A woman struggling with low confidence after plucking out her eyelashes to “make wishes” has revealed how she overcame the issue – and turned it into a thriving business.
Daisy Kelly battled compulsive hair pulling disorder for years, often picking out her own eyelashes and occasionally eyebrows.
The 25-year-old was eventually forced to face the “raw reality” of the damage she had done.
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Then fate worked its magic and turned the young woman’s negative experience into something positive.
While researching products to help her grow the lashes back, Daisy decided to develop her own serum – and flog it on TikTok.
She’s now sold 250,000 bottles of her product.
“I struggle with anxiety and intrusive thoughts and for me this manifested in a compulsion to pick my lashes and make wishes,” Daisy, who studied at the University of Surrey, told Absolutely Business.
“I’d think things like: ‘Just make a wish with your lashes and you’ll pass that exam’.
“It would get worse the more stressed I was, and I was struggling with quite a few other obsessive compulsions at the time.
“When I started noticing a dramatic change in my natural lash appearance, I actually got lash extensions.
“I was struggling with my confidence but this didn’t help my picking.
“I decided it was time to grow back my natural lashes after the years of excessive damage – and that was easier said than done.”
Daisy found that most beauty items contained hormones or harsh chemicals.
And most were also far too expensive for her budget.
She said: “I wanted to grow back my lashes but I didn’t have £100 to spend on a lash serum.
“The few that I did find within my budget were mainly oil-based, contained harmful hormones or were ineffective.
“So, after doing some research, I found that there was a big pool of people who wanted to start investing in their natural beauty.
“I saw an opportunity and decided to take a leap of faith and go for it [making my own]!
“I am not very good at doing nothing so this passion project quickly became my obsession.”
Daisy used some of her student loan to kick things off and also received a loan of £2,000 from her mum.
She named the company Glow For It and used TikTok to advertise her serum.
What started in her mum’s kitchen soon became a fully-fledged business.
She said: “I remember posting videos of me packaging orders from my mum’s kitchen.
“I’d only have two or three orders a day but I’d package up a load of spares just to make it look like the table was a bit more full of orders.
“It then got to the point where I was packaging orders until the early hours of the morning because I just couldn’t keep up.
“Glow For It is now not only my full-time job, but the full-time job of around seven employees, which is absolutely crazy to say.
“I once did everything myself, from finance, customer service, marketing, and socials – so to now have a team around me is a dream.
“My accountants have called the business a hobby that got out of control, and they’re right.
“I never sat down in the beginning with a five-year business plan, and to be honest I think that is what has made this such a beautiful and organic journey.”
