Every now and then a new product comes along and changes your life. DrieyesTM will be one of those products for many Australian families. If your kids love the bath but hate the hair washing part, DrieyesTM is the answer! It keeps the water and suds off your child’s face. No more tears, delay tactics or tantrums!
DrieyesTM was invented by an Aussie dad who was sick of the hair-washing drama. He knew there had to be a better way. DrieyesTM has been made with both kids and parents in mind.
We chatted with the creator, Rod Cassar:
B&L: Tell us how the Drieyes works...
Rod: Drieyes is a hair washing aid that allows your child to sit up in the bath or stand in the shower and keep water out of their eyes. Your child holds their Drieyes ensuring that they are in control; they can watch the water cascade over the top of the Drieyes or even shut their eyes.
Your chil can have their head upright or tilt it forward, they do not have to have their head backwards. In this upright position the shape of the ears naturally protect the ear canal from water entering.
Have you noticed in the shower that you rarely get water in your ears, unless you move your head to the side? I soon discovered as the adult, having two hands free, I was able to wash and rinse my children’s hair more quickly and easily than ever before.
This was a bonus for both my children and I. Drieyes is held along the brow line and down the face, it is not a visor.
B&L: What inspired your invention?
Rod: The challenges started during 2005 when our younger son Ainslie had grommets inserted. Previously he had washed his hair lying back in the bath, of course, a definite no with grommets.
He progressed to sitting up which created another challenge, water over his face. It wasn’t until 2007 with the start of swimming lessons and more hair washing opportunities that something had to change!
As you can imagine hair washing night always prompted Ainslie to use delay tactics, bribery from me and then tantrums from him. I tried to stop the water getting to his eyes using a face washer and my hands. I would also get Ainslie to tilt his head backward while I rinsed. No matter what I tried it was always a struggle.
After one too many hair washing sessions packed with saga, I had to find a better way to do this and Drieyes was created. When you realise that washing the dishes is a more exciting task, you know its time to do something different!
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B&L: How did you come up with the name?
Rod: We had to come with a name for our new idea. We all sat down and tried to think up names to call it. I wanted a name that you could relate to, a name that describes what the product does and could be a bit of fun.
We kept coming back to “it’s a device to keep you eyes dry when washing your hair, what do we call it?”
Names like “Wash and Dry” just didn’t quite work. “What about Dry eyes” I said. We played around with the spelling, the boys thought Drieyes was cool and so Drieyes it became. When we came up with Drieyes I knew I had to make the handles in an eyeball shape. Everyone I have shown loves the design and just wanted to pick it up and try it on. They can not believe that it even fits adults.
B&L: What is your background, do you have previous experience in design and manufacturing?
Rod: I never really considered myself as an inventor and had no previous experience in industrial design or plastic injection moulding. I have an engineering and production management background, which has helped with some of the initial design and overall project management aspects.
There were so many steps to getting the product to a commercial reality I knew I had to get help in the areas I had little or no experience in. I have learnt so much in; packaging design, intellectual property protection, web and online development, sales and marketing and especially the customers. It is the interaction with customers that continues to give me the most joy and satisfaction.
B&L: Was it a long process getting the idea from your head to an actual product?
Rod: The seeds were sown during 2005 when my younger son Ainslie had Grommets put in his ears. From then on hair washing was always a tricky task. However it wasn’t until 2007 when swimming lessons started with Ainslie, creating more hair washing opportunities that something had to change!
The concept developed using cardboard and a washer, through to sheet metal and sponge. 2008 saw a working prototype tested by friends (they did suggest that the sheet metal and sponge had to be improved, however, they loved the idea) along with patent searches, finding an industrial designer, logo design, tooling design and applying to the New Inventors.
The show was filmed in the October and shown on the ABC on the 11th February 2009 – the launch of Drieyes as a product on the market! During the next twelve months Drieyes has started to appear in retail shops across Australia, we have exported to Mothercare in the UK as well as to a South African company. Drieyes is still in its infancy and is growing as more people are finding out about it.
B&L: What do your children think of your product?
Rod: Our boys, now aged 11 and 8, have been using Drieyes in various forms for a few years now.
We have a collection in the bathroom (much to a friends 5 year old daughters delight!). Our older boy uses it in the shower by himself, to ensure no shampoo gets in his eyes, and our younger boy still has his hair washed in the bath by dad.
We went away for a week last year and forgot to take it – well, you should have heard the hullabaloo! They love to swim in the sea and a pool, dunk their heads in the bath, but when the shampoo comes out so does our Drieyes.
B&L: Did you get a good response from appearing on The New Inventor's (ABC)?
Rod: The New Inventors was a great showcase for Drieyes, and we still get comments that people saw it there. We were able to have the website online just before the show went to air. I was rapt with the response from the show.
There were people wanting to buy my idea straight away. How cool is that! The whole New Inventors experience was a great confidence boost for me. The New Inventors was a fantastic experience with lots of other things happening as a result of going on the show. In fact the show was repeated recently on the ABC generating a new wave of interest.
B&L: Do you have any advice for those with a great idea who are looking to create a product?
Rod: Have a go – you never know if it will work if you don’t try. Take your time, do your research, talk to people, refine it and make the big decision to go ahead or not. Definitely apply to shows like the ABC New Inventors. I thought that the development stage was most difficult, until I reached this marketing/business stage.
I underestimated the challenges associated with getting the product to market as a small business with a limited marketing budget. Experiences such as the New Inventors are a great way to show your idea to a lot of different people in a short space of time.
Even with a great product, it takes time for people to become aware that the product is available. Knowing all of that now would I still have had a go – short answer yes! Drieyes continues to be a great experience.
B&L: What is your favourite activity you do with your kids?
Rod: Simply spending time with them, they’re boys, so I try to be active with them, bike rides, footy, swimming, as well as quiet reading before bed – that is incredibly special to us all.
B&L: What does being a dad mean to you?
Rod: Best job in the world!
DrieyesTM is so great the only difficult decision will be choosing a colour from the fabulously bright range; blue, green, orange, pink or yellow.
The Australian made DrieyesTM is currently available online from www.drieyes.com.au for $24.95 plus $4.95 P&H.
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