Dani Austin on Putting Care Back in Hair Care

Dani Austin did not set out to run a hair company. She set out to calm her own scalp after college stress and postpartum shedding left it thin and sore. What she learned at her bathroom sink became Divi, a scalp first line built on listening, testing and fewer, better formulas.

Divi comes from Texas. Dani Austin grew up in a suburb outside Dallas and started filming YouTube videos in her dorm room at the University of Texas in 2012. Fashion and lifestyle came first, then motherhood, then an unfiltered account of hair loss that drew thousands of quiet messages from other women.

She founded Divi in 2021 after that personal encounter with thinning. The first release was a proprietary scalp serum she had mixed from raw materials at home and later refined with scientists. A shampoo and conditioner followed in 2022, an Ulta Beauty deal put the line in more than 1,200 locations, and vitamins, dry shampoo and styling care filled out a tight shelf.

What others miss is how practical her method is. Austin talks less about volume as a look and more about routine as care. Section the hair, apply to skin not strands, massage in, rinse fully, refresh between washes without heavy buildup. Body of Work asked her to show that work, from dorm room research to the sink steps she still teaches.

You started filming in a dorm room at the University of Texas in 2012, far from labs and Ulta shelves in more than 1,200 locations. When stress in college led to pulling and extreme loss, what did those early months of research teach you about scalp skin.

I was not born with the best hair. In college stress built up and I started pulling, and the loss was extreme. I looked for solutions and support and kept finding temporary band aid fixes. Nothing spoke to scalp health or how stress and environment show up on skin.

So I devoted hours to reading about environmental factors, stress and scalp health. I concocted a serum in my own bathroom from raw materials that improved my scalp and hair wellness. Teaming up with scientists we refined it into the Divi Scalp Serum. I founded Divi in 2021 after my personal encounter with hair loss and thinning. I wanted to focus on quality of our SKUs over having a ton. Divi mission is to put the care back in hair care with empathy, science and innovation at the heart of all we do.

You shared postpartum shedding openly and wrote that you figured many women were going through something similar without talking about it. What did hearing back from them change about how you built the routine.

I figured there were probably a lot of other women going through something similar that just were not talking about it. After postpartum life I shared my hair loss openly and discovered many women with the same struggle. For me, beauty and confidence are so intricately linked. When your hair looks thin, you feel it.

I just started listening to my audience, what exactly they wanted, what were their problems. That listening shaped everything. Complete Care for Growing Hair became our phrase because growth care is not one bottle. It is a clean scalp, consistent steps and patience. Show your scalp the TLC it deserves. I feel the best, and I am most confident in myself, when I am putting motherhood first, so I built steps a busy parent can actually keep.

Your hero is the 100ml Scalp Serum at 136 dollars, a water based multi peptide formula with caffeine, peppermint and rosemary oil that points to fuller looking hair in as little as 6 weeks. For someone with wet hands tonight, how exactly should they section, apply and massage.

Start with a dry or slightly damp scalp. Part hair down the center, then make two to four more parts so skin shows. Use the dropper to place small drops along each part, directly on skin, not on strands. Then massage in with fingertips for one to two minutes. Use light pressure in small circles and pat dry around the hairline if needed.

Do this once daily and keep it consistent. Lather and rinse your shampoo fully on wash days so serum does not sit on buildup. Comb through gently and avoid scratching with nails. Give it six weeks before you judge. Take a photo in the same light every two weeks. If shedding is sudden, patchy or paired with scalp pain, pause and speak with a dermatologist.

You have said the science speaks for itself and that proof matters more than trust. What proof did you insist on before calling the serum your bestseller, and how should a shopper read results honestly.

I was like, The science speaks for itself. If you do not trust me, that is OK, but we can trust the proof. I did not want to rely on influencer trust without science. We describe the formula as vegan and dermatologist tested, and the serum is clinically tested and award winning. On Amazon it became the fourth most popular scalp treatment, which told me people repurchase because the routine fits.

Read results in the mirror, not in promises. Our words are supports a healthy looking scalp and improves the look of fullness and density. That means hair can appear thicker and the part can look narrower with steady use. It does not treat, cure or prevent hair loss. Keep washing, keep massaging, keep notes on itch or comfort. I am always trying to think, How can we learn from this.

You launched shampoo and conditioner in 2022, a year after the serum, to keep the catalog small. How do Scalp Reset Shampoo at 28 dollars and the Volumizing and Hydrating pairs fit different wash days without stripping.

I wanted to focus on quality of our SKUs over having a ton. We started with scalp serum because that was my need. Then I listened again and built shampoo and conditioner to support that first step. One for deeper cleanse days, one light as air pair for fine and thinning looking hair, one richer pair for thicker hair that still wants scalp comfort.

The method matters as much as the bottle. Wet hair fully with lukewarm water. Lather shampoo twice on oily weeks, once on dry weeks. Massage with pads of fingers for about a minute, then rinse until water runs clear. Apply conditioner mid length to ends, comb through with a wide tooth comb to detangle, then rinse. If you wash for a household, label pumps so a partner beard wash or a teen first routine does not borrow the wrong step.

The science speaks for itself. If you do not trust me, that is OK, but we can trust the proof.

Dani Austin

Your better for scalp dry shampoo launched in 2024 and sold a unit per second in its first 24 hours. What makes a refresh between washes work on real scalps, and how much is too much.

People wanted second and third day hair without heavy, scalp disrupting buildup. We made a clean, breakthrough formula to revive hair between washes without leaving that coated feel. Jumbo Dry Shampoo at 42 dollars for 9.5 ounces is the same idea in a larger can for shared bathrooms.

Shake well. Hold six to eight inches away. Lift sections and spray lightly at the root, one short burst per section. Wait one to two minutes, then massage in and brush through. If you see white cast, you used too much. Blot with a towel and do not layer more. Wash within two to three days and reset with shampoo. This step supports the look of volume. It does not replace washing, and it never treats itch or flakes on its own.

Hair Growth Vitamins arrived in 2023 at 78 dollars for 60 vegan tablets, two daily, with a patent pending blend of five ingredients that points to an active looking growth cycle in as little as 3 weeks. Where do ingestibles sit beside topicals in your complete care plan.

Topicals come first because that is where my story started. The serum supports the look of the scalp, shampoo clears the way, styling protects ends. Vitamins came a year after shampoo and conditioner because readers asked for inside support to match the outside routine. One month is 60 tablets, three months is 180 tablets at 234 dollars, six months is 360 tablets at 468 dollars.

Take two tablets daily with food and water at the same time you do serum so you remember both. Eat protein, rest and be frank about time. Give it three weeks before you judge early appearance, then keep notes for twelve. Supplements support the appearance of a regular cycle. They do not treat, cure or prevent shedding. If you are pregnant, nursing or managing a condition, speak with your clinician or pediatrician for family use.

The business moved fast. A 35 million dollar minority investment from Norwest Venture Partners in November 2024, then Myles McCormick taking the helm as CEO in September 2025 while your husband Jordan Ramirez serves as chairman. How do you keep formulas steady when leadership and scale change.

I did not realize when I started making YouTube videos I was essentially entering business school. Creator work taught me to test, read comments and revise. Feedback and negativity can hurt anyone ego, but that is how I am going to get better. Rachael Fox leads product innovation, so every tweak goes through testing before it reaches Ulta shelves or direct orders.

Scale did not change the rule. Fewer formulas, revised well. Vegan, dermatologist tested, water based textures that layer clean. We sell direct and on Amazon and in more than 1,200 Ulta Beauty locations across the United States, so batch care has to hold from first pump to last. You have to take a break sometimes to really know how you want to impact people. I step back, I listen, then we adjust the step, not the promise.

Many readers buy for a whole household and watch budgets closely. What is your honest starter routine for thinning looking hair, and when should someone skip product and call a clinician.

Start small. Choose the 30ml Scalp Serum at 48 dollars if 100ml feels like too much. Add one shampoo and one conditioner that match your density. Keep dry shampoo only if you stretch washes for work or school. Layer in vitamins later if you want that step.

Wash two to three times per week. Serum daily. Massage, rinse, pat dry. Do not shave against irritation or pick at flakes. For a teen first routine, teach lukewarm water, pea sized conditioner and clean brushes. For postpartum shedding, track for twelve weeks and photograph the part. Call a dermatologist for sudden clumps, bald patches, pain, burning or scaling, and call a pediatrician for a baby scalp concern. Honest time and cost beat extra bottles.

Closing note from the desk

What stays after this conversation is the sink level detail. Austin still teaches like someone who learned in a dorm bathroom. Part, drop, massage, rinse fully, wait weeks not days. That plain sequence is easier to keep than any shelf of bottles, and it respects money and mornings.

Divi set out to put the care back in hair care. In Austin telling that means empathy first, proof over promises and a small set of steps that fit women and men, teens and tired parents. The work is hands on. The claims stay modest. The scalp gets attention before the style.

Product spotlight

Scalp Serum, 136 dollars for 100ml. A water based multi peptide serum with caffeine, peppermint and rosemary oil that supports a healthy looking scalp and the appearance of fullness and density. Part dry hair, drop along skin, massage one to two minutes daily and judge in about six weeks.

Dry Shampoo, 42 dollars for 9.5 ounces in jumbo. A light refresh between washes that absorbs oil without heavy buildup. Spray in short bursts at the root, wait one to two minutes, massage in and brush through, then wash within two to three days.