Ouidad: The Curl Experts

She came…she saw…she conquered!  Born and raised in Beirut, Lebanon, Ouidad came to New York and began doing hair and make-up for both Broadway and ad agencies.  Frustrated with the lack of skilled hair stylists and products specializing in curly hair, she saw an opportunity to fill a gap in the industry – a very wide gap, actually, since over 70% of men and women have curly or wavy hair.  In 1984, the tenacious and charismatic Queen of Curl, along with husband and business partner Peter Wise, opened the Ouidad Salon in New York City – the first salon ever for curly hair! Ouidad tells her story in an engaging video clip entitled “Who is Ouidad?”

“Curly hair is art. It’s beautiful.
It’s very sensual. It speaks.
A woman with curly hair has a great deal of energy.
So celebrate it! Enjoy it!
There’s nothing like curly hair!”
- Ouidad

Less is more. It’s been our mantra for as long as we have been a company. But what does it mean?

Shampoo less. We recommend shampooing at least every two to three days. The natural sebum from your scalp is very beneficial to the hair and imparts a natural sheen, but a healthy scalp grows healthy hair and so you must cleanse the scalp regularly to prevent clogged pores and unwanted odor.

Use less. A common misconception about styling gels goes like this… if a little is good to control frizz, more must be better. We recommend thoroughly coating your curls, section by section, with our “Rake and Shake” method for applying gels and styling your curls. But go lightly. Working section by section, it takes just a few extra rakes of the fingers to distribute less gel, more evenly. Shake and release. You’ll be rewarded with breathable, springy, touchable curls when your style is finished air drying.

Cut less. Most stylists will recommend that you return every 6 to 8 weeks to maintain your hair style. Ouidad believes that the proper technique for cutting curly hair is her trademark method “Carving and Slicing”. Admittedly, it is probably not the best name to mention to clients. For some people it evokes images of electric carving knives and Thanksgiving Turkeys. But when Ouidad first began teaching her method to other stylists, there was no official name for her method. The best way for her to describe the mechanics of the technique, from one stylist to another, was to invoke the visual image of carving and slicing the curls. The technique gained such notoriety, so quickly, that it became known by its classroom name.  A curly hair cut by a Ouidad certified stylist is a better value since it will grow out beautifully over the course of 12 weeks or so.

Order less and work less. We strive to make the care and styling of curly hair so easy and enjoyable that you’ll want to wear your hair curly every day, naturally. We have a variety of products in our line to address the needs of the all types of curls; from limp lifeless curls that crave more bounce and life – dry, parched curls that thirst for moisture and shine – to the tightest kinkiest curls, the most delicate of all, that require special handling. So even though you may see 20 or more products in our line, our goal is to keep your life simple and teach you easy techniques you can do yourself and supply you with just the few necessary basic products you need to help you maintain beautiful healthy curls you’ll love to show off.

Peter Wise, COO

It’s no surprise to us… Ouidad has become quite a hit on HSN (Home Shopping Network).  In fact, they have even built us a signature production set… a true sign that you are up and coming in the world of television. This is really an exciting experience for Ouidad, since we are able to deliver our “love your curls” philosophy to so many more people. And Ouidad loves the viewer call-in segments. So if you happen to catch her on HSN, please do call in and speak with her. She’d love to hear from you.

By the way, if you haven’t already checked out the behind the scene action and photos from our previous appearances at HSN, check out Ouidad’s Facebook page where you’ll find some interesting behind the scene photos and video of what goes on during a live TV production.

Each show brings new logistics challenges. I wish you could all be in our warehouse to get a sense of the buzz of activity and excitement that goes into preparing for every on-air performance. It’s a huge effort to pack all the special HSN product configurations and special on-air offers that will be available for 30 fleeting minutes. Virtual armies of friends of employees generously assisting us in our duties.

After the last of the pallets are loaded, and the trucks pull away, there is a sigh of relief and the huge pride of accomplishment at the end of a project completed. Why do we love it so… because we know that after each show, thousands more people will be well on the way to learning to love their curly hair.

Peter Wise, COO