When it comes to getting glamorous hair many of the world's celebs turn to Sarah Potempa, a bicoastal hairstylist whose clientele includes: Lea Michele, Emily Blunt, Ana de Armas, Busy Philipps and Millie Bobby Brown. Editorially, her work has graced shoots for Vogue, Paper, Marie Claire, Teen Vogue, Vanity Fair, Esquire, and W. In addition, she has been the hair partner for a number of Fashion Week shows as well as Victoria's Secret shows. She is the Creator and CEO of the best-selling Beachwaver Co. curling iron and styling tools.
We took some time to chat with this hair visionary to find out about how she came up with this successful line, upcoming launches and her participation as a partner in the World Surf League as the title sponsor of the first ever Beachwaver Maui Pro.
ATHLEISURE MAG: Tell us about the a-ha moment that took place for you to create The Beachwaver Co.
SARAH POTEMPA: My “aha” moment came when I was on the phone with a beauty editor describing how to get gorgeous, red carpet worthy waves at home. I explained to the editor, as I had done many times on tv segments, how-to videos, and beauty articles, how you had to hold the curling iron upside down and wrap the hair backwards. She said it was too confusing to write "upside down and backwards" and sounded difficult to do on your own hair. So when we hung up, I sat down and drew out the idea to have an iron that could be held upright, allowing you to curl both sides of your hair seamlessly with the push of a button. I saw a need for a curling iron that all women could use on themselves; one that would give incredible results without a hairdresser.
The Beachwaver is a rotating curling iron that you hold upright. It rotates in both directions and you control it with the touch of a button! All you have to do is clamp the hair, tap the arrow away from the face, hold the barrel for 3-4 seconds and release straight down for a perfect wave. It also has 350 custom parts and 3 computer boards, which control features like the digital temperature setting, dual rotation, and heat up and rotation speed allowing for more customized use.
AM: With the holidays coming up, what are items from your line that we should make sure we’re gifting to others or snagging for ourselves?
SP: We recently launched our Beachwaver S Series in a Dual Voltage model; this is a perfect holiday gift as it has the same user-friendly functions but is compatible internationally so it can travel with you anywhere! Its ceramic, rotating barrel provides easy, quality waves in minutes! The new launches from our new Beachwaver Co. Collection are must-haves as well – Great Barrier Heat Protectant Hairspray to create a protective barrier while heatstyling and Second Chance Dry Shampoo to revive your hair and restore fullness. The holidays are a busy time so all these products combined will make sure your hair can withstand 2nd or even 3rd day hair, and make touch-ups super easy and quick.
AM: Tell us about your sponsorship of the World Surf’s League Maui Women’s Pro Championship – how did it come about, what will you be doing in this partnership and how synergistic is this with your brand?
SP: The Beachwaver Co. is thrilled to be partnered with the WSL as title sponsor of the first-ever Beachwaver Maui Pro. This partnership extends beyond a shared love of beautiful beaches and perfect waves. We are proud to partner with such strong athletes and role models and I am so excited to work with these incredible women, with equally incredible stories, who are inspirations to people around the world, and who inspire us, too. Our brand shares so many of the same philosophies as the WSL, between innovation, women’s empowerment, inspiration, and especially the fact that they just announced equal pay for all athletes – so amazing! We are the brand known for creating gorgeous beachy waves so it just made sense to partner up with the WSL and these phenomenal athletes and bring our fans and audience along to Maui as we chase the perfect wave together!