We’re looking forward to introducing you to Dr. Bre Hayward. Check out our conversation below.
Bre, a huge thanks to you for investing the time to share your wisdom with those who are seeking it. We think it’s so important for us to share stories with our neighbors, friends and community because knowledge multiples when we share with each other. Let’s jump in: What are you most proud of building — that nobody sees?
I am most proud of the foundation I have built behind the scenes of Baby Hair and Beards & Bourbon — the part almost no one sees but that truly defines who I am as a founder. From the outside, people might see a beautiful bottle, a polished website, or a social media post that catches attention. What they do not see is the years of persistence, late nights, and quiet resilience it took to build something real and lasting.
Before a single product reached a customer, I spent countless hours researching scalp health, testing natural ingredients, and refining formulas so they would do more than just style hair — they would help people heal and grow their hair with confidence. I worked to understand the science, to create solutions that were safe for the whole family, and to honor the cultural and emotional connection many of us have with our hair and grooming routines. At the same time, I had to learn the hard parts of entrepreneurship: how to protect my intellectual property, how to navigate manufacturing and supply chains, and how to make sure every decision put the brand on a strong, sustainable path.
Most of this work happens quietly, with no applause. It looks like long nights spent reviewing legal filings to protect my trademark, meetings with manufacturers to ensure quality stays high, and hard conversations when something is not right. It is standing firm when someone tries to take what you have built, even when it costs time, energy, and resources. It is saying no to shortcuts because I want my customers to have products they can trust and results they can feel.
I am proud because this unseen work means the brand is more than a moment. Baby Hair and Beards & Bourbon are positioned to grow, to serve families, and to make a difference for the long term. It has also given me a platform to create impact beyond products. Through initiatives like Baby Hair Cares, I can invest in education, cultural pride, and access to resources for communities that are often overlooked. My journey is about more than building a business. It is about creating opportunity, inspiring other underestimated founders, and showing my own children that you can turn vision into reality even when the odds feel heavy.
What I have built is invisible to many, but it is everything to me. It is the quiet work that lets me stand tall today, knowing that the brand is protected, the science is sound, and the mission is bigger than a bottle of shampoo or beard oil. That foundation allows me to show up with courage, create products that truly help people, and open doors for others coming behind me.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I am Dr. Bre Hayward, an operations and strategy leader turned entrepreneur, building brands that solve overlooked problems and empower people to care for themselves with confidence. My background is in healthcare, work that taught me how to analyze gaps, build infrastructure that lasts, and bring innovative products to market with both strategy and scale in mind. That perspective shaped how I approach beauty and wellness with intention, research, and long-term vision.
I founded Baby Hair® to change the way families approach hair care. Too often the beauty industry chases trends but ignores the health of the hair and scalp underneath. Baby Hair® is built on the belief that we should celebrate every hair journey, whether natural, styled, or enhanced by adding pieces, while protecting and nourishing the natural hair beneath. Our products combine science, culture, and care to support growth, strength, and scalp wellness for the entire family.
I also created Beards & Bourbon™, a men’s grooming line that delivers understated luxury and reliable performance. It is crafted for men who value self-care but want products that work without being heavy or overpowering.
What makes my journey unique is the way I blend strategic operations expertise with a product innovator’s mindset. I have spent years not just creating effective formulations but also building the infrastructure to protect and scale the brands, from securing intellectual property to designing sustainable supply chains and growth strategies. Just as important, I am deeply committed to the community. Through Baby Hair Cares, we support education, cultural pride, scholarships for underserved families, and programs that address domestic violence awareness, mental health, and self-care as a form of healing.
Today, I am honored to be a semifinalist in the Black Ambition Prize, a program founded by Pharrell Williams to empower and fund Black and Hispanic entrepreneurs. This recognition celebrates not only the quality of the products but also the mission behind them. For me, entrepreneurship is about more than selling beauty items. It is about changing an industry, honoring every kind of hair journey, protecting natural hair, and using strategy and resilience to create opportunity and healing for others.
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. Who taught you the most about work?
The person who taught me the most about work was my mother. She raised me with the belief that education and perseverance could open doors that seemed impossible to reach. Growing up, we did not have a lot, but she showed me that hard work was not only about long hours. It was about excellence, integrity, and preparing yourself for opportunities before they arrive. She taught me to take pride in learning, to solve problems instead of waiting for someone else to fix them, and to build a life that was bigger than your circumstances.
Those lessons stayed with me as I built my career in healthcare, where I learned how to analyze complex systems, create solutions that last, and lead with strategy. They also shaped me as an entrepreneur. Starting Baby Hair® and Beards & Bourbon™ required the same resilience she modeled: protecting what I built, pushing through challenges, and doing the quiet, behind-the-scenes work that no one applauds but that makes everything possible.
Her voice is still with me every time I choose excellence over shortcuts and every time I use my work to create opportunities for others. That shows up through Baby Hair Cares, our community initiatives around education, cultural pride, domestic violence awareness, and mental health, and by showing my own children what it looks like to turn vision into reality.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
Yes. There were seasons in my journey when I felt like walking away, even though I had poured so much into building my vision. When you are growing a brand without endless funding or connections, there are days when the obstacles feel louder than the progress. I faced moments where doors closed unexpectedly, where resources were limited, and where protecting the work I had built felt overwhelming. It is exhausting to fight for something you know is valuable when it seems like the world wants the easy version of what you have created.
But each time I felt like giving up, I reminded myself why I started. I thought about my family and the people who trust my brands. I thought about the young women who might see my story and realize that their ideas are worth protecting and pursuing. I leaned on my faith, my mother’s lessons about perseverance, and the belief that if I could solve complex problems in healthcare, I could find a way to solve them in business too.
Those moments taught me that resilience is not about never feeling tired or discouraged. It is about moving forward even when you do. It is about protecting your vision, doing the quiet work to keep building, and believing that your purpose is bigger than any setback. That determination is what kept me going with Baby Hair® and Beards & Bourbon™, and it is why I can stand today proud of what I have built and the community impact it creates.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
My closest friends would say that what matters most to me is building with purpose and helping others rise while I climb. They know I care deeply about creating something that lasts, not just for me but for the people and communities around me. They would tell you that I value excellence, integrity, and impact in everything I do.
They have watched me work hard to build Baby Hair® and Beards & Bourbon™, not only as beauty and grooming brands but as platforms for change. They know that I fight to protect what I create because protecting my work means protecting the opportunity it can bring to others. They have also seen how committed I am to using my success to give back, whether that is through Baby Hair Cares, our initiative that supports education, cultural pride, scholarships, domestic violence awareness, mental health resources, and self-care as healing.
If you asked them, they would probably say that I care about lifting as I climb, breaking barriers for people who feel underestimated, and proving that you can dream big, work strategically, and turn vision into impact. They know I want to create a legacy that is bigger than products, one that makes room for others to thrive.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
I hope people say that I spent my life helping others believe in their own greatness. That I uplifted people, inspired them, and created space for them to dream bigger than the world told them they could. I want to be remembered as someone who refused to let others settle for the status quo.
When we are children, we imagine becoming firefighters, teachers, doctors, or leaders. We dream of greatness. I have never met a child who said they wanted to grow up to be ordinary. Somewhere along the way, life can make people shrink those dreams. My mission has always been to remind them that it is okay to be extraordinary. It is okay to stand out, own your gifts, and build a life that is uniquely yours.
Through my work in strategy and entrepreneurship, and through building Baby Hair®, Beards & Bourbon™, and our community initiative Baby Hair Cares, I have tried to be a bridge for others. Whether helping someone launch a business, plan their future, or see their own potential, I want to leave a legacy of lifting people higher and showing that it is possible to turn vision into impact.
More than anything, I hope the story people tell is that I lived with purpose, encouraged authenticity, and helped others become the version of themselves they were always meant to be.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.mybabyhair.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mybabyhaircare/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mybabyhaircare
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@mybabyhaircare
- Other: admin@mybabyhair.com
