I've posted about the Curly Hair Artistry group before,as they are a collective of dedicated, passionate curly hair stylists over the globe that learn from each other about cutting techniques, styling and products.
Their updated website is a fabulous resource for finding a CHA stylist near you. I've had my hair cut by several of them and have always loved it. And, many of them carry Jessiurl! :)
Hey curlies!
It's that time of year again. :) We know from your feedback that you love Jessicurl products (and we thank you!), and we'd love if you'd tell the world through NaturallyCurly.com's annual Best Of The Best awards. It's like the curly hair Oscars and we've been thrilled and honored to win in various catagories every year since the awards were created.
The best part for you is that everyone who completes the survey is entered to win a collection of ALL of the winning products! Not a bad deal, eh? :)
You can fill out the survey here.
Please note that in order for your entry to qualify, the specific product must be listed. For instance, "Jessicurl Hair Cleansing Cream" rather than simply "Jessicurl."
Thank you in advance for taking the time to tell the world how much you love Jessicurl! Have a curly day!
Jess
It was bound to happen, but somehow I didn’t really see it coming. I was just carrying on, working, living, laughing, and then one day: BAM. A Facebook notification that included words like “invited to” and “20 year high school reunion.”
Wait, huh? Did my Facebook get hacked? Surely this can’t be directed at me. I’m not old enough for such nonsense.
Then I did the math. Oh. Um. Yeah. I guess it all adds up.
I wasn’t immediately certain I’d go. My perception was always that people go to those things to re-connect with old friends or to prove how awesome they’re doing now. The former isn’t much of an issue now in the social media age, and the latter really didn’t interest me. That might come as a surprise to some of you.
“But Jess!”, you might be thinking. “You’re always telling us how the teasing and taunting about your hair is what prompted you to start Jessicurl! Didn’t you want to go show them that you’re not Mushroom Head anymore?!”
I guess my answer is, not really. Yes, those experiences are a large part of the Jessicurl creation story, but it’s been 20 years. Isn’t it time to get over high school?
Ultimately the largest draw for going was that I’d get to spend time with my BFF Betsy. We don’t see each other nearly enough (she’s a big-time lawyer living in D.C.) and I’m not one for passing up the chance to spend time with my Sistah Friend. :)
If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you’ll know this is not the first time I’ve mentioned Curl Master (official title) Scott Musgrave.
Scott is a stylist and curl-enthusiast based in Cary, NC. I featured him in on this blog last year when he began carrying Jessicurl.
He is also founder of the Curly Hair Artistry group and as such as helped inspire and inform curly hair stylists around the world.
In short, Scott is THE MAN when it comes to caring for and appreciating curls.
So you can bet I was SUPER excited when I found myself booking a trip to North Carolina last month. I was there for the Curls Around The World event and just knew I had to finally meet Scott in person, and most importantly, get one of his famous haircuts. :) I had been “saving” a badly-needed trim for this occasion so he really had his work cut out for him. (I hadn’t had a trim since February, as I knew I’d be seeing Scott and wanted it to get as long as possible.)
I had THE best time meeting Scott, chatting with him about all things curly hair and watching the care he took with trimming my hair. But really, I can explain it, or I can just post a bunch of pictures to show you. :) On to the pictures!
I first met Dianne Nola a few years ago after she called to ask some questions about Jessicurl. On a trip to San Francisco I went to meet her in person and I swear, I thought our combined energy was going to cause a brown-out. :) She is abundantly friendly, upbeat, positive and just lifts the spirits of anyone around her. A year or so later I had her cut my hair, so I can vouch that she’s also talented with a pair of scissors! :) I’m pleased to feature her today on my blog. If you’re in or near San Francisco, you won’t be disappointed by your time with Dianne. :)
How long have you been in business?
I've been professionally doing hair since 1988. I've owned my own business for the past 20 years.
Where are you located?
Inside a small salon called, Surreal You Hair Design. It's located a block south of Golden Gate Park in the Inner Sunset district of San Francisco, CA. The way to reach me is through my web site: www.nolastudio.com and phone: 415.786.6402.
What made you go into the hair business?
Actually, I had just graduated from college and was working at a camp. I was cutting the counselors hair for $5 a head and thought, "Hey, I can do THIS for a living!" There were a lot of ads in the newspapers for hair stylists, not musicians (what I was) so I thought it was a smart move to go to beauty school. I had cut hair since grammar school and it was always fun!
Kelly Elaine Anker is a passionate curly hair stylist based in Pittsburgh, PA. I haven't yet had the pleasure of meeting her yet but as you can see in the interview and pictures below, she is a master at what she does. Thanks for letting me feature you on my blog, Kelly!
How long have you been in business?
16 Years as of December 1,2013. I bought the salon when I was 26.
What made you go into the hair business?
I went to college for a couple of years then I told my Mom I didn’t like the school I planned on transferring to and she yelled “Well you aren’t going to stay home and sit on the couch!” As if I had done that. I had been working at neighbors and babysitting since I had been 14 and got my driver’s license when I was 16 and have never stopped working like lots of people. So I said “Well I guess I’ll get my hair license. I always wanted to get that too.” 2 weeks later I started cosmetology school.
If you specialize in curly hair, what made you adopt that focus?
I ALWAYS loved and wanted curly hair since I was a kid. Curly hair fascinates me, perfectly imperfect. It speaks to me.
What changes have you seen in relation to curly hair in the last 10 years?
Hey Curlies,
Many web users are concerned about the OpenSSL security bug that was recently announced on sources like the LA times, Slate & NPR's Morning Edition.
This is a serious issue, and affected nearly all secure connections on the web. We want our customers to know that we have updated our systems to protect against this issue, and that the core eCommerce functions on our site never used the vulnerable OpenSSL library at the heart of this problem. You can be confident your transactions on our site are safe & were not vulnerable to heartbleed.
Feel free to ask us any questions you have,
Jess
I have fantastic news for our patient, wonderful fantastic European customers!!! :-)
We’re very excited to let you know that our newest product, Spiralicious Styling Gel, officially launches in Europe today!
As you know, Spiralicious is a firmer hold styling gel that has been very strongly requested by Jessicurl customers and works really well for all types of curls. It has been embraced by our customers since its launch late last year and has quickly become our single top selling item.
For more info about it, check out my original blog post here.
We have let our European wholesale accounts know that they can order Spiralicious from us now and of course you are also welcome and able to order it directly from us here.
I know it’s been difficult for our European customers to wait for Spiralicious to get certified in the E.U. over the last several months while we’ve gone on and on about how great it is (OMG it’s so great!!), so I’m stoked that now everybody on the planet can finally get their hands on some. :-)
I wanted to make you all aware about a recent decision we made regarding the availability of Jessicurl products in the U.S.A. As you all know we are sold around the world through salons, beauty supply stores, many websites, distributors, as well as some natural food stores.
In fact, my hometown natural foods store Nature Select Foods in St. Helena, California was the first retail store to carry my products… and they still carry us :) Even with all that, one of the most common requests we receive from our customers is to open a retail store near them, in their hometown.
You all like buying from us directly and online, but you also want the option of finding us in your favorite salon or retail store nearby. We have been careful in trying to be fair to our existing retail outlets and also to all our customers when making Jessicurl available in new places.
We have been purposeful when walking that line between taking care of all of you: our salons, consumers, websites, etc. Sometimes those two goals can rub up against each other. If Jessicurl is available everywhere, it may be difficult for our favorite salon to support it. We get that. On the other hand, if it’s available everywhere, our customers really like that. We get that too.
I've really been enjoying doing this series of interviews featuring curly hair stylists that use and love Jessicurl products. :) After so many years (ok, fine... decades) of bad haircuts, it so refreshing to see that there are a growing number of stylists as passionate about curly hair as we are! :) No more running and hiding after a hair cut! Wheeee!!! :)
Krista Leavitt is one of these passionate stylists who focuses exclusively on curly hair. Read her interview here and check out some of the amazing pictures of her clients. She is truly talented at what she does and I'd let her cut my hair any day. :-)
Update December 15, 2014: Krista has moved to Barrie, Ontario since this intervew was pubslished. Her phone number is the same (613-661-8881) and appointments can be booked through her website, www.LoveYourCurls.ca
How long have you been in business?
I have been a licensed stylist for 11 years, but in business for myself since March of 2013.
Where are you located?
Trenton, Ontario, Canada which is 2 hours east of Toronto. (Krista has moved to Barrie, Ontario since this intervew was pubslished. Her phone number is the same (613-661-8881) and appointments can be booked through her website, www.LoveYourCurls.ca)
What made you go into the hair business?
