Although bedhead is something of a scourge around the globe, the young males of Japan are particularly afflicted. In a culture where the morning shower is almost unanimously ignored in favor of evening baths, people with short hair especially are at the mercy of their pillows all night long.

However, one young engineer from America, Max Valverde may have developed a cure that the whole nation can use.  Marketed as Bedhead Buster (Neguse Basuta) in Japan this shower-cap looking invention is fast becoming a hit with the teenagers for being able to easily and effective rid them of uncontrollable hair.

Last year Mr. Valverde got his invention (then rather cheekily called Morning Head) well funded via Kickstarter and since has gotten calls from companies in 25 countries. In Japan it was picked up by Smart Life Institute in Yokohama City.

The invention was made to quickly and easily deal with bedhead in the morning. Showering is time and water consuming and splashing your hair in the sink not only isn’t very effective but gets your clothes and the mirror wet.

After releasing it by its new name on 19 April, it got featured on Osaka FM radio which resulted in Smart Life getting contacted by 50 major retailers in one day.

Bedhead Buster is simple to use. Just pour a glass of water into the cap which is lined with a polyurethane material that absorbs water at a high rate. This prevents the all of the mess that one gets by splashing water in the sink.

Then slip the cap over your head and rub for about five seconds. When you take off the cap your hair will have become moistened and manageable again. Afterwards you can dry out the cap by wringing it out, which can enable you to reuse it up to 30 times.

Although still very early on in its release, the Bedhead Buster is gaining traction among males 12 to 19, the people most afflicted by unruly morning hair. Word of mouth testimonials such as “I was repeatedly late because of the time it took to fix my bedhead, but now I can leave home early” have been turning more and more people onto it.

If there’s one downside to Bedhead Buster, it’s the 2,980 yen (US$30) price tag. With any affliction treatment can be costly and it seems bed head is no exception. However, for a very limited time, until 31 May, Bedhead Busters will be sold for half price.

Still, the company is very optimistic about Bedhead Buster and its popularity. They are planning to start up a Buster Corps fan club through social networks, and later develop an animation featuring the product’s mascot, which is clearly a pineapple and not a ghost so there’s no need to get Mr. Reitman involved.

Source: Neguse SOS via Nikkei Trendy (Japanese)
Video: YouTube – meikudream