Hair Biz Radio
Episode 26: Becoming a Curly Hair Expert with Soyini Thwaites
During the 24th episode of Hair Biz Radio, Zakiyrah and Mikey interview Soyini, owner of Salon Soy, curly hair expert, mother of three, business owner and salon owner.
Show Notes:
– Soyini’s background:
– When she was getting ready to go to school, her mom pushed her in the direction of cosmetology school.
– She was thankful that her mother recognized her gift.
– What was your experience in cosmetology school?
– She started wearing her hair curly back then, before it was popular.
– The focus was taking curly hair and making it straight.
– It’s a different time, people are embracing their curly hair.
– What was the change that allowed women to embrace their curls?
– In the 70’s women wore curly hair, then they felt they needed to conform for the workplace.
– Women got fed up with hiding their natural hair and damaging it.
– The products have changed and gotten better.
– The mainstream probably didn’t know that many people of color have curly hair.
– It’s less about ethnicity and more about the texture of the hair.
– Talk to us about some of the techniques that you picked up outside of cosmetology school.
– That’s mostly everything.
– Cosmetology taught her theory, basic hair theory.
– When she got into the salon she got product knowledge, cuts, colors, etc.
– She’s worked in all kinds of salons, multi-cultural.
– How did your experience prepare you for owning your own salon?
– It prepared her for dealing with different clientele.
– She can cut anyone’s hair.
– You can’t just watch YouTube, you need to go to cosmetology school.
– Use YouTube for inspiration.
– What was the transition like going from someone else’s salon to building your own?
– She started in 2008 when the market was crashing.
– She took away a lot of policy, commission vs. booth rent.
– She wanted consistency across the board.
– She wanted the clients to have the same experience across the board.
– Times have changed, a lot of people want ownership of their time, setting their own hours.
– What was your reasoning behind closing down the salon and doing the suite?
– The stress, the salon used to be her second home.
– How do you keep balance when you have kids and a business?
– Exercise
– Write out your schedule and delegate work.
– Get other people on-board to help you.
– You can’t do anything without your health.
– She’s at the Salon Lofts in Decatur
– What do you tell a client who doesn’t know how to manage her curl pattern?
– You have to find out what that means to her, will she only wear her hair curly or go back and forth?
– She doesn’t subscribe to the different curl texture pattern labeling.
– What are some of your favorite products for someone who wants to embrace their curls?
– She asks what the goal is with their hair, what do you see in your head?
– Each day your curls are going to change.
– She prefers to use water-based products – mousses and foams.
– What about curl training?
– Heat changes your curl structure.
– You should probably stay away from heat, use certain techniques and products.
– You should give a product 3-6 months for your hair to acclimate.
– What styles do you love?
– Working with different fashion colors, neons.
– She doesn’t push people to keep their natural hair if they don’t want to.
– What advice do you give to people who want to start their own salon?
– Take your time, do your research.
– You can’t do everything.
– Find her @salonsoy
3 Key Points
– Natural styles have changed because partially because hair products have greatly improved.
– Most techniques are learned outside of cosmetology school, but school is still necessary.
– You can’t do everything yourself, build your salon army.
Tweetable Quotes
– “Stop trying to take everyone as a stylist, niche yourself out.”
– “There may never be a balance, something’s going to shift.”
– “I don’t push people to keep their natural hair if they don’t want to.”
Resources Mentioned
Salon Soy Website
Headspace App – meditation app
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