The incredible story of how one Yorkshire woman revolutionised the hair industry not once, but twice and created a multi-million pound global success story from her kitchen table to become Queen of the Straighteners.

Words by Mark Bowness

It was 1999 when hairdresser Susan Powls stumbled across an obscure ceramic styling iron from South Korea that would change the face of hair styling across the world forever.

Little did Susan know at the time just what an impact her discovery would go on to have, but 26 years later, she is now being hailed as the visionary behind the most iconic hair tool of the 21st century – the ghd straightener.

It was a Eureka moment that revolutionised haircare and one that saw Susan help crack the code to what so many women at the time were looking for – straight hair.

And now as beyond catches up with the glamorous 79-year-old at the same Ilkley kitchen table where she first made that ground-breaking discovery all those years ago, her enthusiasm and passion for hair burns as brightly as ever.

Looking back she said: “Growing up I always cursed my hair because it was so curly and thick and I could never get it straight. I was always looking for something that would come along and change that but there was nothing out there.”

But all that was to change one morning in 1999 when Susan was having a particularly bad hair day and decided to try out a ceramic styling tool from South Korea that was tucked away in her then husband’s office.

At the time, Susan was married to Robert Powls, a well-connected hairstylist and salon owner who regularly received product samples to their home, but this tool was unlike anything she’d tried before.

After trusting her instincts, she rewired the American plug to a UK one and got Robert to try it out on her.
It was the moment everything changed and Susan was thrilled to see her natural frizz transformed into a sleek, smooth style, immediately declaring to Robert: “I’m having a good hair day!”

What she discovered was revolutionary: two flat, heated plates that glided over the hair to produce a sleek, straight finish. It was unlike anything Susan or the British beauty industry had seen before and became the blueprint for the ghd straightener, which many of us have owned at one point or another in our lives.

The next day, the couple registered the company that would go on to redefine hair styling in the millennium: ghd. The name was a natural by-product of Susan’s own words (“good hair day”) and it was soon flying off the shelves.

Susan recalls: “It was a tough time as we had just seen two businesses fold and financially, we were on the ropes but this opportunity gave us the chance to fill a gap in the market.’

The couple bought up extensive stock from South Korea and set about launching the product from their home.

For the first two years, home doubled up as a warehouse, office and dispatch centre and with their home phone number the only point of contact, it meant orders and calls would come in 24/7.

The couple became accustomed to long days, breathing life into the very heart of the brand and working round the clock to establish this exciting new kid on the hair block.

Susan recalled: “Looking back it was a crazy time but demand was growing for this invention that everybody wanted to get hold of and by 2002 we had far outgrown anything we could manage at home and decided to hire a warehouse in Silsden to cope with the volume of stock and orders.”

After riding the wave of extraordinary success, ghd was sold in 2005 but for Susan it wasn’t the end and three years later when they could re-enter the market, she helped co-create and launch a new line of hair tools designed to not just style hair but to look after it.

In collaboration with her sons Martin, 58, and Gavin, 56, who remain as directors today, Susan helped launch Cloud Nine, a revolutionary new styling tool that came with the promise of styling hair effectively without damaging it.

Now 16 years on and based in Harrogate,
Cloud Nine is rocketing in success. Its USP is that every tool is created with the belief that the kinder we are to our hair, the stronger it becomes.

Susan said: “After stepping away from ghd, I could have quietly closed that chapter on my career but I knew there was still a gap in the market for something that addressed the crucial aspect of heat styling that we’d never managed to answer in my final years at ghd: Can one heat be right for every hair type?

“At this point ghd had shifted its manufacturing to China, and so we reunited with our original collaborators in South Korea to help us develop a new generation of styling tools rooted in science, wellness and performance that ensured healthy, strong hair.

“Cloud Nine is a pioneer in the same way that ghd was when we launched it. Our focus on hair health and helping women find their correct styling temperature is unique and one that was long overdue.”

Cloud Nine has been a roaring success since its launch, with hoards of famous customers such as Frankie Bridge, Maya Jama and Lorraine Kelly.

Before 2000, the straightener market was estimated at less than £15 million. But the invention of the ceramic technology first brought to the masses by Susan was the launchpad for the huge growth, with the market revenue now expected to surpass £600 million in 2025.

Over the last 16 years, Cloud Nine has contributed to that booming market and has produced straighteners with 11 heat settings, as well as pressure-reducing Revive Mode® that minimises friction and breakage, all tailorable to your hair type and needs plus a range of hair dryers, curlers and hot brushes.

Now as she approaches her 80th birthday, Susan, who remains Honorary Chair at Cloud Nine, says she is ready to share her story to inspire other women to step up and fuel further growth in the industry for years to come.

“I am incredibly proud of the impact our products have had on the market over the years but I’m even prouder that Martin and Gavin have developed it further and that five of my grandchildren are now working within the business.

“Through my story I hope to inspire and encourage future female innovators to trust their instincts, be bold and take the initiative in order to build something extraordinary.

“I’ve never been one to shy away from a challenge and together with Martin and Gavin who have taken the business to a new global level, we are finally seeing the rewards for all those years of hard work.”

“I now feel privileged to watch my children and grandchildren work at the heart of the business and continue my legacy within an industry that I have always loved.”