As the creator of lots of fashion week’s best hairstyles, hairstylist Lacy Redway has built her profession from the ground up. Her multi-textured approach to hair care has landed her on the lists of celebrities including Alicia Keys and Serena Williams. Plus, she’s done hair for almost every magazine you’ll be able to consider.

Before all this success, the Jamaican-born stylist was her first client. “My mother asked a family friend to relax my hair because it would make it easier for us to style,” but the kitchen table treatment led to destruction when her hair began to fall out. “I had to learn how to style it quickly,” she says. “I continued practicing on myself and then on my doll’s hair.” Then, at the age of 11, she began taking up real clients.

From Allen Iverson braids to creative hairstyles (think: Moesha), Redway began charging $5 to $10 throughout middle and highschool, unknowingly launching her profession. When she was in college, she remembers: “the last woman I worked for in the salon did photo shoots, and that’s how I came up with the idea of ​​doing hair on set,” she says. She then began constructing her portfolio, which resulted in her assistants performing with such hairstyle masters Guido Palau, Eugene Souleimanand other industry-leading names.

Back then, the ability to create textured hair behind the scenes was a bonus in New York. “I was a monopoly because there weren’t many stylists behind the scenes who could specialize,” she says. But she didn’t know she had “made it” until she began working on the album cover along with her first big star, Jill Scott. “It was a really proud moment for me to not only get the opportunity and impress her in that way, but also create something like that [sculptural] hairpiece.” Since then, her repute amongst clients starting from Tracee Ellis Ross to Tessa Thompson has called her a “stylist to the stars.”

Her current favorite products

“Scalp care is de facto necessary. I actually have used many Shea Moisture products designed for textured hair. I exploit them Scalp moisture a line that actually moisturizes the hair. I like it too Coconut and hibiscus line [for] edge control during awards season and fashion week.

Her favorite styles to make

“I love really classic, romantic finishes that I do during awards season. I think hairstyles from the 1920s and 1960s are shapes that I really enjoy recreating. I also love creating styles that you don’t traditionally see in spaces like this.”

Her top hair health tip

“Scalp care is really important, especially because a lot of us with textured hair use a cocktail of products, so we prep a lot of different things. I think that if you want to properly moisturize your hair, you should use clarifying shampoos that will remove the accumulated product from your hair. I also believe that protecting your hair at night – whether it’s a silk scarf, a bonnet or a silk pillowcase – is key to not stripping your hair of its natural oils and causing it to dry out further.”

A hair myth I need to debunk

“Once upon a time, Black women and Black people thought that we must always not wash our hair in any respect, but only wash together. I feel this is unquestionably a myth that we must always debunk. If your pores are clogged with product build-up because you have not shampooed, you will not get the hair growth you wish.

There can be a myth that braiding and weaving, when you do it, will break your hair. I consider that anything done incorrectly can damage your hair. It’s only a matter of learning how you can care properly.”

What she learned from her clients

“I have been truly blessed in my career. They taught me how to also be a better businesswoman, be strong in what I believe in, and not conform to things I don’t believe in. I saw how hard they worked. I just watch them do their thing [dreams] it inspired me.”

How he lifts the spirits of his clients

“It’s different for everybody, but I feel it’s just my spirit and my smile that actually lifts them up. I attempt to think positively and I’m funny. Many people do not know this about me. I feel by just telling them, beyond saying, “Girl, protect your hair at night,” I tell them how amazing they’re and remind them of that. Being in the public eye will be difficult at times because there are so many various opinions about who people think you might be. I just try to maintain them positive, uplift them and just tell them how amazing they’re.