Our History & Origins

“To my LORD and savior Jesus Christ be all the glory and honor”
-R.A.W 2012

I started out making brushes by hand in my barbershop and at home.  I made the first brush out of a 2 x 4” that I found in a field and carved it out with a wood file.  I always believed that there could be a better brush, especially for ethnic hair textures.  It would take me 4 hours to just glue the bristles in, and a week to complete the carving of the brush.  When I go to speak at schools, I always bring a 2 x 4” and show them that this is their dream, whatever their dream may be, it’s up to them to create it.  After much effort, prayer, and persistence I was able to get the brush manufactured (with no investors, while attaining my degree in business finance).

I sold wave brushes at festivals, shows, out of my trunk, city to city, and from shop to shop. Two of my associates and I drove from Detroit to L.A. hitting the streets of every major city along the way.  I told them I was not coming back until every brush was sold!  This is how we attained many retailers, celebrity customers, and put our name out there as for the people.  We would start in the roughest areas in the cities, and work our way out.  One time on a trip selling in D.C., and Baltimore a friend of mine saw how rough the area was and told me he thinks we should bring the knife we used for cutting boxes; I told him we don’t need any weapon, because he’s with me, and I’m under the protection of the Lord. Did some people try us? Yes, I remember one time in Philadelphia these guys were drinking heavy, and were pretty buzzed, and seemed like they wanted to test us. I’m very intelligent when it comes to handling myself in the streets.  I stepped very close to the leader with my head high in the air, to let him know, we’re not afraid; they had no choice but to respect us.  We brushed kid’s hair on the sidewalks, prayed with some people, and gave some brushes away.  We slept in the car, or in crappy motels.  Doing this put our name in the streets, and gave us loyal retailers and customers.  It took much blood, sweat and tears.  You can have the best product in the world, but it’s all about doing what it takes to get it out there.

Now we have been doing very well; we were in the top 25% of All retailers on Amazon in sales during this past Holiday season (2012).  We have just wrapped up our second year in business.  We support our retailers, and make sure they sell well.  I feel proud when I see someone with the Crown Quality Products Wave Brush in a car, or at someone’s home.  I never say that I’m the owner, and inventor, but calmly smile inside.

My vision was, and still is to start people to thinking how they can come up with, and manufacture a product that can better help someone.  As an black male, we are pretty much treated like the lowest guy on the totem pole, but we are powerful, creative, inventive, and compassionate.    I strongly believe that our niche in this new global economy is creating new products, but also manufacturing, and distributing them.  I could have sold my brushes to the existing beauty supply distributors, but they are not people of color, nor do they invest in our communities.  This brush and company was intended to make a statement; that we can do for our self’s, and our people can be the ones that benefit.

Of course you will have people try to knock you off, or copy you out, but we our tried and true, with all dues paid.  When another brush similar to ours came out, some people called me and were upset, I said this will only boost our sales, and soon as it came out our sales went up dramatically. Imitation is the highest form of flattery, and validation.  In the European market we have a MVP Basketball player ready to market and blow up CQP in the EU! (He approached us).  I’m very excited about this. We have some big things coming, new logos made by a auto supplier for BMW, Chevy, Chrysler and Cadillac that will never ware or fade (Same thing that is used on the cars). A new Du-rag that can’t be touched in its effectiveness, and two different designs of brushes. Dat boy will be premiering some in his new video.

I appreciate all our loyal customers, retailers, and advocates. Much love. Always keep God first

Robert Watson, C.E.O.

Q&A

What did CQP invent and how did this effect the beauty industry?

CQP IS NOT JUST THE ORIGINATOR OF THE CURVED HAIRBRUSH, CQP IS THE ONLY 100% BLACK OWNED HAIRBRUSH MANUFACTURER IN THE WORLD!! CQP owner R.A. Watson invented the contour / curved hairbrush in 2008 ( this is documented by our copywrite, many testimonials, and the oldest Youtube videos where you will not see another curved brush for a few years later. CQP innovated, and revitalized the hairbrush industry. Before CQP hairbrushes, wave brushes sold in the urban market for $2 - $6 generally, CQP changed this by coming out with its revolutionary design that achieved better results much faster, selling brushes for $15 to $20 initially. “Everyone said I was crazy trying to sell a hairbrush for $20 in the urban / ethnic market.” Without CQP most off the new hairbrush companies you see would not exist, nor would the online waver market be as robust. “ When we started selling the contour brush waves were kind of going out as the popular style, but with our brush it totally re-energized and reinvigorated interest.” CQP not only was the first and creator of the contour brush but introduced and innovated many other things, such as: bigger wider brushes, longer bristles, fuller bristles, full color packaging, pictures of models with waves on the packaging, the first to show colored bristles, mixed bristles, the type synthetic of bristles we used ( they are not nylon ), created the terms medium-soft, medium-firm, extra soft, vivid different colored brushes ( not just the standard black, brown, light brown ), the way hairbrushes are photographed, the language used to describe a wave brush, wave instructions, making brushes out of real wood in the ethnic market, real wood grain, wave brush decals, Limited Edition brushes, result guarantees, using wavers to make YouTube videos, wave brush bags, wave brush kits, brush cleaners, ultra compression durag.…etc.. and much more. “We can honestly say that we developed and fathered what you see as the modern day wave brush industry. Not just our brush was copied but our whole sawg by the biggest to the smallest brands.”

Can I use a original wooden CQP brush in the shower?

We suggest that you do not use in the shower, nor boil your original CQP brush; this is because our brushes are made out of real wood which gives better results. Before CQP ALL brushes sold in the urban / ethnic market place were made out of pressed wood ( particle glued wood, such as pressed woods ). These brushes you could boil because of the glued nature. But real wood conducts and distributes presser better, but if it gets wet may do what wood does expand and crack. For the shower we have the Crown and Caesar 2.0 brushes made out of a material that will not break under the worst conditions, including water. We first began designing and developing our wet / dry brush in 2011 right after launching the Original Crown and Caesar 360gold brushes.

What brush is best for me?

If you have coarse to moderately coarse hair, start with our hard or medium brush. Our hard brush will straighten your hair like no other, these bristles are not common on the men’s hair brush market, and are NOT Nylon, nylon bristles do not work very well on ethnic hair. Our bristles are our trade secrete and what makes are brushes more effective than any other; these bristles have the most grip and pull, thus straightening the hair. Our medium brushes are mixed with some of these bristles and also boar bristles for the grip & pull, the boar bristles mixed in help lay the hair. Our medium-firm brushes also have mixed bristles so they are great for beginning stages as well. The rest of the bristle types are all boar, and all great daily groomers. If your hair is soft use begin with our medium-soft or soft brushes. If your hair is very soft we suggest our Cognac extra soft brush. For polishing your hair and giving it that finishing touch use our 2x soft Mohair brush. Our Mohair brush will shine and lay every loose hair strand like no other on the market.

What is the best brush to use in the shower?

When shower brushing you want a brush that will comb all the way through the hair to the scalp. We highly recommend using a Hard or Medium bristle 2.0 brush. The Hard bristle 2.0 brushes are entirely synthetic Flex Bristles, and the Medium 2.0 brushes are approx. 30% Flex bristles. Both of these brushes will comb all the way to the scalp, detangle and straighten your hair. We Do Not suggest using a Soft or Medium-Soft 100% boar bristle brush in the shower ( A Medium-Firm boar bristle brush is OK to use in the shower ). Softer boar bristle brushes will not give you the grip and pull needed to comb and detangle your hair in the shower. Also Boar bristles are hair, and when hair gets wet, and stays wet it will start to break down and even mold ( think of cleaning hair out of a sink that has been there for a while, it starts to turn to mush! ). When using the Medium or Medium-Firm brushes in the shower that have boar bristles mixed with flex bristles; let the brush dry out before using it again in the shower so it can air out and the bristles can go back to their firmer state.

What Du-rag is best for my hair?

Silky du-rags are ok but tend to still move and slide while wearing overnight. If you wear a satin durag, make sure to tie it tight before bed. Velvet durags look cool, and are comfortable, but in all actuality are not very good for compressing the hair, and making deep uniform waves. Also velvet durags do not allow the hair to breathe well, and create that deep wave look. Velvet durags are great for braids and also longer hairstyles. The best thing for compressing the hair in all honesty are good old fashion stocking caps; but stocking caps also move and if you twist it tight using a penny in the front it will leave a deep line on your forehead. Stocking material works well because it breathes and compresses. For a deeper wave look you want to use a stocking. As stated before the stocking does not stay in place well so what to do? For this reason we developed the Diamond Compression Du-rag, which is lined with a thin stocking material and its outer is a 2 way stretch ( 4 way stretch du-rags are horrible for waves ), this locks the durag in place and does not move during sleep. The Diamond Du-rag locks so well that even if it comes untied it may stay in place. All CQP designs are geared towards great results first and foremost. For this reason The Diamond Ultra Compression Du-rag took years to develop.

What makes CQP brushes the most effective brushes you can buy?

CQP brushes are designed to get the best results possible. ALL of our designs are original designs ( No Alibaba this way ); though the first design was not patented because of failure to file properly, all subsequent designs are patented. Our original design has become a standard in the hair brush / beauty industry. Our original design has been imitated and copied by both big and small companies, but never duplicated. The reason why is this: Passion. CQP’s owner was expelled from high school for fighting over someone putting food in his beloved hair brush ( True story ). “I always had a passion for waves and would brush my hair for hours in the mirror until my waves were perfect, it was addictive.” That same passion drove him later in life to design the greatest hairbrush to ever hit the market. Though there are many copies of our original version they do not perform the same. “I bought some of the competitors brushes to see first hand and my first reaction was.. is anyone getting waves using these?….I knew they knew nothing about ethnic hair”. When items are copied small details are lost in translation, and the copies are not as effective. Most of the top wavers you see online started off using CQP contour brushes, and after they obtained brilliant wave patterns were solicited to promote knock-offs. “I always wanted honest testimonies, so we never believed in paying someone to promote our products…I wanted Crown to be a symbol for integrity for my community.” Once knock-offs started to flood the market you saw less and less people with banging waves. This is because copies do not care for the results, they simply want the look to make some fast money riding CQP’s coat tail. Our brushes have the right trajectory of curve, the most effective woods and material, the most dense bristles, new to the market bristles, and our bristles are not just curved, but cupped to give the brush the suction that creates so much grip and pull. “…T and I would see a A list celebrity or professional sports star on TV and say, you can tell he’s using the brush by how his hair looks". This is because our brushes give the hair a pulled, laid, wide wave look ( what stylist would called whipped ), like the waves are dripping off of the head; someone doesn’t even have to wear a du-rag to achieve this with Crown brushes. A CQP customer reviewer from 2011 said it best… “10 strokes with a Crown brush is like 150 strokes with a generic brush.” To this day, no company has come out with a brush design that tops CQP’s.

What is the fastest way achieve your desired brush style?

It does not matter if you desire a short or long hair style the best way to achieve the hairstyle you desire is to start with well nourished, conditioned hair. Well treated, well conditioned hair is the building blocks of any beautiful, long lasting style. We suggest you use a mild shampoo, and mild conditioner twice a week. You can also use a natural conditioning method that consist of natural aloe vera juice and a couple drops of rosemary oil. You can also add a little of this mix ( palm full of aloe vera and a couple of drops of rosemary ) to your hair conditioner. This combination will leave your hair soft and manageable. You want your hair healthy and strong; the healthier your hair looks the better it will look in any style! When beginning this hair conditioning journey we suggest you do not use heavy pomades, and grease. Try to use a small amount of a all natural oil or pomade every day, or every other day as needed. You want your hair to breath and become naturally nourished and healthy. Also for healthy hair you can eat foods that are high in vitamin D ( many nuts and fruits ), bananas, and avocados are excellent for healthy hair also. For a all natural formula try our Beard Butter, or Beard Oil. Our new Pomade formula is not all natural and is best after your hair has been conditioned for a month or more.

How to best clean your CQP hairbrush?

Our original 360 Gold Wave Brush instructions from 2011: The 360 Gold Wave Brush ( now also known as CQP Originals or OG brushes ) is the hairbrush of choice for anyone desiring a well groomed look in far less time. It’s contoured shape allows more bristles to come in contact with your hair; resulting in natural, uniform waves. The 360 Gold gives you a soothing sensation as it massages your head, gently pulling your hair into place. After your first use you will see and feel the difference.

How To Properly use the 360 Gold Original Wave Brush

1. Read entire instructions before use.

2. To get fast results, begin with a low and even haircut.

3. Brush your hair in your desired direction: Starting out using straight and slow brush strokes. You will notice the 360 Gold’s curved design and extra long bristles gently pull and smooth your hair into place.

4. Brush your hair in the direction that your hair naturally grows. If you are not sure of the direction, brush in your desired direction.

5. Brush hair using long straight strokes. Keep a straight brush stroke; this creates a more uniform wave pattern.

6. Brush each section repeatedly multiple times. The more consistent you brush in the same direction, the more trained and uniform your waves will become. The 360 Gold covers a large area of your head, so it does not take very long. You can also use “Crown Supreme Pomade” to help condition & lock your wave pattern in place.

7. Let the hairbrush bristles do the work; do not try to press too hard. Allow the bristles to gently pull and snap your hair into place using long straight strokes. Try to brush your hair and not your scalp; the goal is to pull the hair, stretching it into a wave.

8. Lastly, tie your hair down using your “Crown Diamond Quilted Du-rag.” Wear overnight for best results.

   See pictures that accompany these instructions above.

   Crown Original Wooden Brush Maintenance:

   • Do not boil hairbrush in water. If bristles are too firm, rinse your hairbrush for 3 minutes, and dry. Bristles will soften over time.

   • Do not crush bristles.

   • Clean out debris regularly with our “Crown Brush Cleaner”. You also can use a dry brush cleaning solution found at most barber and beauty supply stores.

   • We do not recommend soaking your brush in water. Most brushes you may be used to from your local beauty supply were made of composite wood. Our brushes are made out of solid wood, this is why our brushes have a beautiful natural woodgrain. If you notice composite brushes have a painted on woodgrain effect. Real wood works a lot better, but in water they expand, and once dried, contract, this may cause your brush to crack or split. Use our “360 Sport Wet / Dry Brush” for your shower brush.

CQP 2.0 Wet/Dry Brushes Instructions & Maintenance

We pack a lot of bristles into each brush; this in part is what makes CQP brushes the most effective wave brushes on the market. Premium brushes may shed bristles with the first few uses. Bristles will stop shedding generally after the third diligent use.

• For medium to hard bristle hairbrushes: If bristles are too firm at first, use the brush in the shower or run under hot water. After repeated use the bristles will soften.

• Use “CQP Brush Cleaner” to remove lint, hair and other debris. Use a “CQP Brush Bag” to protect your brush from debris when not in use. You can also store your brush in our “Wooden Velvet Inlay Box” to protect it from air born particles.

• The 360 Sport Crown & Caesar brushes are safe to use underwater, and do not crack, break or split for life.

• The most time efficient way to achieve 360 waves is to start with a low and even haircut.

• Brush your hair using long straight strokes. Keeping a straight brush stroke creates a more uniform wave pattern. For lightning fast results, use your medium to hard ( we suggest hard ) 360 sport brush in the shower under water; this will give you deeper wider waves.

• Apply “CQP Deep Conditioning Hair Pomade” to your hair, then tie your hair down using the “CQP Diamond Ultra Compression Du-rag”. Wear overnight for best results.

• The 360 Sport Crown and Caesar 2.0 hairbrushes are only slightly curved. Results have shown that it straightens, and stretches your hair more than our Original CQP brushes.

• We do not suggest you boil your 360 sport wave brush. To clean, use a dry brush cleaner solution found at most barber and beauty supply stores. You can also run under scalding hot water, and clean out debris with your “CQP Brush Cleaner” utensil.