Check Out Shelby Kwaad’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Shelby Kwaad.

Hi Shelby, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Honestly, growing up, I’ve always shown interest in the beauty industry, but I never thought about doing it for a living! My grandmother and mother did hair so I’ve always been around it. I originally was super interested in the medical field and I was an RMA for three years. One day I just got super bored and wanted to be more creative. It wasn’t until I met my boyfriend, who is a tattoo artist; seeing how he makes people happy about their appearance or just do something so meaningful to someone. Seeing his client’s reactions is what made me push more towards beauty; I wanted to give others that same feeling in a different way.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
It definitely was not the easiest to start for sure! Getting right out of school, a lot of people say you need to assist and all these extras. Some assistant positions don’t even allow you to assist unless you assisted before. Going from salon to salon to just get denied, it definitely was a hard process. It took me about a month and a half to two months to actually find a salon. Even getting into a salon doesn’t guarantee you’re going to be booked right away! Advertising yourself is definitely more of a challenge than you’d actually think!

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’ve always found an interest in blonding for sure! I’ve been a blonde for as long as I can remember. I always have a blonde client trying to explain to me what they like and don’t like but can’t quit find the words to explain it. Being a blonde definitely helps me know what they want because I’ve been there!

I also love men’s cuts and being edgy! In school, I was always doing different designs in my friend’s hair and just trying to learn new things! Since doing hair, I kind of geek out. Leaving the salon, I go home and watch videos on different techniques or different styles and just try to learn more!

I’m definitely most proud of the confidence I have gain in doing hair! Everyone is always terrified at first on doing anything, but having motivation from my mom, boyfriend and my amazing role models Allie Mathews and Erica Webb. They definitely give me a confidence booster and I’m able to look at things and not only see something as a whole but see it in each individual steps to achieve it!

So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
Confidence and honesty. Obviously, you don’t want to go into something and hope for the best. But if you haven’t done something, but you know your stuff, you’ve been trained on it, you repeat it over and over in your head… GO FOR IT!

If you’re not 100% comfortable with something, talk to your clients. Get to understand exactly what they want and if you don’t think something is the best, voice your concerns and express why! Of course, clients have a desired look or something they want, but they come to you for a reason, so have confidence in yourself!

Contact Info:

• Email: Shelbykwaadcosmo@gmail.com
• Instagram: Instagram.com/skwaadglam