Hey Curl Queens!
I’m Natalie, your natural hair expert & mentor, and founder of Shine Curl Studio.
My passion for curls sparked in 2017 when I had my first ever discovery of a product that was just for curly hair. This experience opened up a whole new world for me and for the first time in my life I felt like I had a place of belonging. Fast forward a few months and I would find myself working as a receptionist in a curly hair salon and eventually starting my apprenticeship to become a licensed hairstylist.
Throughout my years working in the salon space, I couldn’t help but notice the twofold epidemic happening in curly hair salons: unfair pricing and subpar education. Multiple customers being up-charged for reasons such as having thicker than average hair, not having their hair properly detangled or, in extreme cases, being charged extra without cause or explanation. Not only did this leave my clients confused and distraught, it quickly became a frustration for myself as a stylist to have to oblige and enforce these arbitrary pricing methods. It pained me to know I completely disagreed with the approach, but had no way of changing things working as an employee under higher-ups. My frustration was even more heightened when my awareness was brought to the chasm in our industry’s approach to educating our consumers. The attention to detail and cultivating an intimate professional-to-consumer relationship, in my eyes, was completely absent. We were always able to cover the basics of hair, but sadly never got down to a root issue of naturals not realizing their worth in a world that has its beauty standards all out of sorts.
After almost seven years of experience I am beyond grateful that my passion and love for curls led me to the beauty industry to work behind the chair. I believe wholeheartedly, however, that my true duty and calling is to be an advocate for naturals in the salon space and to blaze a trail that will allow us to walk in our truest identities as naturals. It became apparent to me that I could not accomplish this vast dream of mine by working under higher-ups anymore, so in 2023 I took the plunge to start my own business: Shine Curl Studio. Although this is very much a space for women and children to achieve and maintain healthy hair, it's core values run much deeper than that. Shine Curl Studio is the catalyst in which naturals are able to break free from the upside down beauty standards that have held us back for years. Not only will naturals discover the beauty of their hair and be able to partner with a trusted professional who has a pure and sincere motive, but they will experience the breakthrough of realizing their identity from the inside out.
I'm more excited than ever to be your Curl Expert, Mentor and Advocate. Follow me on my journey and let's leave a legacy behind together!
