“In The Chair With” spotlights the incredible hairstylists in our community who are giving us major inspiration. Each week, they discuss their personal hair and career journeys, what they’ve learned from their clients, and their top hair care tips.
Not being good at hair wasn’t an option for celebrity hairstylist Dee Michelle. “My mother got sick and was unable to do me and my sister’s hair,” she shares with ESSENCE. So, from the age of 8, she took the role of her family’s hairstylist—doing her and her sister’s hair before school every morning. And, turns out, she was a natural.
By 13 years old, she was assisting professionals in the salon, then went on to do hair in high school before going to beauty school for her license. Doing hair for over twenty years, she opened up her first salon, Dee Michelle: Private Salon Experience, in Brooklyn just a few years ago. Now, she’s known as the “Invisible K-Tips Queen,” leading in the industry with her very own K-tip technique as seen on celebrities like Keyshia Cole, Michelle Williams, and Serena Page.
“I was looking for another extension service to add to my menu that was more natural than the other styles that that I was doing,” Michelle says. “I started out doing the regular K-tips, then I just created the invisible K-Tip method from there.” Now, it’s the only service she offers. And it’s well worth the luxurious price tag. “It changed the whole trajectory of my life and my business.”
Below, Michelle sits down with ESSENCE about her top tips for healthy hair, favorite products, and more.
What She Loves Most About Hairstyling:
“When a client walks in, they might feel or look a certain way and then they leave more happy and confident. It’s really just the transformations that I love the most.”
Her Favorite Hairstyle:
“I only do invisible K- tips. I feel like I’ve mastered that, so I’m pretty good at it. I know what to expect and if I had to troubleshoot if anything goes wrong and I’m just always ready to go with it. I can just pretty much do it on any type, any hair type in any situation.”
Her Current Favorite Product:
“Pretty much everything from the amika hair collections. I really love all their products. I feel like they have something for everybody no matter what your hair condition is, what your hair type is. They have something for everybody in every situation. They have a great hair mask and great heat protection. [When doing K-tips] I use their hairspray a lot and they recently just came out with a like a hair perfume, so I use that a lot on all my clients and everyone loves it so much.”
Her Top Tip For Healthy Hair:
“If people want to get into K-tips, they should first master healthy hair care because all of your natural hair is left out so you have to know how to manage your natural hair and treat it properly and keep it healthy overall. The last thing we want to do is get these extensions, neglect your natural hair and then your hair is not thriving like it’s supposed to.
My top tip, for one, is to have a trusted stylist who knows what they’re doing and can help guide you through the process. We’re basically doctors for hair and scalp. That, and using professional products and just having a good hair care routine overall.”
What She’s Learned From Her Clients:
“The biggest thing that I’ve learned throughout my entire career is that people will pay for what they want. For instance, on social media, I get a lot of negative comments on my posts about my pricing and things like that and how it’s outrageous and whatnot, but I’ve learned that people are going to pay for what they want. And, if you’re showing the value, then charge your worth.”
How She Uplifts Her Clients:
“I have a lot of clients who come in and they hate their hair, but I feel all hair is just so beautiful. I try to uplift my clients with that and just reassure them that their hair is beautiful no matter what. They just have to learn how to take care of it. That’s all.”
The Deeper Meaning Behind Her Work:
It’s definitely very spiritual. I wouldn’t just let anybody in my hair if our spirits are not connecting on the same level. I’ve seen people who have hands who destroy everything and people who have hands that are growing and blessed hands. So to me, it’s a spiritual type of thing for sure.”