“They’re an accident waiting to happen!” Peoria entrepreneur John McKee says of stainless-steel, surgical-grade hair shears. “I knew a hair stylist who… kept having injuries via shears… But it was a trip to an emergency room that really got me thinking: ‘This is crazy.’ There’s tons of protective equipment for people in the workforce, but there was nothing at that time for hair stylists or barbers. I wasn’t thinking about going to market… I was just trying to help her.”
McKee’s solution, the Cosmo Finger Guard, is a lightweight, cut-resistant specialty glove “designed by a cosmetologist for cosmetologists, with comfort and safety in mind.” McKee and his business partner, Troy McDaniel, received a design patent for the Original Cosmo Finger Guard in March 2014, and have two more patents pending for spin-off products, featuring new styles for nail technicians, nurse practitioners and culinary use.
Last month, their East Peoria-based LLC announced a partnership with AsSeenOnTV.pro to be featured in a national and regional television campaign set to air in select markets the first quarter of 2016. “There will be two scenes in the infomercial,” McKee explains, “featuring a local hair salon and a local stylist… and Dave Alwan of Echo Valley Meats, who just got off Shark Tank.” McKee says he hopes the additional exposure and endorsement by Shark Tank’s Kevin Harrington will help increase sales for the product, which is currently available online at cosmofingerguard.com. For more information, visit facebook.com/CosmoFingerGuard. iBi