parents led global haircare companies too. She has gleaned vast experience as a customer, daughter, and granddaughter of industry trailblazers.

“Obtaining shelf space is more accessible than getting top-quality products to help women with textured hair. Six decades after my grandfather began Pro-Line, the lack of innovative products is frustrating,” Autumn said. “I’m into eliminating the pain for my [Black] community, the textured hair community, career women, busy stay-at-home moms, and licensed professionals.”

Autumn grew up in the haircare industry amongst the most successful self-starters, so it’s no surprise she pioneered a hair wellness system that included all races and ethnicities to solve her biggest problems: dryness, breakage, frizz, and hair loss.

NU Standard®‘s hair wellness system treats hair from the inside out and combats the harmful daily stressors that cause dryness, breakage, frizz, and hair loss.

This is achieved in three simple steps: nourish, treat, and care.

(1) NOURISH: Healthy hair starts from within. NU Standard®‘s wellness products combat and prevent hair loss from unmanaged stress and nutritional deficiencies.

(2) TREAT: NU Standard® has partnered with licensed professionals to provide a state-of-the-art bond builder treatment for in-salon use only to achieve long-lasting hydration and silky-feeling hair in only 2 steps with 2 products – HYDRASILK®.

(3) CARE: Our day-to-day, travel-friendly, multifunctional, and water-free haircare products deliver high performance in seconds for the busy woman on-the-go.

NU Standard® uniquely believes most hair problems can be resolved from the inside out, including the body, hair strands, and environment.

NU Standard®‘s vitamins can improve their customer’s health internally to lessen hair shedding, strengthen hair follicles and improve scalp condition. HYDRASILK® penetrates the hair strand to repair and hydrate while reinforcing the strand’s exterior. They even pay attention to their customer’s environment. Certain fabrics and showering with hard water can damage hair, as do ultraviolet rays and pollution.

NU Standard® wants to catalyze change by concentrating on hair health and wellness since most companies focus on style. “When you don’t have any hair, what’s the point of styling,” Autumn said, “let’s be honest, good hair is hair that’s there.”

Also, D-I-Y exhausted Autumn. A.I. and social media influencers were not providing real solutions. She knew the importance of partnering with licensed professionals, the real hair experts, for NU Standard®‘s hair wellness system to thrive.

Licensed professionals are the long-term key to healthier hair. They have the experience and knowledge to treat all hair types and hair conditions so women can achieve and maintain a lifetime of healthier hair.

“Our partnership with licensed professionals will make our hair wellness movement unstoppable,” Autumn said, “and this would help us get out there much quicker to shout from the mountaintops on how important hair wellness is…because it’s something we don’t discuss in our industry or community, especially for textured hair.”

The best way to do this is by being disruptive. The status quo must change. Autumn understands positive change is never easy, nor does it come without a good fight, but it’s essential, so she’s willing to wage the battle.

Women want the confidence that they can keep their hair for a lifetime. They want a hair health and wellness system they can trust. They want a NU Standard®.

“It’s time for a NU Standard®,” Autumn said. “Women want to keep their hair forever and keep it healthy and easily manageable. We can help them do it.”

“They deserve it, and we’ll give it to them even if we need to be disruptive.”

THE HYDRASILK® STORY

Our Journey

Left to right: Tracy Ashley – Product Director, Autumn Yarbrough – CEO, Lenita Griffis Browning – Education Director

Lenita Griffis-Browning has one job at NU Standard®: Bridging the gap between licensed hairstylists and consumers.

She’s perfect for the job. After all, Lenita has devoted her life’s work to educating haircare professionals and consumers, while working for the top textured haircare product manufacturers, schools, and industry educator development programs in the world.

“Lenita is equipped with the necessary understandings of textured hair wellness for all,” said Autumn Yarbrough, NU Standard®’s founder. “She’s one of the few people who knows how to restore consumers’ confidence with licensed hairstylists to achieve healthy hair.”

NU Standard®, a hair wellness company founded in 2020, believes in a three-step process – nourish, treat, and care – for clients with hair loss challenges especially with textured hair.

“Honestly D-I-Y is straight up overrated for the Busy Queen,” said Autumn, “I am an expert in many things but keeping my hair on my head is not one of them. Only an informed licensed hairstylist can help me realize my hair goals. ”

This is why Autumn figured partnering with licensed hairstylists and creating safe advanced products for professional use only would be a game-changer in the industry. Autumn believed it was time for licensed hairstylists to have products made exclusively for them and she knew exactly where to start.

I noticed there weren’t any bond system products made specifically for textured hair. The ones I used left my hair feeling weak, dry, and brittle and that resulted in breakage,” Autumn said, “That’s when I knew we needed to get involved and include the stylist.”

Tracy Ashley, NU Standard®’s chemist with over 30 years of cosmetic chemistry experience, fixed the issue by co-formulating and partnering with global suppliers and manufacturers to meet the unique needs of textured hair.

Within two years, HYDRASILK® was born with a commitment to licensed hairstylists.

HYDRASILK®, which will be available exclusively at Cosmo Prof Stores nationwide early next year, is establishing a new standard.

Teaching licensed hairstylists and clients the proper way to care for hair is so important that Autumn named Lenita as NU Standard®’s Education Director.

“With nearly 50 years of hair education, I thought I was ready to retire,” said Lenita, “But when Autumn asked me to join the NU Standard® movement and BE the change needed for textured hair wellness, I knew I had some unfinished business.”

While Lenita is devoted to NU Standard®’s education, she’s also involved in marketing, consumer relations and business development. She makes sure NU Standard® provides the industry’s best products and most up-to-date information on textured hair.

“I’m a pillar of healthy hair education,” Lenita said, “Not only because I know so much, but because I continue to learn more.”

NU Standard® is all about healthy hair innovation for textured hair. The HYDRASILK® Hydrating Bond System provides intense moisture and strength to each strand of hair. HYDRASILK®’s hero application is the two-step reconstructive treatment, which reinforces the strength of each curve, twist or bend in textured hair to avoid breakage and retain hydration longer. The more consistently it’s used, the better the results.

“Before joining Nu Standard, I tried HYDRASILK®’s reconstructive treatment application multiple times over an eight-month period with friends who had post covid trauma or weak , dry or damaged hair to see if the product did what it claimed to do – and the system worked exceptionally,” Lenita laughs, “I, the product snob, was impressed with the results!”

NU Standard® believes licensed stylists should be involved to help any person overcome their hair challenges or meet their hair goals. They are committed to investing in the best education and R&D for licensed hairstylists.

And this is just the beginning.

“When licensed hairstylists receive quality education about textured hair wellness,” Lenita said “we all win.”

The licensed hairstylists. Their clients. And NU Standard®.

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