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Headline It

Breakthrough:
Jodi Pliszka’s big breakthrough is an ultrathin liner for wigs and hats that stops sweat rolling into and stinging the eyes. It also adds to the longevity of baseball caps, motorcycle helmets, wigs, and golf hats. The product is called Headline It and is a boon to hat and wig wearers because it saves them money and increases comfort and hygiene.

Inventor:
Jodi Pliszka, United States

Financial reward:
$300,000+

The Story:

When Jodi Pliszka was thirteen years old her mother found a bald patch whilst she was brushing her daughter’s hair. A trip to the dermatologist and Alopecia Areata was diagnosed, a condition where the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks hair follicles. By the time Pliszka was in her early twenties she was completely bald. Although a miserable and upsetting experience she was determined not to let baldness get the better of her. In her own words it has become a blessing and inspired her to become an award-winning children’s author, and the inventor of a product that has revolutionized the headwear industry.

Wig Woes

To blend in Pliszka wears wigs, but a recurring problem is that they can be hot and uncomfortable. She leads a very sporty and active lifestyle and is a black belt in taekwondo, but being physical and wearing a wig means having to put up with sweat saturating the hairpiece and rolling into you’re your eyes. To counter these difficulties Pliszka used to place panty liners under the wigs to catch the perspiration. Realizing that this was not a particularly dignified approach she set out to design a product that would do the same job as the hygiene product, but would also be something that wig wearers would approve of and use.

The end result is a product called Headline It, and it is a lightweight and disposable liner that can be worn inside any wig, hat, cap, or helmet, to catch the sweat that would otherwise saturate the object and roll into and burn your eyes. Each liner can hold up to four times its weight in sweat, while evaporating on a continuous basis, keeping the wearer’s head cool in the summer and warm in the winter. The back layer traps sweat, oils, and odors, thereby protecting the wig or hat. It is a favorite of sports stars and was used in the 2008 Beijing Olympics by Australian and USA equestrians.

Design and Development

Pliszka began to tinker around with design ideas in 2001 and folded a synthetic car chamois into various shapes, and glued the final conformation to the inside of her wig. It worked a treat, but she wanted a more hi-tech material to confer more benefits to the wearer. It took three years to get the design patent and she founded a company, Pliszka’s Adventures LLC to market the product.

Then a stroke of luck, the makers of American Inventor heard about her invention and she was selected as a finalist in 2006, and for two and half months enjoyed access to top scientists who helped her to find a material that is breathable and lightweight, and does not irritate scalps. She then found a manufacturer in China, designed the logo herself and attended to all the other additional details including: coming up with the ideal shape of the liner, finding an adhesive that wouldn’t ruin the cap or wig, demonstrating to the manufacturer how she wanted the product folded and packaged, and sourcing materials.

During this time Pliszka also wrote two children’s books, featuring her sphinx hairless cats Bella and Gizmo. They reach out to children who have differences.

Ready for Market

The next step was to test the product on firemen, cancer patients, and people with alopecia. They all said they loved it, and would buy the liners if they were available.

Eventually Pliszka had a finished product and Headline It was launched on her own website in 2007. She had ploughed $350,000 of her own money to produce the first 500,000 liners. Fortunately, they were big sellers from day one. Her initial target market was the medical field, namely hospitals and cancer centers. For cancer patients the headliner is a money saver because they don’t have to replace their wigs as frequently.

In 2008 the active version of Headline It was launched, with the product being able to slip comfortably under headwear worn by the military and firemen. The revolutionary liner is available through Pliszka’s own website and she has major accounts with amongst others, QVC London, Valero Energy Corp., Alliance Energy, Pepsico and the U.S. Marine Corps, and distribution takes in seven countries.

Headline It is a home-based business and family enterprise, although there is a distribution center, and more than 30 manufacturing and catalog representatives. Pliszka’s dad is the CFO, and her mother is a silent partner. The product is selling well, but Pliszka insists that her main motivation is not money - what drives her forward is the ability to be able to help people, particularly those who may be looked at a little differently by the rest of society.

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