Our founders, Sheena (she/her) and Megan (they/she) founded Barb because they didn’t feel seen or served in the hair and beauty industries. Barb creates high performance hair styling products and centers women, gender queer, and trans people to increase representation across the industry. Every detail behind the brand has gender inclusivity in mind: from our pomade's scent, to the gender neutral packaging, to the images you see in our social feeds. Our hero product is a soft clay pomade with a medium hold and natural finish. It’s soft and creamy on the hands with no stiffness or stickiness. We are also developing additional products to expand our offering to serve all hair textures and types.
Barb is more than just a brand or a product. We consider it a mindset, and it’s also a term we use to describe our community. The simple definition of a Barb is anyone with a chin-up hairstyle. Being a Barb means accepting who you are and living your truth.
Founder Story Like many products featured on Women Led Wednesday, our founders, Sheena Lister (she/her) and Megan Andrews (they/she) founded Barb to address a lack of representation. Specifically, Barb addresses the lack of products for women and non-binary people with short hair. Sheena experienced this problem when she couldn’t figure out whether she should go to a salon or a barbershop for her haircut. Although she loves the haircuts she got at salons, going every 6-8 weeks can be expensive and unsustainable. Barbershops might be slightly more affordable but Sheena often finds that she’s the only woman in the shop. On the other hand, Megan loves the barbershop experience but still doesn’t feel represented in the market at large. These experiences made them question whether any of the existing products or brands they used actually reflected their own ideals and values. With inclusivity and community in mind, they created Barb to give all people with short hair a home.
