Rodrick Samuels on The Silent Work, Modern Beauty Education and Why Empathy Wins
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by Anne Moratto
Curly Case Studies: Helping Women Transition
Key Martin Key Essentials Hair Studio, Atlanta, Ga.
by Katie Georgas
September 1, 20112 min to read
Key Martin executes a Big Chop—when a woman going natural cuts off her relaxed hair—at Fro Fashion Week.
Key Martin
Key Essentials Hair Studio, Atlanta, Ga.
Background: Studied under a natural hair specialist for two and a half years and attended numerous workshops on the subject.
After successfully transitioning herself from relaxed to natural hair a decade ago, Martin made it her mission to help other women who are tired of their over-processed hair, but don’t know how to transition. “I wanted to find a way to have them maintain and have healthy hair,” says Martin. “With the right platform and marketing more women are able to receive great information that can help transition their hair from chemically straight to totally natural.”
How She Markets Herself: Martin is a regular at natural hair events. At Fro Fashion Week earlier this year in Atlanta, she did a Big Chop—a term used when a woman goes natural, cuts off all of her relaxed hair—in front of several hundred people.
Recently, she hosted her first workshop, called “Key Essentials to Healthy Hair Care,” and she plans to make it a semi-annual event. “We talked about what to do with natural hair, what different styles you can use to deal with heat,” she explained. Martin also set up a Facebook page and a website, where fans can vote on the location of her next workshop.
Martin says business has been on a steady incline because of the huge market for stylists who understand how to help women transition correctly.
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