Rebundle, The Plant-Based Hair Company Leveraging Technology To Create A ‘Non-Toxic Future For Black Beauty,’ Secures First Patent
Rebundle Founder and CEO Ciara Imani May has accomplished a new feat.
Rebundle
It’s often an everyday struggle that sparks the next million-dollar idea, invention, or company. For May, her battle with itchy scalps resulted from wearing different protective styles. On the “Black Tech Green Money” podcast hosted by AFROTECH™ Brand Manager Will Lucas, she revealed that one particular summer, while working at her first job out of college, she experienced intense scalp irritation due to using synthetic hair made from plastic. This became the stepping stone to finding a solution that was not riddled with hidden toxins, she shared.
“Just had time on my hands to sort of look into it and was inspired to develop some hair extensions that would work for me in terms of comfort and safety, as well as not as harmful on the environment as the plastic,” she mentioned on the podcast.
While speaking with the St. Louis Business Journal, May said she first started looking at lab samples of a few brands to explore their ingredients, and she determined the core materials were unsafe for people or the environment. She continued to learn more about sustainable solutions and leveraged technology to launch Rebundle. The St. Louis, MO-based company offers safe, non-toxic, braiding hair made with banana fiber using its patented technology, ReGen Hair Fiber ™. Its website mentions that this is an alternative to carbon-intensive plastic braiding hair and has additional benefits of being itch-free (no vinegar soaking or excessive patting), biodegradable, and vegan-friendly.
“We’re on a mission to transform the hair industry by providing safer, more sustainable options. While research on the long-term impact of plastic synthetic hair is still unfolding, one thing is clear: We deserve better. It’s time to Ditch the Itch,” a statement from the company via Instagram read.
First Patent
As AFROTECH™ previously told you, May had raised over six figures in non-dilutive funding and later raised $1.4 million in a pre-seed round led by M25 in January 2022. The company’s latest feat includes securing its first patent.
“Rebundle has its first patent! As the first U.S.-based plant-based braiding hair company, this is a major milestone. Our patent protects the core innovation behind braidbetter giving it its signature texture, durability, and scalp comfort,” May wrote on Instagram. “For our community, it’s proof that our product is protected and here to stay. We’re building a safer, non-toxic future for Black beauty…In an industry where toxic, petroleum-based products dominate without transparency, this is what disruption looks like.”
