Glow By Daye Founder Ranay Orton Talks Building A Million-Dollar Bonnet Empire

Bonnets are a staple in the Black hair community. Call them what you want — head wraps, hair ties — we have used them for decades for everything from protecting our tresses and keeping them from drying out to extending the life of our latest’ do. 

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They have gone from nighttime necessities to daytime designer looks and, even, ramp up our deep conditioning process. But with our plethora of changing ‘dos, what good is a bonnet if it doesn’t fit? That’s where Glow By Daye comes in. 

The Black-owned brand provides satin-lined bonnets, flaxseed deep conditioning caps, and shower caps to fit all hair sizes (even if you’ve got a crown of lengthy locs or extensions) and take the stress out of our haircare process.

We caught up with the woman behind the brand, Ranay Orton, who has proven that bonnets aren’t just a bedtime staple, but big beauty business. Here, we chat with her about her million-dollar empire and how being a self-proclaimed “lazy natural” has pushed her to beauty boss status.

SADIAA: How the heck did you get into the world of bonnets?
Ranay Orton: Dealing with my hair on a daily basis is a second job or at least a nonpaying side hustle! LOL. And, the bonnets I used to help protect at night just did not foot the bill. There was a time I had in box braids and I had to tie a hair tie around my beauty store-bought bonnet because the elastic had completely given out. This is when I had had enough and decided to create my own ideal version of the best bonnet  — and then Glow by Daye was born. 

SADIAA: How long did it take to develop/manufacture your first bonnets?
Ranay Orton: It took about nine months to find the right partners to help me bring to life my vision and scale to make my caps both readily available and high quality. 

SADIAA: What was the process like in creating them?
Ranay Orton: There was a lot of back and forth to get exactly what I wanted with my products. Because our caps our designed from what was lacking in the traditional versions of other caps, we needed to break the mold on what was previously used to make these products — which got challenging. I did not want to compromise on the fact that I wanted my caps to fit the versatility of different hair textures, types, and styles AND serve the unique needs of our hair, such as moisture, retention, and frizz reduction, etc. 

SADIAA: How did being a “lazy natural” help that process?
Ranay Orton: Being a mom of two young boys, a former sales professional, and, now, an entrepreneur, I am always interested in the easiest and most efficient ways to maintain and manage my hair no matter what style I have. 

SADIAA: Now you’ve got a slew of offerings. What is the most popular?
Ranay Orton: Our most popular products are the satin bonnets and our deep conditioning heat caps. The bonnets are such a staple of our hair preservation both for style and health and have been for so long. The deep conditioning heat cap combines the effectiveness of conditioning with heat and the convenience to move around freely while doing so. Our customers love that!

SADIAA: Were there any major challenges? 
Ranay Orton: Initially, I launched my bonnets exclusively on Amazon.com. The Black haircare options on this platform were very limited and when I launched I saw others stealing my pictures, trying to replicate what I had created, and creating counterfeits of my products using my logo and everything. I admit it was somewhat flattering but mostly scary that businesses could be this ruthless. I quickly began protecting my brand and establishing my brand integrity to separate myself from those just looking to make a quick buck vs. the brand I wanted to create to serve my community.

SADIAA: How do you feel your business impacts the Black beauty industry?
Ranay Orton: I would like to think that we are raising the standards. For years, we put up with the inferior quality of products marketed to us on the shelves at our local stores. We have seen tremendous growth in hair creams and conditioners, but there is still a big gap in the hair accessories we use to help manage our hair, especially at home.

What makes us stand out is our intention to make your life easier. We intend to make your haircare experience easier by not giving you a laundry list of more to do when it comes to your hair. Rather, we make your journey more efficient. Created by someone that understands how overwhelming managing your hair can be, our mission is to provide solutions to stay consistent with our healthy haircare regimen and achieve our hair goals. 

SADIAA: What has been the most rewarding part of your business? 
Ranay Orton: Hands down, the most rewarding part is hearing from happy customers! One of the best reviews we commonly get is “this is the best bonnet I have ever used.” Some even go on to say this is the bonnet that they have been looking for their whole lives. Managing our natural and versatile hair can have its challenges and to be a part of the solution to healthy hair for so many is such a blessing. 

SADIAA: Is there any one thing you wish you knew before you got started?
Ranay Orton: One thing I wish I knew was how to create a team sooner to help me do all that is required in building a business. I feel as if I am just truly starting to execute on that and still in this learning phase. 

SADIAA: Well, now you’ve gone on to build a million-dollar empire. What does success look like for you?
Ranay Orton: We are just getting started!! Success looks like building upon that momentum to create more of a community and culture around hair health, especially in the natural haircare space. And, also creating and innovating better and more efficient products to manage our hair and navigate through all of our unique hair journeys the best way possible. 

SADIAA: What advice would you have for aspiring entrepreneurs?
Ranay Orton: Create somewhat of a sense of urgency for yourself with your ideas. In my experience, it (whatever “it” is) always takes longer than you initially expected. Product launches will be held up, manufacturers will be delayed, your life will get busy, so don’t think you have forever to do something… Start now, act now, create now. Go!

Glow By Daye products are available online at glowbydaye.com and through Amazon.