“It’s time for a NU Standard... Women want to keep their hair forever and keep it healthy and easily manageable. We can help them do it.“

-Autumn Yarbrough, Founder

Autumn Yarbrough created NU Standard® because products didn’t exist to solve the dryness, breakage, frizz, and hair loss challenges she faced daily – and she was tired of it.

It needed to make more sense, especially with how much she spent on haircare products. “With all the innovation, patents, and cutting-edge discoveries. I could not understand why results weren’t happening for me."

Understand Autumn has always been a relentless go-getter and problem-solver. Instead of complaining to companies that did not care and people who could not help, Autumn decided to attack the problem herself – and that is how NU Standard® was born.

For decades, there has been little R&D and innovation on how women with textured hair could better care for it.

“We won’t be last in line or left out anymore regarding haircare innovation. Dealing with the industry’s systemic issues forces you to choose purpose or profit,” Autumn said. “Think about it, salons and hair are probably one of the last segregated industries in America.”

The industry needs to consider the textured hair community when it begins the creative process of advanced science-based products because, traditionally, most companies don’t design products for porous and inelastic textured hair. Those customers should be prioritized.

Also, NU Standard® does not want women solely depending on wigs, extensions, and weaves because they can’t confidently wear their own hair due to the lack of innovative products to solve their problems. It should be a choice, not a constraint.

“We can sell off branding and popular trends, but I refuse to do so. The time is now to change the haircare landscape and commit to innovative textured hair solutions.”

Autumn’s grandfather, Comer Cottrell, Jr., started Pro-Line International, a global haircare company. Her parents led global haircare companies too. She has gleaned vast experience as a customer, daughter, and granddaughter of industry trailblazers.

“Obtaining shelf space is more accessible than getting top-quality products to help women with textured hair. Six decades after my grandfather began Pro-Line, the lack of innovative products is frustrating,” Autumn said. “I’m into eliminating the pain for my [Black] community, the textured hair community, career women, busy stay-at-home moms, and licensed professionals."

Autumn grew up in the haircare industry amongst the most successful self-starters, so it’s no surprise she pioneered a hair wellness system that included all races and ethnicities to solve her biggest problems: dryness, breakage, frizz, and hair loss.

NU Standard®‘s hair wellness system treats hair from the inside out and combats the harmful daily stressors that cause dryness, breakage, frizz, and hair loss.

This is achieved in three simple steps: nourish, treat, and care.

(1) NOURISH: Healthy hair starts from within. NU Standard®‘s wellness products combat and prevent hair loss from unmanaged stress and nutritional deficiencies.

(2) TREAT: NU Standard® has partnered with licensed professionals to provide a state-of-the-art bond builder treatment for in-salon use only to achieve long-lasting hydration and silky-feeling hair in only 2 steps with 2 products – HYDRASILK®.

(3) CARE: Our day-to-day, travel-friendly, multifunctional, and water-free haircare products deliver high performance in seconds for the busy woman on-the-go.

NU Standard® uniquely believes most hair problems can be resolved from the inside out, including the body, hair strands, and the environment.

NU Standard®‘s vitamins can improve their customer’s health internally to lessen hair shedding, strengthen hair follicles and improve scalp condition. HYDRASILK® penetrates the hair strand to repair and hydrate while reinforcing the strand’s exterior. They even pay attention to their customer’s environment. Certain fabrics and showering with hard water can damage hair, as do ultraviolet rays and pollution.

NU Standard® wants to catalyze change by concentrating on hair health and wellness since most companies focus on style. “When you don’t have any hair, what’s the point of styling,” Autumn said, “let’s be honest, good hair is hair that’s there.”

Also, D-I-Y exhausted Autumn. A.I. and social media influencers were not providing real solutions. She knew the importance of partnering with licensed professionals, the real hair experts, for NU Standard®‘s hair wellness system to thrive.

Licensed professionals are the long-term key to healthier hair. They have the experience and knowledge to treat all hair types and hair conditions so women can achieve and maintain a lifetime of healthier hair.

“Our partnership with licensed professionals will make our hair wellness movement unstoppable,” Autumn said, “and this would help us get out there much quicker to shout from the mountaintops on how important hair wellness is…because it’s something we don’t discuss in our industry or community, especially for textured hair.”

The best way to do this is by being disruptive. The status quo must change. Autumn understands positive change is never easy, nor does it come without a good fight, but it’s essential, so she’s willing to wage the battle.

Finally, those days are over. A new movement has arrived. Women want the confidence that they can keep their hair for a lifetime. They want a hair health and wellness system they can trust.They need a NU Standard®.

“It’s time for a NU Standard®,” Autumn said. “Women want to keep their hair forever and keep it healthy and easily manageable. We can help them do it.“

“They deserve it, and we’ll give it to them even if we need to be disruptive.”

Autumn Yarbrough was listening to Miles Davis’ “So What” on her way home one day, when she had a moment of clarity. Right then, it dawned on Autumn that she wanted to do for hair what Davis did for jazz.

Davis changed the classical standards by creating a new standard for how they were played. “I love how Davis unapologetically changed the way jazz was played,” she said. Well, Autumn wanted to create a new standard for how women cared for their hair. So, she named her company Nu Standard - and that’s exactly what it has set out to do.

Nu Standard provides the Necessary Understanding (NU) - of hair wellness for the busy women on the go (aka busy queens) especially for those with textured hair. After all, for decades there has been little education about how women with textured hair should care for it.

Nu Standard wants to be a catalyst for change by concentrating on hair health and wellness since most companies focus on style.  Understand, Nu Standard is the result of a self-kept dream that began when Autumn was a child and became a reality in 2020. “When you don’t have any hair, what’s the point of styling,” Autumn said. “Too many styling methods and products give Busy Queens false promises for their crowns."

Nu Standard has an innovative hair wellness system that treats hair from the inside out. It’s a simple three-step method: nourish, treat, and care.

(1) NOURISH: Healthy hair starts from within. Our wellness products combat and prevent hair loss from unmanaged stress and nutritional deficiencies.

(2) TREAT: Your Hair Hero, the licensed professional. We have partnered with licensed professional across the country to provide a state-of-the-art reconstructive treatment to moisturize and strengthen textured and chemically-treated hair – Hydrasilk® Hydrating Bond System.

(3) CARE: Our day-to-day, travel-friendly, multifunctional, and water-free haircare products deliver high performance in a matter of seconds for the Busy Queen.

“We think differently. Healthy hair is not a destination, it’s a journey and partnership,” Autumn said. “And we are making sure every Busy Queen is equipped to keeping her hair on her head, period.”

Autumn grew up in the haircare industry amongst self-starters, so it made sense for her to create her own company to solve a problem that has plagued women for centuries.

D-I-Y- was exhausting for Autumn and she knew the importance to partner with the hair experts, licensed professionals, for Nu Standard’s hair wellness system to thrive. That’s why licensed “healthy hair conscious" professionals are the long-term key to healthier hair. They have the experience and knowledge to TREAT textured hair and help all women achieve and maintain a lifetime of healthier hair.

“Our partnership with 'healthy hair' conscious professionals will make our hair wellness movement unstoppable,” she said, “and this would help us get out there much quicker to shout from the mountaintops on how important hair wellness is...because it’s something we don’t discuss in our industry or community, especially for textured hair.”

Finally, those days are over. We are talking about it loud and proud. The new movement is here!  Women want the confidence they can keep their hair for a lifetime. They want a health and wellness system they can trust for their hair.

They are ready for a NU STANDARD.