Today we’d like to introduce you to Darrius Peace.
Darrius, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
“Boys don’t do hair,” was the statement that influenced me to suppress my interest in hairstyling. I was around seven years old when I was verbally scolded for plaiting my aunt’s hair. It wasn’t until I left home for college that I allowed my intrigue with hair to resurface. The freedom of being on my own inspired me to grow my hair and unknowingly innovate a new approach to afro-textured hairstyling.
While pursuing my undergraduate degree, I decided to simultaneously enroll in the nearest beauty college to learn how to properly treat and style hair. During this time, I quickly discovered that there was very little focus on afro hair care that did not involve chemical straightening. After receiving my bachelor’s degree as well as completing the beauty school program, I decided to embark on a journey in the hair care industry. This is where the magic began.
Observing a major difference in the hair and scalp conditions of those who chose not to wear relaxers helped me to make the decision to exclusively focus on virgin afro hair and become Darrius Peace, Your Natural Hair Expert. During these last 20 years, I have diversified my career into becoming a 4x published author, international speaker, entrepreneur and licensed hair care instructor. My grounding in the beauty industry has allowed me to pivot towards success in many different areas.
Has it been a smooth road?
Though we’ve experienced our share of bumps down the road, the good far exceeds the bad. Our main challenges are due to a lack of education and curriculum around Afro-textured styling. Since Afro texture hair styling isn’t a part of many stylist’s foundations, it’s less of a priority even though the general consumer market has left the relaxer industry high and dry. Nevertheless, we have sustained the leading luxury natural hair care salon in the state of Alabama and our signature method of styling is highly sought after and has been taught worldwide.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Hayah Beauty story. Tell us more about the business.
Hayah Beauty is a luxury, natural hair care salon located in the heart of downtown Birmingham, AL. We offer a multitude of style options that cater to the modern and progressive woman. Our progress style options include a sophisticated showcasing of defined coils and curls that keep you moving forward in every area of your life, professionally, socially and even romantically.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
Considering all the changes bought on due to COVID-19 and mandates from the CDC, the industry will see a heightened standard of care and cleanliness. Also, the stigma of stylists being late or running behind will shift as stylists are only servicing one client at a time. The industry will not be the same, and that’s a good thing because stylist straight out of school will have a higher standard of service they are expected to provide. I’m excited about the future of the haircare industry!
Contact Info:
- Address: 2207 3rd Ave N
Birmingham, AL 35203 - Website: hayahbeauty.com
- Phone: 205-703-8022
- Email: hello@hayahbeauty.com
- Instagram: @hayahbeauty
- Facebook: Hayah Beauty
Image Credit:
J&M Photography and Design
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