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SEARCHOuidad, pioneering curl expert and owner of Ouidad Salons, talks about her relationship with her own textured, curly hair.
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OUIDAD
Pioneering curl expert and educator; owner of Ouidad Salon and founder of Ouidad products.
What type of texture do you have? Describe your hair.
“I have a combination of tight and loose curls. When I was younger, my hair was so thick that if I ran my hands through it, I would lose any rings I had on my fingers!”
How did you feel about your hair growing up and how has that changed since you became in the beauty industry?
“I grew up in Beirut, Lebanon where everyone has beautiful curly hair of all shapes and sizes and color. It was the norm! When I came to the United States, people would make fun of my sister’s and my curls and no one knew how to work with curls or how to handle them.
“This motivated me to be the pioneer of the curly hair industry by establishing the first salon dedicated to curly hair and creating the first product line specifically for curls. Since I started my curly hair crusade 25 years ago, the curly hair segment has grown tremendously and a lot more attention is paid to it.”
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What do you think are the most interesting developments in the world of texture today?
“Today texture is celebrated—it’s big, it’s beautiful, it’s sexy. It has a language of its own and it’s sought after in all aspects of fashion, beauty and design.”
What type of products/tools, and what amount of time do you spend on your hair on “curly” days and on “straight” days?
“What’s a `straight’ day? I only have one kind of day with my hair - CURLY! It takes 5 minutes to do my hair, and it lasts for two to three days. I use a range of my Ouidad products and my Double Detangler, both as a comb and as a styling tool for my hair. The sky’s the limit with my Double Detangler—it gives me the opportunity to create any type of curl or wave pattern.”
Any other comments/observations on curly/textured hair?
“I believe textured/curly hair is regal and the most beautiful hair in the world. It has so much dimension and plays up the features of its owner.”
More curly profiles:
 alison-curly145 |  kevin-murphy-current145 |  ouidad-current145 |  lorraine-massey2-145 |
 decosta-current145 |  ouidad-current |  ouidad-kid |
*This article is related to the Texture! Guide. Click here to return to Texture!
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