House of Braid founder and CEO Tassara Azad braids Kim Kardashian’s kids’ hair, has collaborated with Loewe on a marketing campaign and created a styling gel sold at Revolve. Not bad for someone once reluctant to join the hair business.
An avid basketball player who did her curly hair for games and experimented with hair extensions in the sixth grade, the 32-year-old once ignored her sister’s suggestion to turn her talent into a profession. “I just didn’t think it was cool to get into hair,” recalls Azad. “I was comparing it to, like, Supercuts.”
Then, after studying psychology in college and working in finance and technology recruiting, about a decade ago she noticed a convergence of three big developments: the proliferation of influencers on Instagram, Drybar’s success with salons and a branded product line, and a plethora of plaits at Coachella.
Azad says, “My aha moment was when I realized, ‘Where do people get their hair braided?’”
Azad founded House of Braid eight years ago, naming it after the fact that she was braiding people’s hair out of her bedroom in her parents’ house in the San Fernando Valley. At the time, she was juggling building the company’s website, amassing a customer base among friends and friends of friends, and graduating from Toni&Guy Hairdressing Academy. About four years ago, Azad began styling the Kardashian-West kids.
Now braiding out of her own home and charging between $150 and $400 for services, Azad’s securing her spot in a global braiding market that’s expanding steadily. According to Custom Market Insights, worldwide sales of braiding services and products are expected to hit $625.3 million in 2032, reflecting a compounded annual growth rate of 3% from $538.9 million in 2023.
While braiding various textures of hair, Azad noticed gels she used caused her fingers to shrivel and dry skin on her clients’ scalp. She determined to create a gel without those issues. She identified a local lab to produce a clean and vegan clear styling gel free of synthetic fragrance, alcohol, parabens, sulfates and silicone. It took 30 iterations to get House of Braid’s Styling Gel right.
Kardashian’s and Kylie Jenner’s broods approve. “I use [the gel] on all of them when I’m doing their hair,” says Azad. “They like my product. Kim likes my product.”
“It’s not just for braids. It lays edges. You can wear your hair in a ponytail with it.”
Azad selected ingredients to facilitate a strong hold and nurture hair growth. Some of the key ingredients are aloe vera and castor, tea tree and moringa oils. Launched last year, House of Braid’s Styling Gel is priced at $32 for a 3.5-oz. size. A set containing the gel and a sleek comb retails for $42.
“It’s not just for braids,” says Azad. “It lays edges. You can wear your hair in a ponytail with it. You could style your curls with it. Another thing a lot of people are starting to do is they’re using it as an eyebrow gel.”
She acknowledges, “My gel is a little bit more on the expensive side. Being made in the U.S.—L.A.—is expensive and the lab that I’m working with is expensive, and my units are low…For me, it’s not even about making money. It’s more so about getting the word out.”
The word is spreading. Thanks to Tracy Romulus, Kardashian’s confidante and Skims’ marketing chief who booked Azad to braid her kids’ hair, Azad was connected to a buyer at Revolve late last year. By February this year, House of Braid joined Color Wow, Ouai and Jack Henry among the haircare brands sold on Revolve.
Also available on Amazon and in direct-to-consumer distribution, House of Braid has sold over 5,000 units of its styling gel so far. Azad’s aiming to expand the brand’s repertoire of products, eyeing future releases of shampoos, conditioners, oils, serums, heat protectant sprays, extensions and accessories like headbands. “I’m trying to scale and get investors or work with someone big,” she says.
The domestic market for haircare products was estimated at $20.84 billion in 2024, with that figure projected to increase at a compounded annual growth rate of 6.4% from 2025 to 2030. As she looks to expand House of Braid’s product reach across the haircare category, Azad is prioritizing clean formulas.
The brand’s reach can cross gender barriers, too. Its product and subdued, sophisticated aesthetic aren’t gender specific. House of Braid’s male clients have included professional baseball player Manny Machado, rapper Belly and actor Shameik Moore. Sales of haircare products for men are forecast to accelerate faster than women’s haircare products, at a CAGR of 7.2% from 2025 to 2030.
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