Origination
Hi beauties!
I’m so grateful you’ve landed on our site. This company is truly my baby- I have had this dream for years, and I’m beyond excited it is finally coming together. So what is The Mane Voyage? Who is she? To tell you that, I need to give you a little bit of background.
My love affair with travel began in middle school. I had a friend who moved to Mexico City because her dad worked for the embassy, and they invited me to fly down one summer. My parents let me (likely against their better judgment), but I had been solo-flying for years to see my grandparents in Florida- I was a seasoned traveler even then.
What I remember most about that trip was being absolutely charmed by Mexico City- it’s a bustling city and was so different from any environment I had been in. The food, the smells, the architecture, the people- all of it opened my eyes to a world so different than the one I grew up in. I got another taste of this excitement in high school- my cousin was stationed on an army base in Germany, and I spent a month of my summer break with him and his wife in Europe. We spent most of the time around an army base in Germany, but we did a 7-day trip that took us through Switzerland and France, and landed us in Italy for a few days of heaven. I could have stayed there forever, immersing myself in the beauty and pasta in Rome, and day trips to Capri to swim in the crystal clear water and wander the gorgeous (yet hilly) roads. I remember throwing a quarter over my shoulder into the Fountain of Trevi- the lore says the gesture would guarantee your return. Perhaps it was that moment that committed me to exploring as much of this beautiful world as I could!
After grad school, I have been lucky enough for work to take me to Mumbai, London, Cambridge, and Copenhagen. I also have traveled quite a bit for leisure- Costa Rica, Morocco, the UK, and Mykonos are some of my best memories, as well as travel within the US. More blog posts on each of those places later!
But with all this travel, I had a problem that seemed to follow me, with no clear solution. When I traveled to Mumbai in 2018, I knew I needed a converter for my US electronics. It was fine for charging my phone and laptop, but when I plugged in my trusty Chi straightener, it wasn't long before it overheated and both the straightener and converter were toast. The rest of the trip was hair in a wet bun- not ideal for my first business trip when I was trying to put my best foot forward!
From that point on, I never wanted to risk my high-quality hair tools, so I made do with either letting my hair air dry or buying tools where I landed. The problem here was, these tools were never as good as the ones I was used to. And we love a natural hair moment, but for me, natural ends up frizzy and sloppy-looking. As a devotee of Rent the Runway, I couldn’t help wishing there was a similar service for hair tools.
After talking to many friends who had experienced the same issue, I realized that this wasn’t just a personal struggle. I talked it over with my bestie, Tim, who has started his own business, and has 20+ years of experience in the hair industry (please don’t ask him about the time I made him give me bangs- it’s a sore spot to this day). He loved the idea, and together we spent hours (and hours, and hours) formulating a business plan and getting The Mane Voyage ready for boarding (see what I did there?).
We are so excited you found us, and hope you will give us a try! Please share your iconic Insta-pics with us, so we can travel vicariously through you!
Bon voyage, gorgeous! 😘