North Bay natives bring homegrown expertise to national first in medicated hair-care

A couple from North Bay who built their careers in hair and scalp health are marking a national first with the launch of a medicated shampoo, and say the idea started with a problem they couldn’t ignore.

John Ranney and his wife and business partner, Kelly Clement-Ranney, both originally from North Bay, have released their FREEDOM Medicated Shampoo, which tackles scalp issues, through their Toronto-based FREEDOMclinic. 

They say it is the first shampoo on the Canadian market formulated with two per cent Zinc Pyrithione, a strength they note has long been missing from shelves, as most contain only one per cent.

For the Ranneys, the product connects decades of work in hair-loss treatment with deep northern Ontario roots. 

“The Ranney family has a long history in North Bay,” John explained to BayToday.

“My great-grandfather was a physician and the coroner for northern Ontario back in the 1920s and ’30s. My dad was a barber and had his own hairstyling shop (Ranney’s Hair Styling & Hair Replacement) downtown for years. North Bay is where it all started for us.”

Kelly’s ties run far back, too. 

“My parents, grandparents, all my aunts and uncles, we were all born in North Bay,” she said. “I went to West Ferris Secondary School.”

The idea for the shampoo began when a U.S.-made product John relied on was discontinued.

“It was fantastic. It was working so good, used it for years,” he said. 

“For some reason, the company that was supplying us decided to discontinue it … I couldn’t function without this stuff. I needed it because it worked so well and there’s just not one out there.”

They say attempts to find a substitute didn’t pan out. 

“We found another one, but it wasn’t as good,” he said. “So we decided, ‘you know what, we need to make our own.’”

The decision built naturally on their business, which they took over after John’s parents retired.

“When my parents retired in 2000, we bought the business and grew it from a hair-replacement clinic into a full trichology centre,” he said. 

Kelly added, “We’re business partners and married, so we brainstorm constantly. We make every decision together.” So, they began researching, testing, and refining their own two per cent zinc formula. 

Their clinic regularly treats dandruff, seborrheic dermatitis, and psoriasis, conditions, they say, that can worsen thinning. John says concentration matters. 

“It’s twice the active ingredient … than the leading brand,” John said. “The 2 per cent works way, way better.”

As a trichologist (a specialist who diagnoses and treats hair and scalp problems, such as hair loss, dandruff, and scalp disorders), he says treating the scalp is the foundation of hair restoration. 

“When you treat hair loss, you have to treat the scalp first,” he said. “If the scalp isn’t healthy, hair simply won’t grow as well. This shampoo helps us get people to that starting point.”

Kelly, who has dealt with psoriasis and tested the shampoo early herself, says their goal is to help people understand scalp health and address issues early. 

“So many people are walking around with this on their scalp and nobody realizes they have it,” Kelly said.

The shampoo is part of their medical line of products, which also includes their TrichoBoost serum and Minoxidil 5 per cent solution. 

The couple says their next focus is national distribution into salons, trichology clinics, and dermatology offices.

“There’s such a need for it,” John said.

Kelly added that they hope people in North Bay see the launch as something built from shared roots. 

“I think they’ll be really proud of us,” she said. “We just want to help people.”

For more information about their products, click here, or visit their website for general information.