Curlease
/
Where Experimentation
Meets Innovation
Project: Curlease
Brand: SunLuen
Year: 2019
#Prototyping #3Dprinting #Experiment #R&D #Electronics
Curlease is a concept project born from a deep dive into emerging consumer trends within the hair fashion industry. One of the most prominent trends in Asia is the "Korean Curl", a hairstyle popularized by K-pop idols, characterized by soft, natural, and subtle waves that add effortless volume and movement to Asian male hair.
However, achieving the perfect Korean Curl requires patience and skill. The process involves precise tool manipulation, rolling, and bending hair at just the right angles—something that existing hot-air brushes fail to accommodate.
While researching, I tested several current hot-air brushes and immediately encountered challenges:
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The barrel size and grip made it difficult to control while styling.
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Repeated bending, rolling, and twisting require users to lift their arms for extended periods while carefully manipulating the curl. This leads to arm fatigue, making the process frustrating and exhausting.
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Most nozzle products are designed for longer female hair, making them ineffective for shorter male styles.
The first idea is aimed to eliminate the need for users to repeatedly bend and lift their arms while curling their hair. Instead of forcing the user to adjust their arm position.
The idea introduces a flexible bending mechanism, allowing user to bend the brush and adjust angles, instead of bending user's arm. By shifting the styling effort from the user’s arm to the device, this design minimizes fatigue, making the curling process more effortless and comfortable.
The idea for a bendable hot-air brush came from an unexpected source—foldable silicone bottles.
These bottles are flexible, heat-resistant, and durable, making them perfect for handling high temperatures while maintaining their shape. This sparked the next step: experimenting with integrating a flexible silicone section into the hot-air brush, allowing it to bend naturally during use. This would enable users to style their hair without straining their arms, making the curling process more intuitive and comfortable.
We also redesigned the barrel, exploring ways to make it more compact and lightweight for extended use without causing fatigue. Additionally, we refined the button placement for easier control and shaped the overall form factor to be smooth and ergonomic, ensuring a comfortable grip.
In the early stage, transforming an idea into a concept requires a crucial step: drafting a package drawing. This drawing helps review the internal structure and spatial feasibility of the product. It also serves as a constructive tool when discussing feasibility with engineers.
Since ideas originate in a designer’s mind, engineers may initially resist certain concepts.
A well-prepared package drawing not only facilitates discussion but also guides engineers in analyzing feasibility and identifying key design considerations.
During the development process, we heavily relied on 3D printing to quickly validate and experience how our ideas would translate into real-world usage. This was especially important for the flexible bending part, where the silicone material could be prototyped using 3D printing to simulate its functionality.
Throughout the process, we produced countless samples, repeatedly testing and challenging ourselves to push into uncharted territory and explore new possibilities, until we get the optimized result.
For the nozzle design, we tailored each step of the curling process for men’s hair. Based on the three main stages of creating a curl, we designed specialized nozzles for each stage: drying, adding volume, and styling the curl. Each nozzle is optimized to provide the best results for its intended purpose.
When designing the Drying nozzle, the biggest challenge was figuring out how to guide the airflow through a 90-degree turn. With the main unit's bendable feature, this ensures the airflow could effectively reach and dry the hair at the back of a man’s head. The nozzle design had to enable this functionality without compromising performance or ease of use.
We ultimately created a functional prototype to demonstrate the feasibility of this nozzle in real-life scenarios. This prototype helped us effectively showcase the design's practicality and convinced other stakeholders to support and approve the concept.
The second nozzle is designed for adding volume. The idea is to shape the hair into an arch before setting it with hot air. To achieve this, we incorporated a retractable mechanism that effortlessly lifts and curls the hair into the desired arch shape, ensuring a natural and long-lasting voluminous effect.
The final nozzle is designed specifically for styling curls. The biggest challenge was securing short hair while curling—strands would often slip or get blown away during the process. We focused on designing a clipping mechanism that holds the hair in place while allowing controlled airflow for precise and consistent curling.
This project successfully applied one invention patent and two utility model patents, showcasing its innovative design and technology. These patents highlight the unique solutions developed for improved user innovative experience and functionality.
Invention patent: CN110326874A,
Utility model patent: CN210841917U, CN210696421U
