Episode 16: “Intentional Styling” with Danielle Pitts and Tahira Willis

Hair, Hair Everywhere, by Danielle Pitts.

Sitting in the hair stylist chair is a therapy session. After years of sitting in the chair at Total Beauty Salon (formerly Salon Dae), co-host Katie knows the back story of at least two of the stylists there: Danielle Pitts and Tahira Willis. Danielle is the former owner of Salon Dae. She recently sold the salon to one of her stylists (but still rents a booth to service her guests), after deciding to invest her time into her new child and family after sending her older twins to college, and publishing her children’s book, Hair Hair Everywhere, that celebrates muli-cultural hair with a high Black presence. Meanwhile, Tahira always styled hair, but held different jobs, including at daycares and at Walmart. And yet, she always styled hair and did lashes. Having been identified and encouraged by her friends, Tahira was pushed and pulled into her styling profession. “We bullied you into it,” Danielle laughed. Tahira and Danielle explain how they put themselves into this profession, once the seed was planted in each of them. “Sometimes characters build, and strength is recognized through being pushed to a certain limit. It was all out of love.”

This podcast episode is done from the chair, and even in the rinse sink.