“Beautifying the world, one head at a time” is Kim Kimble’s motto. And this is what she is precisely doing. An expert in beauty, an entrepreneur, and a celebrity hairstylist, Kim’s work with Beyoncé, Kerry Washington, Nicki Minaj, Oprah, Taraji P. Henson, Tyra Banks, and Zendaya is truly inspiring. Her own Hair Empire includes salons, hair extensions, hair care products, and a television show. So, where exactly did it all begin?

In Los Angeles in 1995, when the Southside Chicago native turned California transplant opened her first salon, Phaze II. The two-time Emmy-nominated stylist is currently the head of the hair department for HBO’s Euphoria. She has also worked on projects, including Beyoncé’s “Black is King”, “Lemonade”, and the Adidas x IVY Park campaigns, A Wrinkle in Time, and numerous fashion editorials featuring Nicki Minaj including an ELLE Magazine shoot by Karl Lagerfeld and a Harper’s Bazaar Cover. Her first industry exposure was through the 1997 movie B.A.P.S., which subsequently led her to work on Moesha and The Jamie Foxx Show. In the 88-minute interview, we talked about her family’s influence, how she perfected her craft, the hairstyles some of our favorite women gravitate to, the struggle with starting her own haircare brand, and her biggest hair ick.

When was the first time you realized you wanted to work in the beauty industry?

Growing up, I didn’t know what I wanted to be. I initially considered becoming a nurse, but I spent a lot of time watching my mother do her hair, and when people asked me if I wanted to be a hairdresser like her when I was younger, I would say, “Yeah, maybe.” When I turned 16, I decided to follow in my mother’s and grandmother’s footsteps. After some time, I realized I was too squeamish to be a nurse.

Do you believe that successful beauty professionals are born with this ability, or can it be developed and refined?

It could be either. God gives people gifts, but “faith without works is dead” means you need to hone those skills and keep working at them. So, you must identify your interests and passions. For example, you can say that you want to be a hairstylist, and it’s great if you have some talent. However, you need to work at it and do it often. I don’t think you just get out of bed as a master of your craft.

I participated in hair shows and spent a decent amount of money taking numerous classes to learn because I knew I wanted to prepare myself for something greater. I didn’t know what it was, but the word here is preparation. Stay ready, so you don’t have to get ready. Being in my mother’s hair salon helped me learn from her and others, so I witnessed different skill sets.

How do you feel about the respect you receive from people in Hollywood, Middle America, and the South?

It is an honor and a blessing. Honestly, I feel so blessed because I had a tough upbringing as a child. Fortunately, my grandmother took me to church and instilled several qualities in me: God always being one of them. He has blessed me and placed me in a lovely position, but for a different reason. I am not where I am in life merely for the sake of being regarded; it’s to help others feel inspired. When I moved to Los Angeles, I had nothing; almost no one knew who I was. I didn’t start out in a fabulous establishment. I was in some little salon on Crenshaw, where I spent countless hours honing my craft until an opportunity with Robert Townsend and his 1997 film B.A.P.S. that starred Halle Berry and Natalie Desselle-Reid came my way. They were looking for someone who could create fantasy type hair and I had the portfolio to show that I could.

How frequently do you push your stylistic abilities to their limits? I’m asking because nobody discusses the process of success or failure.

Constantly! I live for a challenge. I’m on set for a job right now; as we’re talking, that is a challenge for me. Within the last week, I accomplished almost the impossible, and I thrive in it. Why? I couldn’t tell you, and I don’t know why I do this to myself so frequently, but it’s what I enjoy. Although I have owned several businesses and salons in the past, starting a hair care brand is, without a doubt, one of the most difficult things I have ever done. Nothing has ever put me in tears as much as trying to launch a product line and run the brand at the same time.

Failure? I can’t say I look at it through the lens that most others do because I have failed. I understood why the brand did poorly in a few other stores, and I had to learn from that. Guess what? I’m currently back in those stores. Failure motivates me even more because it presents an opportunity to learn. I hate failing, but I’ve always been determined to win.

Entertain us a bit. What kind of hairstyles does Beyoncé prefer? What about Taraji P. Henson, Angela Bassett, and Sanaa Lathan?

Beyoncé and I have created and tried countless ideas. My first job working with her was on the 2001 movie “Carmen: A Hip Hopera,” which launched my career to new heights, thanks to Robert Townsend and his producer, Loretha C. Jones. After that, Beyonce hired me to be her hairstylist for “Austin Powers in Goldmember” and we’ve worked together for 20 years at this point. She loves the concept of “sexy bedroom hair.” She also doesn’t like that it looks too perfect; that’s her thing. Because she performs so frequently, it needs to be movable, and so does the drama. Taraji has a flair for variety, so her haircuts range from classic to edgy. Angela Bassett can wear anything. She will switch between short, long, big, and straight. Sanaa’s aesthetic is natural glamour; she has such beautiful hair. It’s just enhancing what she has.

What is the biggest pressure or demand when it comes to working with celebrity hair?

Simply put, staying relevant. It’s critical. I constantly experiment with new ideas, keep my ears to the ground, and follow fashion shows to see what’s trending or being reimagined. Celebrities want to stay ahead of the curve by introducing or reintroducing something new to the masses, and it is part of my job as a beautician to innovate. Forecasting is now easier because of social media and its instantaneous access to people worldwide. You hope that your clients are open and willing to try new things because we won’t know if it will work or stick with the public without testing it out.

My Aunt Bernadette Porter is a beautician in Bradenton, FL. I grew up going to her hair salon, whether she was looking after me for the day or If I were drugged there with my mother. What is the hair salon for women?

Oh my God! It is a plethora of things. I’ll speak specifically about my salon. The women would be in there for the entire day, so comfort was one of our top priorities. It was an experience; we ordered food and had private rooms with televisions. It’s where we women get together. We love to talk and discuss current events or whatever we saw last night on television.

What’s your ick when it comes to hair?

I hope I don’t upset anyone, but I don’t like it when women show up with dirty hair. Something about having hair that hasn’t been washed in months bothers me. Although I recognize that managing our hair can be challenging at times, it’s unhealthy and can lead to premature balding, which is why I advocate so much for shampooing your hair.

On Twitter, the case of “losing recipes” is frequently brought up. It can be applied to several topics, but I frequently hear women complain about the lack of skill, excessive pricing, and lack of professionalism. How do you feel about that?

What’s going on out here is terrible! Particularly from what I’ve heard, it’s awful. During the pandemic, I closed my salon, and I must admit before that it was difficult to find employees with the appropriate work ethic who could perform to my standards. I’m considering opening a new salon but dealing with some of today’s younger stylists takes a lot of work. If I’m being honest, I’m concerned because I don’t like some of their new habits. For example, the new thing now is you must come with your hair already washed because they aren’t going to wash it for you, and that’s so sad because getting your hair shampooed is literally a part of the experience.

This new generation would benefit from more education, but the question is whether they want it. This does not mean there aren’t talented beauticians out here because there are, it’s just being overshadowed by nonsense.

I am intrigued by your decision to lead Euphoria’s hair department. Was it based on HBO, the show itself, or something else?

A couple reasons. I’ve worked with Zendaya solely for red carpet appearances and her album cover back when she was pursuing music. It was a familiar setting because I previously held the department head position for other films and television shows. After the show’s cult following entered my universe, I began watching it. I recognized I wanted to do more of that, especially since we were living through the pandemic, so my agent Daniella Milton introduced me to the HBO director for Euphoria. I assume the director might’ve known I had previously worked with Z, and Zendaya gave me a recommendation, which perhaps helped me get the job.

Lastly, I reached out to fellow beautician Toni Coleman and asked her, “What would you ask Kim?” Her question for you is how does a stylist become a brand? Plus your thoughts on “protective hairstyles.”

Knowing what your brand is and sticking with it, authenticity is always better. It’ll help you grow, and you can leverage it from there. The term “protective hairstyle” is a gimmick, but I’m not mad at it; I like a little remix even now and then, too, ha-ha. Wigs have been wigs for a long time as have braids and extensions. There are many ways to protect your hair, like using the proper techniques, products, and people to ensure your hair is intact and protected.

IG: @kimblehaircare

Twitter: @KimbleHairCare

Portrait by D’Andre Michael @DAndreMichael

Additional images courtesy of Kim Kimble; Nicki Minaj and Kim Kimble by ELLE Magazine.