Hair Gurus on the Come Up
Social media has opened a lot of eyes to the movers and shakers in the beauty industry.
It has enabled us to take looks behind the scenes of our favorite celebrities' lives. And it has also allowed us to step into the realms of our favorite celeb’s glam squad.
This day in age, hairstylists, make up artists, and wig slayers have become household names. The ones that stand out have been able to capitalize on their skills and personality. They have built massive followings by teaching the not so rich and the hardly famous how to look like a million bucks.
Here are five hair gurus that you should be on the lookout for in 2018. They will help you pull your look together with one hairstyle, be it a wig, weave, or your natural length.
#1 Natasha B. (IG @naturallytash)
Coming in at number one of the hair gurus is Natasha B or Queen of Temporary Hair Colors. She has taken the internet by storm with her colorful curly fro!
The hair color enthusiast has created a cult following of 87.7k IG followers who have grown with her over her four-year journey of hair paint! Natasha began coloring her hair with Beyond The Zone Hair Chalk. But tired of the process after having to use the same colors and products repeatedly.
She then started experiments with hair shadowing, a technique that involves using eyeshadows to color hair temporarily. She eventually began to create a DIY temporary hair color with the use of Wet 'n Wild eyeshadows and a cream base!
Those of us with dark hair know the struggle! To dye your hair anything other than black or dark brown you have to lift by bleaching. This can permanently damage your hair to get it to take any color.
Then, after all of that work, you are always found crossing your fingers, praying that the color is permanent. I mean, no one wants to go through that process again!
That is until Natasha created Crown Paint, her very own line of temporary hair colors that can be applied to the hair and is then washed out or refreshed within 3 to 5 days!
Natasha is a hair color guru to watch because she has managed to innovate the color game by creating a product that caters to a consumer base that does not want to color their hair permanently.
Her hues of purple, blue, orange, and peach enable every to partake in the Crayola color trend!
#2 Alonzo Arnold (IG @iamalonzoarnold)
Second of the hair gurus are Alonzo Arnold. He is a Georgia native and the ultimate wig guru.
Hailing from the Eastside of Atlanta, the youngest bounced around from job to job in the restaurant industry until bit by the hairstyling bug in 2013. Alonzo started doing hair after being fired from a TGIFriday’s for eating Oreos on the clock!
That unexpected turn of events led to him becoming a full-time mobile stylist. Although Alonzo began his journey into the hair industry through pressing hair with the flat irons he bought from Amazon; he managed to work his way out of the mobile styling business into a salon.
From there he built a considerable following by perfecting his craft, studying other stylists to master the art of the sew-in install, and creating his brand, HYPE hair.
Today his career boasts the work of custom units for the likes of Cardi B, Tamar Braxton, Remy Ma, and many more.
Arnold is known by his followers on IG for his flawless wig application, amazing curls created by his custom flat iron, and colorful personality.
He can be seen wearing one of his wigs to give us the full effect while rapping the latest Nicki Minaj verse. I've also seen him serving face and providing his followers with virtual whiplash as he poses in one of his 40" units.
He creates funny and relatable content to engage his listeners all with a cup of McDonald's sweet tea in his hand.
#3 Felicia Leatherwood (IG @lovingyourhair)
Third of the hair gurus is Felicia Leatherwood. She is the natural hairstylist responsible for giving Issa Rae’s hair life on her critically acclaimed series, Insecure.
Felicia has been in the hair industry for over 20 years and is considered the go-to for all of the natural girls in the business! What a lot of people may not know, is that Ms.Leatherwood did not start off as a celebrity stylist.
She started off working as the only natural hairstylist at the celebrity-based salon: Millenium Salon in L.A. With clients like Anthony Anderson and Hill Harper, the industry veteran would sometimes travel with the celeb clients that needed her services.
However, after the death of two co-workers who went down in the Aaliyah plane crash, Felicia was pushed into a place of discomfort.
No longer wanting to be in the physical space that reminded her of loss she took on the role of celebrity stylist full time and embraced a life of travel without the comforts of a salon home.
Ms. Leatherwood is also the creator of the Felicia Leatherwood Detangling Brush. This brush is a godsend! Cheaper than its counterpart, the Denman Brush, this brush boasts a design with moveable teeth!
The teeth help to glide through your curls because they can move with the pattern of your curls. It helps to eliminate any breakage that can come with working through course textures.
Only a natural hair guru would understand how important that is to the ladies in the natural hair community! I have one of Leatherwood’s brushes, and I can say with confidence that it cuts my detangling time in half. This guru has definitely changed the natural hair game!
#4 Cliff Vmir (IG @cliffvmir)
Fourth of the hair gurus are Cliff Vmir. Cliff is known for being one of the youngest celebrity hairstylists to launch their hair and product line.
In fact, the hair care entrepreneur owned his first hair salon in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania by the age of 19! Cliff’s story is so intriguing because he knew he had a love for doing hair by the age of 2.
The phenom began doing his Barbies hair before graduating to doing the hair of his family members at the age of 14.
With clients ranging from Jazmine Sullivan and Tiffany Pollard aka New York, Cliff has also made a huge splash in the Atlanta hair circuit.
He opened his second shop in “the peach state” and continues to grow his IG following of over 665k followers. He uses his platform to show installations, closures, braids, and makeup applications. And even links with local boutiques to showcase their products next to his more established brand.
Many of Cliff’s customers are drawn to his brand because his product line contains a silkening mist. It not only makes the hair shiny but also strengthens and protects the customer's natural hair as well.
By revising and revisiting his work with a chemist, Cliff has been able to cater to the healthy hair trend with this product. He successfully pairs it with trendy styles that capture a larger audience pool and turns his social engagement into dollars.
#5 Ursula Stephen (IG @ursulastephen)
Ursula Stephen is the creator of “The Rihanna Bob." As previously mentioned in my other posts, a catalyst for my recreation of that very same hairstyle numerous times.
However, it was not just me that was in love with the asymmetrical cut. In fact, so many people recreated that look that it became a trend. That is what Ursula Stephen is, a trendsetter.
She not only does the hair of multi-platinum artists but for the average person who can make it to her salon in Fort Greene, Brooklyn.
Ursula is someone to look out for because she is one of the first black stylists to speak about race in the hair industry. The seasoned stylist came on the scene letting everyone know that she could do white and black hair, very well.
Stephen made it clear that other stylists had to step it up and learn how to do all hair types as well. Stephen’s existence threatened a lot of stylists when she first came on the scene. She crippled the excuse that many stylists used to ignore the need for diversity in the glam room.
Even now, Ursula allows her clients to know that both types of hair get dry so they both need to be moisturized.
Maybe they have to be moisturized differently, but hair care is essential for both clients. And she knows how to take care of the hair on both of those clients.
What Hair Gurus Inspires You?
Social media has proven that when you can find your niche and master your craft, the possibilities are endless.
The styling techniques involved in revolutionizing coloring, wigs, weaves, natural hair, and cutting hair have never changed. In fact, the gurus featured found strength in focusing on the basics of those techniques before becoming innovators in their field and capturing our attention.
What do you love about the gurus we’ve featured? Leave a comment below and tell us why you’ll be watching them!
