Tomorrow Lab had the honor of working with Dawn Meyers and her team at The Richualist to design and develop a powerful new tool intended specifically to detangle, moisturize, mask and style textured hair.
The system dispenses haircare products from recyclable, reusable pods, while gently warming and working product into hair follicles. The results are described as “minting” your hair.
The main goal of the product is to simplify the user’s Wash Day experience by unifying multiple hair tools, hair products, and steps into one device. The Richualist device is a spring-loaded tool comprised of two sides: (1) a non-powered removable brush side with interchangeable bristle modules for different types of hair, and (2) a powered side which holds the pod, heating element and motor which work together to dispense warm product onto the hair.
The Mint is an approachable icon and a technology-packed tool. Each function of the device had to be intuitive, comfortable and secure in the user's (sometime slippery) hands. This process was a literal balancing act: as the engineering evolved, we created countless ergonomic prototypes to find forms and affordances that allowed for a perfect grip. From there we developed a Design DNA that balanced prestige and performance. An honest, clean design with a healthy touch of luxury that glides into your hair and transforms it.
In addition to the product housing, Tomorrow Lab developed the user-filled pods and its dispensing system. The Pods can be filled with a variety of hair care products as the User prefers, then are installed in the device behind a removable door with transparent window, allowing the user to monitor the remaining pod product throughout their wash day.
A special serpentine path configuration was iteratively tested and developed in order to dispense the right amount of product at the right locations onto the hair and scalp. We also developed a number of bristle styles to perform across a wide variety of hair textures and curl densities.
The electronic system uses a motor and heating elements controlled by smart firmware to warm and dispense hair product from the pods. Tomorrow Lab led the design and development of this system including the 2-button User Interface (UI) controls for these features.
The entire system is powered by a UL-certified 12 Volt DC power supply, making it a safer option than curling irons or other heated tools for hair care.
