Photo by Chris Arrant
“Necessity is the mother of invention – you always hear,” muses Hip Peas hair product creator Stephanie Mahaffey. That is certainly the case for the kiddie hair products sitting in front of her – a container of hair balm Mahaffey created to help style her daughter’s fine hair, and a spray bottle of detangler designed to help soothe the bedhead of her second youngster. “I’ve almost always done stuff that I needed for my own daughters,” she says with a laugh. When Mahaffey’s oldest daughter, Madison, was a toddler, trying to keep bows in her fine hair was a constant challenge. Mahaffey tried putting some adult hair product in the little girl’s hair to help, but – in true toddler fashion – Madison immediately began combing her fingers through her hair and then sticking them in her mouth. With all the chemicals in hair product, Mahaffey was concerned. Mahaffey, who got her degree in biomedical science and worked as a health consultant for many years, decided she wanted to create a kid-friendly, all-natural hair balm. At first, she didn’t know where to begin, until one day she discovered a manufacturer in Irving called Cosmetic Laboratories that helps people develop and manufacture their own products. After working with them for more than a year, she created a hair balm that did the trick. She began selling it locally and online. Soon after, she released a detangler, curl tamer and cradle cap care, and even shampoo and conditioner to complete her new all-natural product line, Hip Peas hair products. The product has taken off, both online and on store shelves. Ra Ra’s closet in Lake Highlands sells Hip Peas, as well as hair salons in Frisco, Plano and McKinney and throughout the U.S. Recently, Mahaffey also began talking with international distributors. “I’ve had really good growth in the past six months,” she says. “Now that my line is complete, I’m not focusing on creating more hair products. I’ve been really focusing on sales. It’s really taken off, so I’ve been really pleased with it.”
