5 Inspiring Beauty Educators

Photo credit (left to right): Ted gibson, tippi shorter, nyma tang, NaeemaH LaFond, Edward Enninful

Stylist Imari Reed (above) - view stylist profile

When it comes to inclusivity, the beauty industry has a lot of work to do. The changes needed are vast, from the lack of representation in executive positions at beauty companies to the limited education, products, and awareness of textured and natural hair. Our team has a wide range of skills and knowledge of different hair textures, but there’s always room for growth as any great hairdresser knows. Here at Parlor, we’ve listened and engaged in the overdue conversations that our industry is finally waking up to, but there’s still more work to be done. One resource we want to share is the #pulluporshutup campaign started by Sharon Chuter, which is a customer-led call-to-action for corporations to publicly publish their employment records. This campaign is working to hold companies accountable when diversifying their leadership teams. Over the past eight years, Aveda, our partner beauty company and hair educator, has made a concerted effort to expand their textured hair education programs and for every master class they offer, we make sure to take advantage.

Imari Reed is a skilled, texture-fluent stylist at Parlor and she believes that education is key to positive change, both on an industry level and on a stylist level. She explains that a stylist has the ability to rewrite the relationship a client has with their own hair, self-image, and confidence, and for folks with textured hair, that guidance can be difficult to find. Reeds explains her personal experience, “I grew up getting relaxers as a kid because it was easier for my mom to do my hair when it was straight. So for most of my life I never even knew what my natural texture looked like. Fast forward to my twenties, I finally made the decision to return natural and it was one of the best decisions of my hair life.”

Once Reed decided to embrace her natural hair, she faced a new challenge: learning how to manage and take care of her curls.

”It can be very discouraging to not know how to manage and care for the hair that grows out of your own head. All I had was YouTube and I was watching videos of girls with hair nothing like my texture wondering why nothing worked. I had to do my own research and learn my hair and now I wouldn't trade it for anything,” she says.

Reed is now sharing her knowledge of textured hair and beyond from the stylist chair and she hopes she can help others avoid the challenges she faced.

She says, “ One of my favorite things about being behind the chair is when I get a ‘young curly’ in my chair and I am able to show them that their hair is beautiful and how to style it. I didn't have that and its important to build people up and make them feel good about themselves, especially the younger ones.”

Education is essential and Reed hopes that no stylist will limit themself with boundaries or expectations.

”I am a textured artist but I am a hairdresser first. Hair is my passion. I've worked very hard on my craft for all textures, straight included. There shouldn't be a box.”

There are so many black beauty educators and leaders that have fought for representation within this industry and not only that, their talent is a source of inspiration and guidance for us as well. If haircare, makeup, wellness, and beauty is a space and source of energy for you and a part of your daily life, educating oneself on the inequality within those spaces is not only extremely important but imperative. This is not an all-encompassing list, but here are a few of the amazing beauty educators that continue to inspire us!

Tippi Shorter

Hairstyles by Shorter have graced the shoulders of countless celebrities. She was the Global Artistic Director For Textured Hair For Aveda and in 2019 she joined Mizani-Loreal Professional as their Global Artistic Director. Shorter’s Instagram is filled with stylist resources and on Mizani’s Facebook Page she publishes videos that are always a source of community, inspiration, and information. Watch her latest video on the beauty industry, here.

Ted Gibson

An inspiration and veteran celebrity stylist, Gibson is one of the industry’s best pushing creative limits. He’s styled icons such as Lupita Nyong'o, Bella Hadid, Angelina Jolie, and more. His editorial shoots are the perfect harmony between aspiration and wearability, the kind of hair that maybe (just maybe) we could all attempt in our bathroom at home. Not only that, he started his career as a product developer at Aveda! Learn more about him, here.

Nyma Tang

Beauty vlogger, Nyma Tang, is known for her Youtube channel and her popular series called, “The Darkest Shade.” Tang started the channel as a way to review and test the darkest shades of makeup on the market to show the need for more inclusive and wide ranging color spectrums. Her Youtube channel was started over three years ago and it now has over 1 million subscribers. You can read more about her, here, in this Allure article or follow her on Instagram.

Naeemah
LaFond

As the Global Artistic Director at amika, LaFond is a sought-after beauty educator and editorial stylist. She’s been at the forefront of the recent call-to-action for corporate transparency in the beauty sector, stating for Essence, “I believe that the first step lies in recognizing the disproportionate lack of access that black people have to opportunities in this industry which lead to systematic and economic inequalities.” Read more from her, here.

Edward Enninful

The insular world of fashion and print publication has a lot of room for growth when it comes to inclusivity, just like the beauty industry. British Vogue Editor-in-Chief, Enninful, is a leader using his voice to bring more black and diverse representation to one of the most revered publications in the world. Read more about his work and role, here.