Are We Hair Yet?

Linda Howard Wears HairZing

2009-09-28T10:10:00.000-07:00

Linda Howard, wife of Emmy Winner Ken Howard, loves her HairZings and we love their work!

I was mesmerized by the Grey Gardens production on HBO, and if you haven't seen it--don't walk RUN to get a copy. I had a great feeling he might win when I first met him, and I am glad he did. Most touching was seeing how clearly he loves his wife Linda, and she loves him. They have the easy flow of a couple who have been together for 30 plus years I believe.

Linda has fine, thin hair like I do and was so delighted with how HairZing Double Combs felt in her hair that they stayed in our booth for much longer than they were supposed to. I know she'll be wearing Zing all over Hollywood from now on. Linda and I were doing hairstyles and chatting about the Emmy's, the food she needs to pack for the 8 hour ordeal, and why the Emmy's insist on being held in 400 degree temperatures every year. Ken was saying that Hollywood has no idea of the talent both Drew Barrymore and Jessica Lange have (I agree). I actually did not want them to leave. Great people, wonderful love, incredible talent.

Emmy Winner Cherry Jones Wears HairZing

2009-09-24T08:42:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, half of our company lives and work in Tennessee. Well, oddly enough we had to go all the way to California to meet one of our Volunteer State Neighbors: Emmy Winner Cherry Jones!

While participating in the Madison and Mulholland Charitable Pre-Emmy Event, Ms. Jones (May I call you Cherry?) walked right over to our area and said, "Hairzing! I know all about your product. My friend wears and loves them. You support women in beading collectives instead of factories."

Cherry (above with HairZing co-founder Francesca Kuglen) promptly put her HairZing in and posed for the busy cameras. We talked a bit about Tennessee, where our warehouse is adjacent to Jack Daniels' one and only distillery, and discovered how small the world really is.

Thanks for stopping by Cherry! You were utterly gracious and a pleasure. You and your charity were huge winners this weekend for picking up HairZing for your bag. Oh, and that Emmy was pretty cool too.

EMMY WINNER--Best Actress in a Drama for "24"

HairZing at Emmy Event TODAY!

2009-09-18T10:23:00.000-07:00

The wonderful inventor and Partner of HairZing Inc. is spending today At the Emmy Awards Gift Giving Suits. We were honored to be invited to this event - its turning out to be a smash! Here's a small sample of actresses who wore the original double combs out of the event and into the LA Sun! We'll have more pictures with HairZings in these Television Star's Hair first thing next week!

Amanda Righetti ...................................................Natalie DreyFuss

Star in CBS Hit "The Mentalist"...................Star in Lifetime's "Rita Rocks"

Bella Thorne..................................................Cameryn Manheim
From "Little Monk"...........................................From "Ghost Whisperer"

Finally, We want to wish Cherry Jones (Below) all the luck! She is nominated for Best Supporting Actress in a Dramatic Series for her role as the President on "24." I'm so glad you love HairZings!

I'll post more pictures as soon as I get them from California.

New Zingers - The Story Behind the Comfort

2009-09-16T11:10:00.001-07:00

There is a different mood in my heart these days. I am cleaning closets like mad, deleting old files, recycling and giving away everything that no longer serves me. I’m choosing a more streamlined existence, without all the clutter of the past. I wear simple clothes rather than the busy patterns and ruffles that were so hot a short while ago. I am practicing cooking skills I thought were dead….and enjoying the process of working with fresh, natural ingredients that don’t come in a box or have a freezer life of 150 years.

I’m not alone. Everyone at HairZing seems to be moving in a similar direction, and we noticed the same trend with customers. Instead of getting requests for more sparkle and glitz on our HairZings, calls have been increasing for simple “non-blingy” designs. Definitely a sign of the times we are living in. We took that inspiration and poured it into our new line of casual “Zingers”. Our goal was to make your hair feel as comfy as your feet do when you sink them into warm, soft socks…..pure comfort.

For complete transparency, I must admit that Zingers are not technically “brand new”. We took an original design I created a few years ago and reinterpreted it with new comb molds that contour to your head made of (gasp!) recyclable plastic. Our stretch bands are specially designed and woven just for us. They stretch and hug your head like a dream. We launched the “Double Comb Revolution” as a whole new hair healthy way to hold and style your hair. Hope you enjoy! Please send me your comments and feedback—I’d love to know what you think. Email to: Francesca.kuglen@hairzing.com

QVC Date Announced

2009-03-03T08:16:00.000-08:00

HairZing will be featuring our Hair Hugger line on QVC at 8 PM (EST) on March 9th. Find your remote, take a break for a second, and watch our colleague and friend Marianne show off new styles not available on the site!

HairZing on Men? Joaquin Phoenix Thinks So!

2009-02-25T08:16:00.000-08:00

Seeing celebrities wearing your products is always a great opportunity for some great PR. So what do you do if that celebrity is not really expected to wear this type of product? Well, that's a dilly of a pickle now isn't it.

In the picture above Joaquin Phoenix is sporting a Diamond Skinny Large Black HairZing at a party in Miami. The product was actually given to his sister, but he must have raided her stash! We can't say this is the most flattering picture of the "Walk the Line" star, but we are happy he finds them useful!

Picture credit of justjared.buzznet.com

A little background about the authors...

2009-02-10T09:04:00.000-08:00

The wonderfully talented people in our organization come together from all around the planet to create HairZing. Our teams are based in the United States, Asia and Africa. Each team has different strengths and creativity so if you are interested in who does what, read on...

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Francesca Kuglen
This is the third company I have launched. The first was sold in 1995 to a larger company, which is where I met Holli who was an executive there. The second still successfully creates and markets products in different categories. However, it is this third venture that "feels" so different than the other two ever did. Perhaps I am not afraid anymore. Perhaps it's because I am growing up or am in my fabulous forties. All I know is that I love business and see it (and education) as two great equalizers in the world. Business can be a force for good, and I am going to explore this more this time around…as one of my great friends says, "Strap yourself in and keep your hands inside the ride..."

View Francesa Kuglen’s Executive Bio.

Holli Montgomery
My real name is Holliday, but, while taking introductory High School Spanish, I was traumatized when they translated my name as "Fiesta." So, I really prefer to be called Holli. Francesca and I are partners in this grand adventure!

View Holliday Montgomery’s Executive Bio.

Holden Penley

Holden Penley is our Marketing and Advertising Director. Additionally, he ensures all our customers have the answers they need. After earning his degree at Georgetown University, he has dabbled in many arenas. His professional career has involved dancing around in the ranks of a major Talent Agency and working as a Media Buyer. Now that he is landed at HairZing, we will put all his life experiences to the test. His hobbies include writing music, taking pictures of himself on boats, wearing hip striped sweater, and drinking way too much coffee.

ur company is founded on the belief that business and education are two great equalizers. When used correctly, they increase the quality of life for everyone they touch.

One of our goals is to bring business opportunities to women, especially in areas that have limited resources and support. The second goal is as to ensure that girls in these regions receive education.

You change the world one girl at a time….

ZING TEAM AFRICA

After nearly a year of preparation, training, and travel we anticipate launching our first Maasai Collection in Summer 2007. It is produced by the women of the Maasai tribe in Kenya.

HISTORY:
We approached the Maasai women in Kenya because of their legendary beading expertise. Beading is a traditional art form practiced ONLY by women in the tribe.

Our Promise: Was to provide marketing and management experience to help them grow and establish their company if they began a business that was fully owned and operated by Maasai women. Teaching them sound business practices ensures they will be able to build other small companies on their own.

Women's Collective: The women have responded enthusiastically, launching "Olorien" which means "Olive Tree." Production is currently underway and nearly 100 women are involved on the Hairzing project, with more waiting to begin when demand increases.

We will write about many of these women on our web site as the year progresses.

Understanding the Maasai: The Maasai are pastoral, proud of their abilities to be self-sustaining. They have tended cattle and goats for centuries, but as politics, poverty, war, disease and drought change the face of Africa, the Maasai are challenged to maintain their culture and sustain themselves independently. One way of doing so is by creating cottage industries and small businesses that allow them to live on their ancestral lands rather than moving to the cities.

Challenges: The challenges are daunting. Electricity and running water are luxuries. Women often walk up to eight hours to locate well water for their families. Job opportunities for women are scarce. Girls are just beginning to enjoy education, but it is expensive because public schools do not exist in Kenya. Female circumcision is still practiced, and the opportunity for women to run their own businesses is non-existent.

Dignified work, flexible work schedules and the ability to earn fair wages are key elements to the Maasai's continued growth and independence.

FUTURE TEAMS:
We believe poverty has no nationality, race, or religion---but we know wherever you find poverty you will find women and their children.

We are currently looking at areas within the United States and around the world that could also become "Team Zing" regions. Please E-mail us with any ideas or suggestions you might have.

ZING TEAM ASIA

Zachary Hany
An American by birth, a global citizen by choice, Zachary is our Quality Control Guru. Living now in Shenzhen, he is responsible for creating sensational quality in every product. Zachary is part Technical Nerd (and we say that in a GOOD way), part Detail Dictator, and part Visionary Activist.

Although born in the United States, Zachary has traveled and lived all around the world. In fact during his lifetime, he has spent less than 6 full years in the USA. While in school he studied Chinese and now secretly enjoys the shocked expressions on people's faces when he opens his mouth and Mandarin (with an American accent) pours out. He is especially good at doing this in places where no one realizes he speaks Chinese…….after they have been conversing about personal details for an hour or so in Chinese…..

Eva Din
Eva Din is a Chinese Nationalist who is a powerhouse living in Shenzhen, China. She is responsible for all aspects of running HairZing in Asia. She splits her 48-hour days between sourcing innovative and planet-friendly materials, making certain our shipments leave the country on time, and working to ensure the women who bead our products have the ability to stay at home with their children and work while staying close to their families, nurturing a household, not living in a factory.

Eva joined the Zing Team to put her entrepreneurial skills to the test.

The Workers
Providing working opportunities for women is fundamental to us. That goal is two-fold:

The current HairZings we create in China are produced quite differently from the traditional factory regime that exists for working women in Asia.

In most of China, work is located in the cities, so women leave their families behind to live far away, usually in dormitories, on the factory site. Women with children who choose not to leave for the city have extremely limited opportunities for securing income. Our goal is that women won't have to choose between being with their families or earning money. Their incomes directly help their children's lives, and so does their presence.

As an alternative, we teamed up with a husband and wife in rural China who have been willing to join us in this adventure. They are working with us to ensure the success of this business model; finding, educating and rewarding women in this rural region.

We believe products CAN be made ethically. Sure it's more challenging… but by using our HairZings, we are saving the time we used to spend fussing with our hair, so we HAVE time to spend on more worthwhile projects…..

ZING WEB TEAM - Zango Creative, Inc

Zango Creative is a talented group of "techies" from Seattle, WA. Our fabulous team includes:

Michelle Drewien, Creative Director
Vinny McKee, Web Developer
Colleen Lynn, Graphic Designer
Josh Tuininga, Flash Designer
David Bennet, Quality Assurance