Nigerian-American engineer and entrepreneur Yinka Ogunbiyi has demonstrated HaloBraid, an automated tool designed to speed up the process of making hair braids. The demonstration, shared on the company's Instagram page, gave viewers an early look at how the device assists stylists in completing individual plaits.
HaloBraid was developed to relieve the intense physical labour and long hours tied to braiding, according to Punch. The tool functions alongside professional stylists rather than replacing them. A stylist sections the client's hair and starts the plait by hand before inserting it into the device, which takes over the repetitive weaving.
The machine can finish individual plaits up to five times faster than traditional hand styling, though overall session time depends on the specific design and individual technique. Ogunbiyi thought of the idea during the COVID-19 pandemic after spending four days braiding her own hair. She later teamed up with co-founder David Afolabi to design the hardware.
The innovation aims to protect hair professionals from chronic strain caused by continuous hand motions while enabling them to attend to more clients. In July, the startup raised $7 million in a seed funding round led by Seven Seven Six, an investment firm established by Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian.
Interest in the hair-care invention has grown steadily, with more than 7,000 salons registered on the company's waiting list. HaloBraid plans to release the device gradually through a phased rollout with selected salons and stylists.
