Messy Is The New Perfect: Alli Webb On Her Texture-First Haircare Launch In Canada

Alli Webb—the founder of Drybar—just dropped Messy in Canada via Sephora and it’s less about styling to a fault and more about celebrating real hair. In this quick Q&A Alli breaks down the brand’s texture-first philosophy, the hero ingredients (think Vegan Silk and Upcycled Chickpea Extract), and why “work with your hair, not against it” is the gentle revolution your blowout never told you about. —Noa Nichol

Messy is billed as a mindset as much as a brand — what does “work with your hair, not against it” mean in everyday terms for someone who’s used to heat-styling every day?

I spent so much of my life fighting my hair.  So much so that I built an entire brand around creating the perfect blow out.  I’m so proud to be the founder of Drybar, and I still love a good blow out, but after years of heat damage, I realized the key to fully embracing my hair wasn’t fighting against it every day to try and make it ‘perfect’.  Working with my natural texture, embracing my waves, and learning how to lean into it and style it in a way that made me fall in love with my hair ended up being the inspiration behind Messy.  My intention with Messy was to build a product line that helps empower women everywhere to work with their hair, not against it. The benefits of doing this are just so amazing.  When you stop constantly heat damaging your hair and focus on hydration and healthy styling, your hair improves so much, and it grows longer or; stops breaking, and you end up with much softer, smoother, and more manageable locks. 

You’ve packed Messy with ingredients like Vegan Silk, Olive Stem Cell Technology and Upcycled Chickpea Extract — which ingredient are you most obsessed with and why?

I’m obsessed with soft, touchable hair.  Vegan Silk is one of my favorite ingredients because it wraps around each strand of the hair and effortlessly makes hair feel so soft and silky.  I don’t like the look or feeling of crunchy hair.  I love hair that moves and that you can tousle, hair that blows in the wind, that you can run your fingers through.  It’s a key ingredient in our Instant Silk Revival spray. I wanted to design a product that you could use on your ends between wash days to bring back hydration, softness, and that silky feeling you have when your hair is really fresh.  Vegan Silk really adds this incredible silky feeling to your hair, it feels so fresh and revived, and you can apply it to your ends whenever they are dry or frizzy or looking a little scraggly between wash days.  

The Rough Dry Style Cream promises 450° heat protection — how should someone use it to get that effortless, lived-in look without frying their hair?

The Rough Dry Style Cream is one of the most versatile styling creams on the market, because it has such a soft flexible hold.  You can use it for an effortless air dry to help control frizz, add shine, and hydration.  You can use it as a heat protection step before a blowout, and it’s going to give you the protection you need but also make your blowout last longer, control frizz, and keep your hair smooth.  

I also developed a signature technique called the Rough Dry Method, where this formula really shines.  For people who don’t love the unpredictability of air drying their hair, but want to have a really effortless, healthy way to style their hair, this is perfect.  After applying the Rough Dry Cream, you blow dry your hair just using your fingers until it’s about 30% dry.  Then you twist your hair in sections (you can’t really mess this up), and leave it alone while it dries.  Twisting your hair helps form the shape of the wave while it’s drying. A lot of people don’t realize the way your hair dries is where it will stay. 

Tell us about the Overnight Hair Repair Serum — what can a skeptic expect to wake up to after one week of use?

I had this ah-ha moment that before bed I had all these steps and routines to lock in moisture on my skin, my hands, and my lips, but I wasn’t doing anything for my hair.  I am obsessed with sleeping on silk pillowcases, and I wanted to create a product that was like a ‘silk pillowcase in a bottle’  with added treatment and hydration benefits.  Smoothing the cuticle down and adding hydrations before you sleep prevents breakage and unnecessary tangling.  Applying Overnight Serum before bed is a game changer – it not only protects your hair while you sleep, it deeply hydrates so you wake up with healthier hair.  We made the bottle beautiful so you can keep it on your bedside table and use it each night. Just a pump or two before bed from mid-length to ends will improve the health of your hair so much.  We’ve had people tell us that they don’t have to get trims as often, that their hair is so much healthier and softer in the morning.  This one is definitely beloved in our community.

Messy celebrates texture and less-processed hair. What are three simple habit switches you’d recommend to help someone embrace their natural texture?

I love this question!  

First – focus on hydration. Hydrated hair is healthy hair. The more hydrated your hair is, the more it’s going to fall into place and your natural texture is going to shine.  Using products that don’t strip your hair, but instead add in essential nourishment and hydration are going to make a big difference.  Messy uses a lot of high quality ingredients that are known hydrators like Ucuuba Butter (a natural butter rich in essential fatty acids that deeply moisturizes hair) and Olive Stem Cell Extract (a nourishing lipid that hydrates and strengthens hair).

Second – Use less heat!  We’re definitely not an anti-blowout brand, but you will see your hair transform when you give it breaks from heat.  Excessive heat styling daily causes breakage, damage, and dryness.  With simple tricks and the right products, you can use less heat and still love your hair.  Our Silk Revival Spray is great for keeping your hair looking fresh between wash days, so you don’t feel the need to re-style with even more heat.  You spray it on your hair from mid lengths to ends and it adds back in hydration, softness, and a silky-soft touch.  Your hair will look like the first day you washed it!

Third- Give yourself permission to be Messy.  When you’re not used to it, it can feel vulnerable to show up to life’s big moments without a perfect blowout – a big meeting, an interview, a first date.  I really believe that the more and more we embrace ourselves just as we are (and that includes how our hair grows out of our head!) the more we begin to feel like the truest version of ourselves.  Hair holds a lot of emotional power for women.  Somehow, we always end up feeling less than.  Too thin, too curly, not enough, too much.  I hope this brand inspires people to embrace their hair and join me on this beautiful journey. Every product has a mantra in the name, because I wanted people to be able to hold the bottle when they use it and read powerful, accepting words to themselves.  My favorite is “I am Enough” on our Rough Dry Cream.  Say it to yourself, and mean it, because you definitely are. 

The Limited Edition Hot Holiday Hair Kit is perfect for gifting — how would you demo it live in 30 seconds to convince someone it’s worth it?

There’s so much you can do with these two products! From effortless air drying, trying our rough dry method for soft easy waves, or a smooth blowout- these two products work together to reduce frizz, keep hair soft and smooth, and provide flexible hold. If I only had 30 seconds I would show how Silk Revival Spray completely transforms dry, frizzy ends.  You’ll see the transformation, and feel it too. Your hair will be silky-soft to the touch, frizz-free, and soft. 

Sustainability is in the details — can you share one surprising sustainable choice you made for Messy (ingredient sourcing, packaging, upcycling, etc.) that fans might not notice at first glance?

One of our favorite ingredients in the line is an upcycled chickpea extract. It’s in the Rough Dry Cream and it’s the ingredient that is responsible for the super flexible hold that the formula has.  It has a soft-touch memory technology that holds hair in place without the crunchy feel.  

We also avoid outer packaging whenever we can to eliminate waste.  Whenever we can keep packaging simple and use less, we’ll always take that path.  

As the visionary behind Drybar and now Messy, what’s one entrepreneurial lesson you’d give to beauty founders—and one quick tip you’d give to our readers trying to reinvent their at-home routine this season?

For entrepreneurs, my advice is that you don’t have to have all the answers all the time.  I used to think that if I was at the helm of the ship, everything had to fall on me all the time and I had to know everything or do everything myself. I don’t subscribe to that philosophy anymore. I try very hard to keep an open collaborative environment with my team, trust others, and lean on people when I need help. 

If you’re ready to reinvent your at-home routine this season… I’m so excited to welcome you on your healthy hair journey with us! My quick tip? Do less. Less heat styling. Less fussing. Less worrying about your hair.  Let’s make feel good hair simple again.  I can guarantee you, doing less will ultimately give you more.

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