Houston White was 12 years old when his aunt bought him his first pair of hair clippers, and just a few hours older the primary time he put them to make use of.

“I got on my bike and rode around, and I got here home with three brave souls. I cut their hair and kept going from there,” said White, who shortly thereafter landed his first gig cutting hair at his cousin’s barbershop in Mississippi.

In 2007, White opened a store of his own in Minneapolis, and two years later began concocting hair pomades out of his front room.

“I used to be making candles for the higher a part of two months,” joked White of the method, though he eventually realized he’d landed a promising formula once his late wife (and volunteer product tester) Donise began garnering compliments en masse on her tresses.

“That was once I made the invention of, ‘Oh, this works great on women’s hair, as well,’” White recalled.

Sixteen years later, the entrepreneur is introducing a hair and skincare line in collaboration with Goal spawned by that realization, constructing on the momentum of his existing gender-neutral apparel line with the retailer.

“Determining how one can desegregate the skin and hair care aisles has been my life’s journey; it’s been my barbershop, it’s been my experience personally,” White said.

Called Fresh x Houston White, the 11-product range features a shampoo, deep conditioner, three-in-one body, scalp and hair scrubs and, in fact, an assortment of hair pomades — designed for straight, wavy and curly hair types, respectively.

The products range from $8.99 for a Clarifying Face Scrub to $11.99 for the hair pomades.

“There’s definitely that balance between attempting to be all things to all people, but in addition staying true to what has worked for me through the 10-plus years that I’ve been on this journey,” said White, who curated unique musical playlists for every product, accessible via QR codes on the packaging, as one technique of infusing the textures of day by day life into the brand.

“I just didn’t discover a brand that spoke to the various audience that I used to be serving at my barber shop. We’re entering the cultural economy, and the long run is combining quite a lot of different people’s lived experiences: I would like to be where convenience, flyness and accessibility collide,” White said.

Tea tree oil, chamomile, aloe vera and caffeine are amongst the important thing ingredients harnessed in the road’s skincare range; the hair care offerings are powered by shea and cocoa butters, castor seed oil, charcoal and apricot oil.

Though the founder declined to comment on sales expectations, industry sources estimate Fresh x Houston White could do between $4 million in retail sales through the brand’s first yr in the marketplace.

As for what additional beauty and private care products White might explore through the road — the sky’s the limit.

“There’s quite a lot of runway with Fresh and this concept of gender inclusivity and bringing different races along with hair,” White said. “I even have a daring ambition to create a billion-dollar hair and skincare brand — little doubt about it.”