Controlled Chaos is a hair care line created in the United States to help people with unmanageable or curly hair. It’s a part of the eco-friendly Use Me Products line. It contains violet and lavender extracts, which soothe and smooth curls, revive coils, manage frizz, and level out pore size, leaving your hair shiny but not oily, crunchy, or sticky.
In Shark Tank episode 715, Alanna York and Maureen Emerson pitched Curly Hair Cream, a styling solution offered by their company, Controlled Chaos. York has extensive experience working in the hair care industry.
Within the Use Me Products brand, Alanna York has a single hair care line called ‘Controlled Chaos.’ Since she owns a hair salon in Portland, Maine, she has been creating hair care products for years. Her signature item is a curly-haired-specific styling crème.
York’s hair care products are sold in a salon that has been open for some years. For five years, she worked with stylists to produce all-natural, vegan hair care products before streamlining the marketing message and branding to appeal to curly hair.
She didn’t have a social media presence or a website even a week before the episode aired! They established their brand on the Shark Tank platform.
The Founder of Controlled Chaos
Alanna York, the owner of a hair salon, is the creator of Controlled Chaos. She launched her beauty boutique at the youthful age of 26, and is the driving force behind Controlled Chaos. In 2016, she was featured on Shark Tank with her business partner, Erica Gray. From their salon Head Games in Portland, Maine, they distribute and sell their natural, vegan hair care products.
The great thing about this brand is that it allows their customers to refill their bottles. Only a few salons offer this service to their customers by refilling their bottles at refill stations. Alanna was a perfectionist who would have been content if the venture’s financial success had been enough for her. For years, she was teased and ridiculed at school because of her curly hair.
As she gained experience working in her developing salon in Maine, she felt dismayed by the absence of products that would help females with similar hair problems maintain and deal with their curls. Based on her personal experience and failure to discover a solution that worked well with her customers’ curls, Alanna identified the need for a curly hair solution.
She came up with her business idea during the study phase. Alanna launched the business with her associate, Erica Gray, and together they invested over $400,000. In 2012, they debuted a line of products called “Use Me!” at a beauty show in Chicago, but the launch did not go as planned. A lack of focus and inventory concerns came from the company’s large range of produced and sold products.
Alanna’s business struggled, and she tried twice to go on Shark Tank, but both times she failed. By the middle of 2015, its revenues had dropped to less than $300,000 in three years, owing mostly to inventory difficulties. Alanna rewarded her patience by submitting one final grudging entry to Shark Tank. She finally went on Shark Tank the following year to pitch her idea.
Controlled Chaos on Shark Tank
Maureen and Alanna appear on the Shark Tank show in the hopes of receiving $50,000 in exchange for a 20% interest in Controlled Chaos.
They start by posing the question: While most of us have experienced a bad hair day, has anyone ever heard of a bad hair life? They’ve been teased their entire lives because of their wild curly hair. Controlled Chaos, unlike certain curl treatments, prevents hair from becoming crusty or oily.
In 2007, the company had a distribution deal, but their distributor required enormous amounts. Due to a shortage of finances, they stopped advertising and selling. Alanna claims to be a business expert; however, Mark did not seem to agree with her statement.
Lori offered $60K for 50% and promised to be able to move a lot of things; she will also help with packaging design. Alana accepted Lori’s offer who agreed to invest $60K in Controlled Chaos in exchange for 50% ownership.
Our Review of Controlled Chaos
Controlled Chaos is a line of products for curly hair created by Alanna York, the owner of a hair salon. The product has had good reviews and is widely popular among women with curly hair. It smoothes out the curls and makes them easier to manage. It also reduces frizz and allows you to style hair the way you want. So far, the Controlled Chaos seems to be working well.
A small amount of substance goes a long way; therefore one small bottle can be used multiple times. Controlled Chaos Curl Creme is cruelty-free, paraben- and sulfate-free, and packaged in BPA-free bottles. Several US farms supply the product with organic, responsibly produced components. Animals are never used in the development of Controlled Chaos or any other Use Me product.
The future of Controlled Chaos appears to be as promising and stable as Alanna’s hair. Since her appearance on the show in April 2016, she has spoken about the company’s growth. Controlled Chaos is now gluten-free and comes in gluten-free packaging.
The website has also been entirely rebuilt and is now far more user-friendly than it was previously. Alanna has been in charge of the company’s first self-contained facility, a brand-new distribution center.
Additional staff has been employed to help with the increased marketing, administration, and sales that the increased publicity has resulted in. The sales also went up dramatically with over 10,000 units of controlled chaos crème being sold within the two months after Alanna’s episode aired.
She also indicated that, as a result of their success, she was considering canceling numerous additional items in her line. Lori Greiner’s experience and assistance have relieved the financial burden that has surrounded Alanna’s firm, and she is looking forward to the future.
The company is now in talks with Canadian distributors regarding reinstating retail channels that were previously closed owing to inventory difficulties. Her internet sales have ‘Skyrocketed,’ and salon owners and curly-haired clients alike are yearning to get their hands on her products now that they’re available.
Pros of Controlled Chaos
- Does not leave hair crispy or oily
- Reduces frizz
- Improves hair texture
Cons of Controlled Chaos
- Expensive product for an average consumer
Are There Any Alternatives?
- L’Oreal
- Mielle Organics
- Better Not Younger
Our Final Thoughts
Alanna’s ambition is to take over World of Curls, and she is confident that she can do so thanks to the new cash infusion and Lori’s experience. Even if that were to happen, it is unlikely to have much impact. Controlled Chaos curl creme is made to endure because it takes a lot of management to keep those curls in place.
It’s been reported how much pressure Alanna felt during her debut on Shark Tank and how it affected her subsequently. Due to her nervousness, Alanna entirely forgot about it at the time. She believes that perseverance is the key to success, and that a third Shark Tank audition, after two previous rejections, was nearly too much for her. She encourages other business owners to start small, work their way up, and never give up.
In the two months following the original showing, Controlled Chaos sold nearly 10,000 units of their curl crème. She also sold a variety of other items. To deal with the increasing sales volume, the company has opened a distribution center and hired several more people.
A retail distribution arrangement has been made, including agreements with Canadian distributors. Online sales have also seen a big growth. Alanna’s company appears to be resuming normal operations. Controlled Chaos is still in operation, with a $3.5 million annual revenue.
