It didn’t take Vanessa Marshall that long to realize that working as a dental assistant wasn’t her dream job. While looking for business ideas, a bad experience from shampoo bars during a trip inspired her to create a hair product line of her own.
“I’ve always felt like crafting,” recalls Marshall. “Also, I believed that, after some research, I could produce those with much better quality.” And she has been all in since she made that realization.
Now seven years into founding Jack 59, Marshall leads a 13-women team providing pH balanced hair care for all hair types.
For those who haven’t used shampoo and conditioner bars, the biggest difference is that those macaron-coloured bars are extremely concentrated, and they’re easy to use in order to work up a lather.
One of the bestselling products at Jack 59 is the Citrus Shine Shampoo Bar for thick curly hair. Knowing that many women with curly hair have been looking for a non-frizzy hair product, Marshall said the team spent probably the most time testing this bar.
“And it was totally worth the effort,” she says.
“We’ve grown so much, but it all started quite simple,” says Marshall. “My daughter suggested we name the brand after a stray dog we encountered and deeply cared for. That’s what Jack 59 is all about —- to be able to spend more time with people we care about in life.”
Shop plastic-free, sulphate-free, silicone-free and vegan shampoo and conditioner bars, compostable shower container and other hair products at Jack 59. Retail space now open at 3620 98 St NW.
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