It’s nothing like the smell of edge control, oil sheen, and witnessing Marcel irons inches away from burning your ear. The Black girl’s salon experience remains a nostalgic moment as well as the creatives who perfect our strands. These Black beauticians share their communal pursuits and influences while dominating the hair care industry.
Table of contents
The Everlasting Journey
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Celebrity hairstylist Justin Turner’s interest in hair started as a toddler. The 24-year-old misunderstood the importance of haircare until he reached his teens. He tried a variety of styles on his friend (who became his first client) and got “better and better.” Turner garnered a mass social media following for his bodacious, layered blowouts and pin curls. The “Justin’s Revenge” salon owner found his niche in perfecting silky, natural tresses, and extensions. Turner’s blending techniques and adoration for healthy hair skyrocketed his business. Turner says his admirers mistook his extensions for natural hair. The stylist emphasizes healthy hair is the key to any style.
“I take my time to make sure that I’m doing my best to keep my clients hair healthy and protected,” he confesses.
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Kiara Elery started doing hair in her late teens after a failed attempt to become a respiratory therapist. Elery grew up in the hair industry—raised by a bloodline of cosmetologists and found her willfulness in her aunt, Laura Bedenfield. Elery hesitated to transition into the family business but found her passion in serving women.
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Toni-Ann Malcolm insists she’s more than a beautician; she’s a creative. The 25-year-old editorial hair expert despised hairdressers who failed at perfecting her tresses. Malcolm negated being a stereotypical hairstylist until she found editorial styles liberating. Now, the artist designs sculpted hair looks for Netflix, Nike, Mac Cosmetics, Harpers Bazaar, and Supreme while selling raw bundles and educating prospective cosmetologists. “Hair, to me, is a unique tool. It plays a huge part in many lives. It is not just something decorative but a meaningful source,” she says.
Malcolm uses her clients as canvases, giving her more “creative freedom” to “display her masterpieces.” The U.K. native relishes in hair art and makes her prototypes shine through the camera. She uses historical storytelling to paint a picture through the lens of hair.
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For seven years, self-proclaimed Broward hairstylist Brittney Thompson divulged in the cosmetic space as a makeup artist. Shortly after, Thompson expanded her knowledge in the beauty industry by becoming a licensed esthetician. Following the pandemic, Thompson graduated from Paul Mitchell and opened her suite two years ago. Thompson’s husband supported her during her revamp, signifying Black love as a testament to accomplishing one’s goals. Though Thompson fell out of love with makeup, she felt South Floridians lacked natural hairstylists.
“I love everything about hair care and natural hair plus there isn’t a lot of us in the South Florida area. Contrary to popular belief, natural hair is very versatile,” she says.
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Hairstory’s stylist, Jennifer Covington-Bowers, did not have a linear relationship with the hair industry. Originally, she was interested in fashion but lacked support from her family. She enrolled in law school, but motherhood interrupted her studies, and the hair magnate left to focus on beauty school. Like Malcolm, Covington-Bowers is an editorial hairstylist who started as a colorist. She “craved” more of an avant-garde career path since she loved high fashion. The runway hair connoisseur assisted other hairstylists by impacting her profession.
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Like her counterparts, Inecia Sneed started doing hair as a teenager. She became immersed in beauty when she spent quality time at the salon getting her hair done. The “Changin Faces” salon owner practiced roller sets on her grandmother, then quickly perfected her craft when she enrolled in the Dudley Beauty College and received her cosmetology license, which hatched an entrepreneur reigning the Chicago beauty scene for over two decades. Sneed explains her craftiness is coveted by God. She decorates unique hairdos for women daily.
Muses and Inspirations
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Vidal Sassoon’s technique impacted Elery’s urge to perfect a master cut. She watched his styling tapes while mimicking his skillfulness. Elery prides the matriarchs and patriarchs in her family for inspiring her to become a hairstylist. Her mother showcased her talent in hair styling by persuading a young Elery to follow in her footsteps. Elery commends her aunt, Bedenfield, for pouring her life into her craft. “We’ve been working together for the last 16-17 years. We have a bond that’s so breakable. We were in the ropes and trenches together. We’re more like sisters,” she says.
The 70s were a pivotal and visionary moment for Black hair, for which Turner drew inspiration from his brand. Also, Turner prides himself as a Beyonce fan. He treasures the megastar and mogul. The 70s were a pivotal and visionary moment for Black hair, for which Turner drew inspiration from his brand. Also, Turner prides himself as a Beyonce fan. He treasures the megastar and mogul for her artistry and diligence. “That sounds cliche to some, but she inspires me to work hard with whatever I put out into the world— to keep learning, growing, and teaching,” he says.
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Thompson applauds actress, writer, and producer Issa Rae, for staying authentic and modeling her natural hairstyles. Also, she adores global hairstylist Pekela Riley for her “artistic” catalog centering on natural hair and texturized extensions.
Malcolm connects with major game-changers in the hair industry. She cherishes hairstylist and ID magazine’s senior beauty editor, Jawara Wauchope. “We think the same, I think & I love that. I hope to work with him & assist,” Malcolm says after complimenting his craft.
Sneed became a student in the hair industry from her friend Angie Middleton. She gave tips on monetizing her work and increasing notoriety in the salon business. Despite being a veteran in the hair industry, Sneed supports younger social media hair artists like Razor Chic, Tokyo Stylez, and Arrogant Tae—who inspired her to partake in hair trends. She took a class with Tokyo Stylez (real name) to become more business savvy.
Unique Style Techniques
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Elery’s “biggest flex” is coloring natural hair with “dimensional color.” Elery enriches the beauties in her chair by tailoring their coifs with structure and precision. She analyzes her client’s head shape and skin complexion to decipher if the style compliments their vibe. She applauds Farouk System’s haircare lines for its innovative products.
Like Elery, Turner considers his client’s face shape when cutting precise layers. He compliments his precise “layer placement” as unique and “individualized” to every customer.
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Malcolm uses historical storytelling to paint a picture through the lens of hair.
“It’s like a Van Gogh painting—people might see something else but the artist created that piece based [on] a pivotal point in his career.
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Sneed advocates for shorter hairstyles and has been rocking them since grade school. She received compliments from strangers, which led her to tackle pixie cuts. “People always wanted to look like me. ‘Do my hair like yours.’ So I’m like, okay, let me try to do their hair like mine—which would always wind up being a short haircut,” she says.
Life-Changing Hair Moments
Every year, Elery teaches cosmetology at Mooseheart Academy—a school designed for underprivileged children. Even though Elery feels like an amateurish mentor, she inspires young people to excel in the hair business.
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Turner’s cutting skills were derived from Chicago stylist, Chris Curse. The mentor and muse, Curse shaped Turner’s approach to snipping Black women’s natural coils without altering their density and length—while giving his clients a chic and effortless layered do.
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Covington-Bowers dreamt of working in Couture Fashion Week in Paris. Though she didn’t have traction, she applied to agencies hoping they would highlight her work. To her dismay, the hair prophetess was released from the shows on the flight to Paris. When she arrived, she got an email inviting her to assist in the Valentino Couture show with Guido Palau as the lead stylist.
“It was the year that the legendary MUA Pat McGrath did the petal eyelashes, and it was magical,” she says.
Like her fellow hair educators above, Malcolm found a friend who changed her idea to pursue her dreams. Her colleague, Shemiah Gold, persuaded Malcolm to assist her on set. Since Malcolm treated hairstyling as a side job she was reluctant to complete the job, but she “never looked back.” Malcolm says Gold holds a special place in her heart.
The Next Big Plan
In the next five years, Elery hopes to open a sister property to Simply Amazin Hair Creations. She wants to expand the family business in her name while “executing” haircut styles.
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Turner’s community is the women whom he services in his chair. His next move is providing his clientele with a hair accessory line named ENGE. The innovation behind Turner’s new brand offers hair accessories that “elevate hairstyles.” “I want accessories that are as common as a go-to handbag,” he says.
Image Source: @toniannmalcolmhair
Instead of reaching celebrity status, Malcolm manifests a community of junior stylists fascinated with hair. The hair phenomenon wishes to reach prospects globally. Also, Malcolm says she desires an extension line, mentorship program, ebooks, and virtual classes.
Sneed serves her people in various forms. She’s been a licensed practical nurse for under a decade, hoping to run a med spa in a few years. She wants to duplicate her beauty experience for aesthetical and clerical purposes.
The Legends’ Legacies
Sneed takes pride in feeling loved for her services. While Turner’s legacy intersects versatility, attentiveness, and professionalism, Elery entails being the best “version” of herself while beautifying women. “I want women to continue to love themselves. Putting smiles on people’s faces makes me feel really good,” she says. Covington-Bowers strives to impact future stylists with determination, tenacity, and the ability to quiet negative opinions on hair artistry.
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“I want to keep living my dreams, not my fears, and continue going into creative spaces that I didn’t think it was possible to for me to go,” she says. These hair giants heightened their status through their expertise in the hair care sector. Since Lover’s Day is approaching, show these sweet and sensual updos to your beautician for date night or a fun girl’s outing.
