Growing up, Julissa Prado treated her luscious Latina curls like an enemy she had to do battle with. She slicked her hair back in a tight ponytail, loaded it with enough gel to turn it crunchy, and went to some extreme DIY lengths to straighten it.
“I literally put my head over an ironing board while someone else ironed my hair straight,” she recalled. “My friends and I went to great lengths to straighten our hair.”
In 9th grade, she decided to embrace her natural curls. Finding products for textured hair lacking—particularly for those in the Latina community—she started experimenting with her own concoctions with ingredients like flax seed and aloe vera, taking inspiration from her Mexican grandmother, who had a natural remedy for every sort of ailment. Her natural curls became the envy of her classmates, and she soon began giving haircare workshops in the bathroom at school.
Those experiments would form the basis for Rizos Curls, a multi-million dollar haircare brand Prado launched in 2017, building it without outside funding using savings she’d put aside during college and grad school. All products are formulated without sulfates, silicones, or parabens and are designed to support scalp health alongside curl definition.
All products are formulated without sulfates, silicones, or parabens and are designed to support scalp health alongside curl definition.
Though she had no budget for marketing, word quickly got out across social media, where customers shared tutorials and before-and-after results on Instagram and Facebook. Within the first year, she sold over $1 million in merchandise, orders she filled from her uncle’s garage with the help of her extended family.
As sales and media attention grew, she knew she needed to refine her strategy for fulfillment. She launched her Amazon storefront in 2019, initially fulfilling orders herself. By 2024, she transitioned to Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA), which stores inventory and handles picking, packing, and shipping, allowing her to focus on marketing and product development. She also uses Subscribe & Save to increase sales, secure repeat customers and forecast revenue.
“Amazon’s inventory planning tools have streamlined our fulfillment process and ensured we always stay in stock,” she said.
Mostly, Prado loves how Amazon allows her to have a conversation and connect directly with more customers. Just as she did in the bathroom at high school, she regularly gives tutorials via Amazon Live. With A+ Content, she can enrich her product listings with videos, graphics, and detailed product information. She also uses customer reviews to improve and refine existing products.
Amazon has played a significant role in our growth and allowed us to maintain our brand’s integrity while reaching a much larger audience.
“What makes us truly unique is how deeply we listen to our community. We strive to give them the absolute best products with innovative formulas designed to support healthy hair from root to tip,” she said. “The first phase of our R&D process for new products starts with their direct requests.”
It’s a strategy that’s paid off, with Rizos Curls winning attention from celebrities like Chappell Roan and Selena Gomez. Her products are also available in major outlets, including Target, Nordstrom and Ulta. Rizos Curls is also one of the top 10 most followed hair brands on TikTok.
“Amazon has played a significant role in our growth and allowed us to maintain our brand’s integrity while reaching a much larger audience,” she said. “It has also allowed us to show up for our community in real ways: listening to their feedback and creating products that reflect their real need.”