Heidi Schmid of Q-Redew — A National Women's Small Business Month Feature

I am often asked how I, Heidi Schmid, a  yoga-loving, suburban mom to 3 with no previous background in haircare, have found myself to be the inventor and founder of Q-Redew. My response —I am an accidental entrepreneur. It is true. I stumbled on a need and turned it into a business. (with a lot of help from others!)

The short version of my story—as a curly girl, I longed for great second and third-day hair without the hassle of saturating my hair daily and waiting hours for it to dry. Isn’t that what all curly girls want?

My eureka moment was STEAM! So naturally, I hit the web to purchase a handheld hair steamer. I searched. There were large hooded steamers, but there was no such thing as a handheld hair steamer. Can you believe it?

It was from ah-ha to prototypes, engineers, and manufactures. Maybe not quite that easy. However, in October of 2012 the Q-Redew was launched and ready for purchase!

Here is the best part… It was the first buyers of the Q-Redew that taught me more than I could have imagined about the Q-Redew! Really! My inbox was flooded with ideas for detangling, stretching, deep conditioning. What?! I had no concept of these struggles much less that steam would be the perfect solution.

So much has been learned. I have since talked to thousands of women with natural hair, kinky coily hair, curly hair, wavy hair, Q-Redew fans, professional hair stylist, influencers, bloggers and other entrepreneurs- all so generous with their time and knowledge.

Today Q-Redew is the one and only hand-held hair steamer and retails for $79. Q-Redew provides a gentle flow of steam that warms and softens the hair allowing the hair to be safely detangled, stretched, refreshed and restyled. Q-Redew steam applied during deep conditioning treatment temporarily lifts the cuticle allowing moisture to penetrate the hair, enhancing the benefits of the therapy.

It is with a small dedicated team that I continue to manage Q-Redew from Milwaukee, WI. It is humbling to be included on the list of entrepreneurs bringing healthy options for the care of natural and curly textured hair while promoting the message that textured hair is not a burden, it is a gift. I owe many thanks to the women on this list that have mentored me and offered me companionship on this crazy journey. In particular, it was Lorraine Massey who with her gentle spirit first taught me about my own curly hair in 2005 and then encouraged me to make my idea a reality. It was Jane Carter that gave me her phone number during Q-Redew’s infancy and answered when I called! I am forever grateful for my natural, curly girl Q-mmunity.

To celebrate this collaboration, Q-Redew can now be purchased on thepuffcuff.com for only $69. That's $10 off the regular retail price. YAY! We are also offering FREE STANDARD SHIPPING of Q-Redew Handheld Steamer to anywhere in the continental United State. Just use code HEIDI at checkout to get FREE STANDARD SHIPPING.