The wigs of yesteryear are not the wigs of today.
See: thestatement-making lace-frontsroutinely worn by celebrities like Megan Thee Stallion,Cardi B, and Saweetie.
All these advances didn’t happen on their own.
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And some of them are the folks behind the units we see on the trendsetting stars mentioned above.
Quite a few of the hairstylists behind your favorite celebritywigsjust so happen to be Black men.
We highlight five of these hairstylists and learn about how they started their careers.
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In 2015, he dropped out and entered cosmetology school.
He decided that was set styling.
But as wigs became more popular, he started to experiment with them more often.
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Then frontals, which cover the entire perimeter of the hairline, started to become the rage.
He did his first lace frontal install in 2012, which he admits was “horrible.”
He didn’t touch another one until 2015, after persistent requests from his friends.
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He credits his time at the salon as a major turning point for his growth as a stylist.
His skill has won him the devotion of his celebrity clients likeSZA,Ari Lennox, and Summer Walker.
His one piece of advice: don’t quit.
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Instead, he continued on his own path to become the hairstylist we celebrate today.
The Chicago-bred stylist initially thought he was going to become a background singer.
Though he had a slight interest in hair, it wasn’t something he thought of pursuing professionally.
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On his first day of school, he realized hairstyling was his calling.
“It’s been magic ever since.”
It wasn’t entirely smooth sailing he took every course twice before graduating from cosmetology school.
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During that time, he spent some nights sleeping in cars and on couches.
Eventually, he landed a gig working with Nene Leakes and later on the showLove and Hip Hopin 2011.
She introduced him to the world of extravagant lace wigs with a $10,000 handmade, custom lace unit.
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Working with those customized wigs eventually gave him the necessary experience and knowledge to handle other types of units.
He also works a lot with curly and kinky units in addition to straight and wavy textures.
Each was installed by Wallace and his team.
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“I want [hair] to just look effortless.
I love just underdone and I-just-woke-up-this-way [hair],” he says.
“I feel like at this point in my life God has you where he wants you to be.
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She would braid the girls' hair and then they would go to him for a sew-in install.
As he studied music in college, he continued styling hair as a side hustle.
It soon became more than just a side gig.
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He realized that that hairstyling was actually his calling.
In 2015, he dropped out of college and went to cosmetology school to get his license.
He’s known for installing incredible wigs with natural-looking baby hairs and not a hint of lace in sight.
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Much of Spence’s work draws inspiration from decades past.
Some of these polls have even led to tutorials showcasing how to create the look.
He chose to start with fragrance instead of hair-care because he wanted to do something different.
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Though he’s launched with fragrance, he says there’s definitely more in store for his brand.
He’s “ready to tackle the door down” and continue to push boundaries in the industry.
It was then that he knew hairstyling would be more than just a hobby for him.
He caught her eye and a few days later he got the chance to work with the star.
Dorsey even gave the Harlem-raised performer her choppy pixie cut.
She just understands what it means to be a superstar,” he says.
For the album, Solange released a few music videos that showcased multiple gorgeous styles with textured hair.
It was practically the length of a wedding veil, gloriously frizzy, and ethereal.
He didn’t think hairstyling was a viable way to pay bills.
She was experiencing hair loss after undergoing chemotherapy treatments, so he searched YouTube for wig-making how-tos.
This business eventually made him enough money to move to Los Angeles.
She just so happened to be rapperSaweetie.
Reality TV was amazing, but I knew it wasn’t the best," he says.
“I wanted my work to not just be seen in that light.
And he achieved just that.
