From luxury design and television to entrepreneurship and beauty innovation, Diann Valentine has built a career centered on creativity, purpose, and creating solutions that make an impact. As the founder of SLAYYY Hair, Valentine is bringing a new experience to protective styling with a synthetic hair brand created for women who want beautiful styles without the scalp irritation often associated with traditional braiding hair.
After experiencing firsthand the discomfort of wearing braids and realizing countless women shared the same struggle, Diann turned her frustration into a mission. Through two years of research, development, and collaboration with stylists and braiders nationwide, she launched SLAYYY Hair in 2023 alongside her daughter and business partner, Riann Valentine. Today, she continues to challenge conversations around beauty, wellness, and the importance of creating products that truly consider the women who use them.
Your journey from television personality and luxury designer to beauty entrepreneur is inspiring. What personal experience led you to create SLAYYY Hair, and what gap in the beauty industry did you know you had to fill?
Diann: I have been designing and producing luxury events and interiors since high school and felt that I had reached my maximum growth potential. I was not looking for the next multi-million dollar project. I wanted to be challenged in a different way. I wanted to create something that was scalable and sustainable, and unfortunately I could not do that in the luxury design space.
It was 2020 during COVID, and I was wearing braids nonstop for the first time in my life, and my scalp was on fire. The severe itching, scabbing, redness, and overall uncomfortability was unbearable. I started talking with our customers at Glow + Flow Beauty and realized my experience was very common. My frustration turned to anger as I thought, why are Black women so conditioned to suffer in silence. This category has been dominated by the Asian population, and I could not understand why no one had addressed our challenges or fixed them. Then I realized that this was a white space and a category where I could create my own lane and carve out my own voice to make a difference for the women wearing the product.
SLAYYY Hair has become known for its itch-free, non-toxic synthetic hair designed with scalp health in mind. Why was it so important for you to prioritize both beauty and wellness, and how do you believe that innovation is changing the conversation around protective styling?
Diann: Black women have been suffering for years, and given the fact that this is an industry that has been built on our backs, where we are the primary consumer but have no say or influence in the products that are created and marketed to us. What I know for sure is that illness and cancer are rampant in our community with no root causes. Since we do not know the source of what is causing the increased illnesses, we should start to evaluate everything. I also know that anything you put on your scalp you are putting directly into your brain, and that should cause pause. Ultimately, I thought, if not me then who, and that was the sign I needed to make a difference.
You spent two years researching and collaborating with hairstylists and braiders before launching the brand. What were some of the biggest lessons you learned during that process, and how did those insights shape the products consumers enjoy today?
Diann: I came to realize that many braiders were so conditioned with using the really coarse, nappy synthetic hair products that felt more like a Brillo pad. Some braiders said that Slayyy was too soft, which I could not understand because if you can braid with human hair like many women are using, you can braid with Slayyy. We worked hard to strike a balance between texture while ensuring that Slayyy resembled human hair more than anything else on the market. Essentially, we created Slayyy for the women that had to wear it.
Your products are now available through major retailers including Target, Walmart, and Amazon. What does reaching this level of accessibility mean to you, and how has it strengthened SLAYYY Hair’s influence within the beauty industry?
Diann: We are so incredibly grateful for our distribution partners, as it has allowed us to get Slayyy in the hands of women across the country much faster, making it accessible across the country. Our retail partners are constantly introducing Slayyy to a new customer and ultimately assisting us with growing our market share much faster.
For readers who may be discovering SLAYYY Hair for the first time, what makes your Braiding Hair and Ponytail collections stand out from other products on the market, and why do you personally recommend them for women looking for stylish, comfortable protective hairstyles?
Diann: Slayyy is clinically tested, non-toxic, itch-free, and feels more like human hair than anything else on the market while maintaining a competitive price point. No one else can deliver what we deliver.
Summer can be especially challenging for maintaining healthy hair and protective styles. What are your top summer hair care and scalp health tips for our readers to stay confident, comfortable, and protect their natural hair throughout the season?
Diann:
- Make sure that you are using a non-toxic braid spray like Mint Condition from Camille Rose. It is important to keep your scalp hydrated but also as clean as possible since you are not washing your hair as frequently as you would if you were not wearing braids.
- Keep your scalp oiled. Please do not overdo it and clog up your pores, but 1–2 times per week of oiling your scalp helps to maintain moisture at the hair follicle and also stimulates hair growth.
- Make sure you sleep in a satin bonnet or on a satin pillowcase to keep your braids sleek and smooth while sleeping
You have built an impressive career across multiple industries while continuing to reinvent yourself. What qualities, mindset, and daily habits do you believe every entrepreneur should develop to successfully build a lasting brand in today’s competitive beauty industry?
Diann:
● Be resilient. Understand that success does not happen overnight and it is rarely a destination you will get to, so learn to trust the process and enjoy the journey, for the journey is the only place where success lies.
● Be humble. Good and bad times do not last always, so be mindful to treat everyone with kindness and respect, as everyone is worthy of that regard regardless of your status or position along the journey.
● Be excellent. Commit to doing your best even with the smallest tasks. God said if we would be faithful over few things, He would make us rulers over many. Don’t discount the humble beginnings, for they turn into great careers.
● Mind the business that pays you.
As someone who continues to inspire women through business, beauty, and innovation, what legacy do you hope SLAYYY Hair leaves within the beauty industry, and what message would you like to share with aspiring entrepreneurs — especially Black women — who dream of creating products that truly make an impact?
Diann:
● I pray that my legacy will be as someone who deeply cared for women, especially Black women, and sought to create solutions with health first in mind.
● I want to be remembered as a girl’s girl, as I have always been a champion for women, especially Black women.
● I want to be remembered as someone who challenged the status quo and won.
Learn more by visiting slayyyhair.com
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