How Bounce Curl CEO Merian Odesho is changing hair care

Some strive to challenge what society has deemed as the standard, and Merian Odesho is one of them.

Historically, the beauty industry has been heavily influenced by Eurocentric standards. Bounce Curl CEO Merian Odesho aimed to be one of the few to change that through the celebration of natural styles and the expansion of safe care for textured hair.

Breaking barriers one step at a time, the Middle Eastern woman-owned brand founded in Phoenix exploded on social media and garnered hundreds of thousands of followers across various platforms. But for Odesho, the real award doesn’t come from the attention; it’s in making people feel confident in their curls and in the daily messages she receives that read, “I just want to show you my hair, I feel so beautiful.”

“The messages never get old to me, and that is what keeps me going,” Odesho said.

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Coming to life

Although Bounce Curl first came to market a decade ago, its founder’s vision for the company and hair care products started long before that. Growing up in a Middle Eastern family, Odesho’s grandma would use natural ingredients such as aloe and flax seeds to create products she could safely use on her curls.

She went on to keep the traditional ingredients and her grandmother’s teachings in mind when caring for her hair, but ultimately, she chose to attend dental school as a young adult. While attending school, she decided to bring her ideas to fruition. With an extensive background in chemistry, biology and other sciences, she created her first product, a light hold cream gel.

After launching it on Instagram, the gel sold out within two weeks, which prompted her to fully invest herself in what she calls one of her other “babies.”

“I thought, ‘I’m going to have to quit dental school and go after my dreams,’” she said.

Ten years later, the line expanded with a multitude of other products including: leave-in conditioners, define creams, shampoos, drying mittens, bonnets and much more.

More than just hair care

As a child, Odesho often struggled to accept her culture. Though her roots and traditions were celebrated at home, she would endure slurs such as “terrorist” and stereotypes from classmates. But today, she said she unapologetically embraces her roots — “the culture, the dances, the curls and the history” — and plans to integrate them into her brand in any way she can.

This translated into the type of products she created. With every unique difference among coils, curls and waves, Odesho wanted to make sure each curl type was represented.

“I quickly found out that there are so many textures out there that need different types of products,” Odesho said. “So I’ve been formulating different products and just using them on different people.”

As the connection to her followers grew, she made the decision to create a space where they could physically meet. In 2023, she opened up the Bounce Curl Spa Salon. The Phoenix salon was originally inspired by Japanese head spas and scalp health.

After noticing the lack of curly hair specialists in Arizona, she decided to add a specialist to the spa, one of them being Daijiah Barrs.

“I love that there’s so many women here. I love that there’s so many cultures here. I love that our founder really put her foot into her products and she understands her line,” Barrs said.

Not only has Barrs enjoyed working for a brand that uses clean ingredients she has also enjoyed being an educator on textured hair. Arizona remains as one of the 42 states that do not mandate textured hair training in cosmetology school licensing, in comparison to one of the few states like California who passed a law in 2024 to change that.

“It’s a blessing to give back to my community and to give back to people that have been traumatized by uneducated hairstylists,” Barrs said.

From viral to vital

Posting to Instagram, TikTok and Pinterest, Odesho said social media has been one of the greatest tools for her business and like her “bread and butter.” Her content has included styling tips, product recommendations and behind-the-scenes looks at the business.

Though the light hold creme gel has been a fan favorite, the patented define brushes have been the most popular products. The brushes not only went viral, they exploded and racked up millions of views across social media accounts.

With millions of likes on the videos featuring the brushes, to having popular creators like entrepreneur and digital creator Alexandra Lourdes use it, the brush has quickly become a staple in the curly hair community.

Arizona-based content creator Jojo Anya’s first experience with Bounce Curl was through one of its define brush videos on TikTok. After connecting with Odesho and being invited to work as a product model for one day, Anya noticed Odesho’s passion and knowledge of her work.

She admired the inclusiveness in products for a variety of curl types, her favorite Bounce Curl products being the leave-in conditioner, clarifying shampoo and the deep conditioner. Anya also said it was a fortunate experience after dealing with a lack of access to curl specialists in Arizona.

“I’ve been getting to know my hair for like 10 years now. I didn’t even know I had coils, but having to go through that journey, knowing that the hair care I use actually prioritizes my hair type is very important, and it’s definitely something that I look for as a consumer and as a creator,” Anya said.

Though Odesho has enjoyed its viral success, it has struggled with the wave of imitation products entering the scene.

However, Odesho said no one has been able to replicate what she has done. With her client’s best interest in mind, she said the brushes are made with a unique material and go through heavy metal, dermatology and toxicology testing.

“I’m a formulating scientist, so I do create products for a living and the standards are really high for us,” Odesho said.

For Odesho, the future holds new beginnings. As she reshapes the possibilities for textured hair care, she said a retail expansion is expected to launch next year, along with “exciting” collaborations and a new line of six products designed for fine textured hair to debut in the fall.

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