Make Me Flake Free
Local inventor Erica Ramos, PA-C, created the first medicated dry shampoo
By Berit Mason
Photography by Nick Blevins
What inspired you to develop RestoraScalp?
Years of watching my patients wage war against their scalps! Stigma is tied to dandruff, though 50% of the world’s population suffers from it at some point. I wish to un-dirty that word. Acknowledging that scalps need care isn’t embarrassing — it’s smart and normal.
Prescription and over-the-counter medicated products work, but people weren’t leaving them on long enough. Traditional dry shampoos added volume, absorb oil, hiding odor, but don’t treat flakes or calm itch. I kept thinking: “A medicated dry shampoo would be great.” It didn’t exist. So, I decided I was the one to make it.
We had medicated shampoos on one side of the aisle and cosmetic shampoos and dry shampoos on the other, but they do nothing for the scalp. I filled the gap with a product bridging medicine and beauty because beautiful hair starts at the root.
Building a business from scratch is not easy. How long did it take to create your product and brand?
Every step came with a mini-learning curve: forming an LLC, navigating the FDA monograph, designing a logo, sourcing bottles, finding a GMP-compliant manufacturer, building social media despite never having it personally, marketing on a boot-strapped budget. But every new skill pushed the brand forward and made RestoraScalp (and me) stronger.
It took about three years to create RestoraScalp. I formed the business, secured our trademark, making sure the name was ours. Then I chose the ingredients, working with a chemist to confirm they could be safely combined. Perfecting light and dark tints took additional development. Once finalized, our FDA compliant manufacturer completed testing for OTC medications, ensuring it met standards for safety and quality.
You formulated two tones?
RestoraScalp is applied directly to the scalp, so creating tones matching skin was important to me. Developing both Light Roots and Dark Roots was about being realistic and thoughtful.
“You can have great hair, great makeup, and great style. But if you have flakes on your shoulders, you won’t feel like your best self. RestoraScalp helps bring confidence.”
You also chose to formulate with natural ingredients. How did you balance gentleness with effectiveness?
The perfect balance between gentleness and effectiveness is salicylic acid—our active ingredient. It’s trusted by the FDA and medical providers as safe and gentle, treating dandruff, seborrheic dermatitis, and psoriasis. It’s vegan, cruelty-free, color safe, and fragrance free, with no silica. We don’t need a fragranced product [masking] what causes odor.
What was the most memorable feedback you received from someone using your product?
One young patient dissembled her bottle to get the last bits of powder, begging her mom for another bottle, it being the only thing that worked for her. I thought, “This thing is changing lives one poof at a time.”
What’s the five-year forecast for this local company?
I have a list of products I plan to bring to market. In five years, I want RestoraScalp to be the go-to name for scalp and skin health. ■
