Meet Denise Castillo | Creator of Thermal Vibes Patented Washable Heat Cap

We had the good fortune of connecting with Denise Castillo and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Denise, what role has risk played in your life or career?
I’ve learned that risk-taking is a must if you want to grow. Playing it safely takes you nowhere. I didn’t always think this way. As a young adult, I was always cautious with my decision-making. Always make decisions based on what was normal and accepted. Life to me meant going to school, getting a day job, marrying, and having kids. That’s how I was raised and never thought of doing anything outside of that routine.

It’s true when they say that life doesn’t start until you’re 40. It was not until that age that I started to move away from making decisions based on what is acceptable. I became more self-aware of my actions and decided to think outside of the box.

I stopped making decisions based on what society defined as acceptable. Growing up I was taught that textured hair was bad hair. Only straight hair was acceptable. I didn’t know what my natural hair was like until I stopped relaxing it. It was not until my 40s when I decided to go natural. I big chopped my hair, not caring of the opinions of others. Pursuing my natural hair journey was very liberating and empowered me to accept myself the way god created me.

During this process is where I decided to start my small business. I saw a need behind a product that I consistently used during my natural curly hair journey. It was a deep conditioning heat cap. However, there was a drawback. The cap was not washable. I was using the microwaveable cap on a weekly basis to deep condition. But, after months of usage I disliked the fact that it was getting dirty and spot cleaning did not work for me.

I decided to take the risk and create my own washable version. I purchased a sewing machine, bought some fabric materials, sewing supplies and started to work. I had no idea of how I was going to accomplish this! I’ve never sewed in my life. But my mom is a retired seamstress and I watched her sew so many times that I kept telling myself, “how hard can it be”?

My first few caps did not look good. They were looking like toaster covers. No kidding. But I did not give up. I kept trying, not allowing myself to give up. A lot of wasted fabric later, I had my first prototype. And it was perfect to me. I made the deep conditioning heat cap with a removable flaxseed pouch, allowing for the cover to be washed.

I started my business Thermal Vibes on April 2019, and submitted for a provisional patent. This locked in my idea for a year until I was ready to pursue the utility patent.

On April of 2020 I submitted for the utility patent and May of 2022 the patent was granted.

Life is all about taking risks. Without risk, you’re not truly living. You’re just going through the motion waiting on your check out date. Life for me did not begin until I started taking risks and making decisions based on what would make me happy and not what made others happy.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Being a small business owner is not easy and I’m not where I want to be. I still have a full time job to do. By day I’m a licensed broker at a major financial firm. I love what I do, and love the firm I work for. But there is nothing more fulfilling than having your own business. Especially one where the product is made with love by your own hands.

I love that my product is empowering women to accept their waves, curls, and coiled textures. It’s a product made for all hair types and my message is that all hair types are beautiful. There is no such thing and good hair or bad hair. There is only damaged or healthy hair.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Having a full time job and a side business can be exhausting. To relax with family and friends I always opt for a beach.

South Beach will always be my favorite beach! But living in Orlando, I always head to Daytona beach.

Strolls at Daytona boardwalk are always fun. There are many restaurants to choose from.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to give a big shout out to my sister Jenny Castillo. She has been the biggest supporter through my entire process. We don’t live in the same State, but she never hesitated to jump on a call with me and provide feedback on my ideas and product. She’s even my number one customer. She never asked me to give her my product for free, although I offered multiple times. She was always insisting to pay at full price. She has bought several caps from me and I know deep down my heart that it was not because she needed them. She has been very supportive of my ideas from day one. There were times when I wanted to give up on the idea because my prototype was not coming out as I imagined. But she kept me motivated to keep trying and had more faith in me than I had in myself. So thank you Jenny. Thank you for believing in me and my dream! I love you!!!

Website: Thermalvibes.com

Instagram: Instagram.com/thermalvibes

Facebook: Facebook.com/thermalvibes