Meet Sharon Rabi, whose viral hair straightening brush Dafni became a favourite with beauty influencers

Rabi initially created the brush for herself, but after a demonstration video was shared on Facebook it quickly became a beauty sensation 
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Margaret Abrams29 December 2019

You know those videos you see while scrolling through Facebook that show off a beauty product that seems too good to be true?

In 2016, one such video showed a woman running a brush through her curly hair, which swiftly went from frizzy to sleek and straight.

After a Texas radio station posted the video, the brush went viral, amassing more than 400,000 views. The woman in the video is Sharon Rabi, who just so happened to create the high-tech hairbrush with her company, Dafni.

The Israeli engineer who made the Forbes 30 Under 30 list created the product for personal reasons, but it's since become a go-to for beauty influencers like Huda Kattan, Aslina Yarar, Lucy Viknin, Nadine Baggott who went to show off straight hair beauty transformations on Instagram. It was also used by plenty of hairstylists who showed off their latest tool on Instagram.

But does it actually work? I tried the product and can confirm the videos aren't a one-off - it's the perfect product to keep at your desk (which I do), warm-up and run through your hair if you're looking for a touch up. It's also easy to travel with because it's much less bulky than a regular hair straightener which can take up more room than you actually have in your luggage.

You won't get stick-straight hair, but it will tame unruly curls immediately. And if you're handy with a straightener (I'm not) that makes it easy to add curls, too, which the Rabi has perfected (she demonstrated how to straighten and curl at a coffee shop in New York City).

And while it might seem like there are plenty of straightening brushes these days, hers was the first on the market, with influencers like Huda Kattan embracing it in its early days.

We chatted with the female founder about why she decided to create a high-tech hairbrush and what it's like going viral.

Tell me about how you decided to create the company. How were you doing your hair and how long was it taking you? How did a bad haircut inspire you?

"I was inspired at 24 while I was an engineering student. I was the only girl in my class and felt self-conscious because of a drastic haircut that was difficult to style. I was spending hours a week just to get my hair looking decent. With everything else I had on my plate, I was frustrated by how much time it took to get my hair to look smooth and stylish without sacrificing volume. I liked the idea of immediate results but felt like there was no solution.

After learning that the flat iron was invented in 1909 and hadn’t been improved upon in over 100 years, I was inspired to create a product that could help women like me to style their hair safely and open up more time in their day for the things that are important to them. I was lucky to convince my father, a veteran Israeli high tech engineer, to join me on this journey and develop DAFNI, named after my younger sister."

Were you surprised at how viral you went in your video?

"When we started the business we expected sales to be slow as people familiarized themselves with the concept of a straightening brush, and with us as a brand. But after posting a simple demo video of me using the classic brush, we generated over 120 million organic views."

How did your background as an engineer help you create the product?

"I think being an engineer and physicist gave me two things: one was the confidence to think I can and give my mind freedom to think of a better solution, and the second was to learn how to be a woman in a men's world. As unfortunate as it is, when we climb to the top hierarchies of every industry it's still very masculine."

How is your product different than other hair straightening brushes on the market at the moment?

"It's the original hair straightening and styling brush invented by a woman for women. Being the first to market has also allowed us more time to explore other models, including our newest DAFNI Allure, which is the first ever cordless straightening brush. Our brushes also style hair in record time. Thanks to their 3D structure, all brushes smooth up to 10 times more hair than a traditional flat iron in a single brushstroke, resulting in an overall styling time of under five minutes."

Dafni Allure Cordless Hair Straightening Brush

(Dafni )
Dafni

$170 | Dafni Allure | Buy it now

Dafni Classic Hair Straightening Ceramic Brush

Dafni

$149 | Dafni Classic | Buy it now

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