Najah Aziz is the owner of Like The River The Salon in Atlanta. Her dedication to professionalism and innovation has changed the hair industry and inspired hairstylists all over the country. Aziz opened her hair salon 12 years ago as a haven for beautification and pampering with exceptional customer service. She possessed a commitment to enhancing the industry one stylist at a time through her example. Through her seminars, she would addressed growing concerns about how hairdressers and salons function. Aziz also founded “Beauty Beyond The Hair,” a series of sessions and workshops designed to inspire stylists to implement technical practices that elevate the profession to new heights.
We spoke with her on “Mirror to Mirror” about her journey to success.
What was the inspiration for the “Beauty Beyond The Hair” educational series?
I think it’s important to bring professionalism into the hair industry. I specialize in trendy short haircuts and styles and I am known for my cuts and styling trends. So the Beauty Beyond The Hair educational series for stylists allows me an opportunity to teach cutting and signature styling techniques and business acumen within the salon.
What inspired the famous Kelly haircut?
I have a client that I’ve had for many years named Kelly that is full of energy and life. She wanted to grow her hair out, but she wanted to keep her sides low like a Mohawk. She always comes to me with many ideas about how she wants her hair. I always listen to my clients, and being a creative, we executed this nontraditional haircut. Later, we posted a picture of it and it went viral. A lot of people were asking what was the name of the cut and I could only name it after her, the Kelly cut. We made a Kelly cut challenge and contest because we were inundated with emails and calls to the salon about this cut that went viral. During this pandemic, we have had over 300 people on the waiting list just to get the Kelly cut.
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