January 23rd, 2018
We love it at Warpaint when we find a product that makes life easier, especially when it’s hair related. This week we chat to Britta Cox, Founder of office favourite, the Aquis towel.
WP: What’s your background? How did you find yourself designing a hair towel?
BC: I grew up on a ranch a little outside of San Francisco, living a really outdoorsy lifestyle of skiing and horseback riding. I always resented the time spent drying and styling my hair, time that could have been spent elsewhere. I then started working in the sports industry where I saw time and time again that I wasn’t the only one fed up with the long process of hair maintenance. I knew there had to be a better way than using damaging blow dryers and other heat tools to achieve the healthy, beachy waves I coveted. Hair is hard and I just didn’t believe it had to be. So, inspired by sportswear and performance fabric (think dry fit), I set out to develop Aquis, which essentially is a way to simplify haircare.
WP: The technology is clever yet simple. Talk us through how it helps keep hair healthy.
BC: Water is hair’s natural enemy: it stretches and swells, causing the cuticles to rise and putting hair at risk of some serious damage, such as frizz, tangles and breakages. It’s a lot like what happens to your fingernails after a long shower, which is why they appear weak and bendy. The longer that hair is exposed to water, the more damage so the key is to get it to get water out as quickly as possible, so it can start to regain strength. You want to be particularly careful with removing this excess water, so as not to cause further damage. Blow dryers were never designed to speed dry wet hair – the damage caused by them when used on wet hair is so much worse than when you use them for just styling, which is what they were originally intended for.
Aquis Hair Towels and Turbans are made from a unique lightweight woven fabric that we pioneered, called Aquitex, with finer-than-silk microfibers to quickly wick away water while efficiently drying hair. These micro-channels cut drying time in half and help prevent further damage. As you wrap hair, rather than rubbing with a traditional bath towel, you are reducing the amount of friction, so hair remains smoother, sleeker and stronger.
WP: Does it work with all hair types?
BC: Yes! Aquis works wonderfully on all hair types. Our Lisse fabrics have a flat smooth surface weave that makes it extra gentle and perfect for curly, fine, or delicate hair. The Waffle fabrics are engineered to be ultra-absorbent, with a raised waffle pattern that offers more fabric for absorption and drying, ideal for thick, coarse and porous hair. There are three versions in each fabric – a Hair Turban (£30), a Hair Towel (£30) and a Long Hair Towel (£35) which is useful for those with super long hair that often struggle with regular lengths.
Aquis Towel
Aquis Turban
WP: Do users need to style with a hairdryer to the get beneficial effects?
BC: After just three weeks of using Aquis you will find that hair is far more manageable and easier to style so a blow dryer isn’t crucial to creating most styles. However, if you do wish to still use a blow dryer, wait until most of the water has been wicked away by your Aquis Hair Towel or Turban, and then switch your blow dryer to a low heat to achieve your desired style. Excessive heat can cause fractures to the hair strands, so is best avoided.
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WP: How does Aquis assist make-up and hair artists?
BC: The feedback from hair and make-up artists has been overwhelming. We work with a number of industry experts who tell us they wouldn’t be without an Aquis product in their kit. For hairstylists, the speed at which Aquis products dry hair is invaluable, especially on shoots where time can be tight. Hair is then easier to manage when styling so less products are used overall. For make-up artists, the Towels and Headbands are a great way of keeping hair out of the face and the darker colours, like Stormy Sky, are perfect if you’re concerned about leaving a mark.
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WP: What are your plans for the future of the brand?
BC: We have so many things in the pipeline that I just can’t wait to share. 2018 is set to be a huge year for us, with new products launching, new stockists and new countries to introduce Aquis too. There’s not too much more I can say at the moment but watch this space…
Aquis Hard Towels are avaialble from Aquishair.co.uk, Fenwicks Bond Street, Fenwicks Newcastle, HQHair, Lookfantastic, Beauty Mart, Feel Unique, A Little Find, and Barber and Parlour.
Instagram / Twitter / Facebook @aquishair
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