Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Charlie Curtis. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Charlie, appreciate you joining us today. Was there a defining moment in your professional career? A moment that changed the trajectory of your career?
When I started working in a salon I didn’t think of myself as a hair stylist. People began seeing that I embodied what it took to be a successful stylist, and I was the last one to realize the same. It was a guy that worked there that thought I should go to beauty school, not my mom or anyone close to me. He saw that I was doing the job but wasn’t seriously considering myself doing hair as a career. He put that bug in my hair and I signed up for beauty school. I kept working and continued to improve my skills, and it changed my life.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My start to working in a salon started out as punishment, actually. I didn’t want to school so I had to sweep the shop for an entire summer when I was 15 years old, and I never left.
I think the craziest thing that I forget sometimes is that you really do change people’s lives. To me it’s just what I do so I don’t always realize the impact until I see a client cry. As a curly hair specialist, it’s just the service I do, but to a client it is often so much more. It’s their appearance, their self-esteem, or often having them experience the potential of their curls for the first time in their lives. Is is really amazing to me that I get to show someone that’s maybe older than me, or in a completely different field how to do their hair. I have experienced working with astronauts and executives, along with many other amazing professionals how to care for their curls. It’s rewarding on multiple levels.
When I meet people for the first time, there’s a bit of a shock value that I do what I do. I don’t necessarily “look” like what they might consider a curly hair specialist. I don’t have curly hair myself, but I understand how to work with it, care for it, and cut/style it. What sets me apart is the dry hair cut. If your stylist isn’t cutting your curl hair dry you should jump out of their chair immediately. What additionally sets me apart is the clients education I pass along to my clients in order to take care of their curls, hair, and scalp extremely well.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
I was once stabbed, got it mended, and went into work that same day.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
I spent years working at a salon, and then went to school. Because I did it in that order, I was able to recognize why curly hair people were getting bad hair cuts. What was being taught in training is not the proper way to cut and maintain curly hair. Many hair dressers are good, but they are taught from day one the improper way to approach curly hair.
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