From Insecure to Secure: The Rise of Julissa Prado’s Multimillion Dollar Hair Care Line

Julissa Prado holding multiple items from her brand - Credit: Rizos Curls (Website)

Sierra Pope | Multimedia News Intern

5-minute Read

GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas – They claim, ‘Bouncy, voluminous curls have no place in society.’ They insist, ‘Tight, kinky coils must be straightened.’ Growing up, Julissa Prado internalized this narrative, struggling to embrace her natural texture. However, the Los Angeles native has since uncovered the true essence of beauty, leading her to co-found Rizos Curls.

We would go to great lengths to straighten our hair and yeah, I would straighten my hair all the time. I hated my curly hair." Prado confessed to Fernando Hurtado at NBC Los Angeles. "Whenever I would have my hair curly, kids would make fun of me. There were a lot of stereotypes surrounding curly hair and it being associated with having ugly bad hair."

Julissa Prado with straight hair during her teenage years - Credit: Fernando Hurtado

One day in high school, Prado could not find any suitable curly hair products at her local drugstore. "The textured hair care category, there wasn't much in there," Prado told Hurtado. Because of this, Prado decided to use extensive knowledge from her grandmother to make her own mixture at home.

"I remember boiling flax seeds and making a little jelly, using aloe vera and all these different ingredients," Prado explained to Hurtado. "And so I started kind of making my own concoctions, and I started wearing my hair curly to school. It changed my life. After wearing my hair curly confidently to school, I felt like I was like the Queen of England that day because I got so much attention."

Little did she know, the blend would make her the "curl whisperer;” and years later, become the mastermind behind Rizos Curls, a hair care line debuted in 2017 by Prado and her brother, which is now available in Target, Ulta Beauty, and Nordstrom.

“The very heart and DNA of Rizos Curls is Curls, Community, and Culture,” Prado said in an Bustle interview with Priscilla Rodriguez. “Everything we do revolves around those three C’s. It’s important for me to uphold those three C’s because that’s where the representation we seek lies.”

Of course, Rizos Curls was not easy to develop. Prado worked extremely hard to produce an award-winning system.

She faced many cultural challenges that essentially built grit and perseverance.

“As a Latina-owned hair care brand we have been the first in many spaces since we launched. That in itself is a challenge, as we have to prove why our brand and community matters,” Prado noted to Rodriguez. “Now, we are in a much-needed evolution in the beauty industry that pushes retailers and other gatekeepers towards more inclusivity.”

“Whenever we have received any sort of pushback, we just continue to authentically show up as ourselves,” Prado confidently said to Rodriguez.

Undoubtedly, Prado’s journey encourages the world to accept their curly hair, emphasizing the importance of inclusivity within the beauty industry.

If you are desiring the perfect styling techniques using any of Prado's items, take a look at her detailed, step by step videos via YouTube (@rizoscurls).