An Interview With Candice Georgiadis
Stay unique & true to yourself. Remember just because it’s different doesn’t mean it’s wrong and just because you haven’t seen it done, it doesn’t mean it cannot work.
As a part of our series about “Five Things You Need To Know To Succeed In The Modern Beauty Industry”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Haiya Eliza of HERcurls.
Meet the heart behind HERcurls — Haiya Eliza, a Cuban-Bolivian gymnast-turned- hair stylist in Dallas, Texas, who transformed the discipline from her 15-year-long gymnastics career into her passion for hair. The idea of ‘HERcurls’ sprouted when a curlfriend was randomly appointed to Haiya, thanks to her own curly hair. Instead of straightening her beautiful curls, Haiya instinctively styled them in their natural form. That one decision led to a beaming customer and a viral video that made curlfriends in Dallas seek out Haiya for her unconventional hair-styling techniques.
7 years and millions of curls later, Haiya’s experience and self-taught knowledge of curly hair have transformed into a place where ALL types of hair are styled and cared for, be it textured, curly, straight, straightened, or wavy.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn a bit more about you. Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
Fate in the form of a curly-haired woman.
Seven years ago, right after finishing my assistant phase, a curly-haired woman came into the salon wanting a haircut. I had curly hair so they appointed her to me since none of my colleagues knew what to do with it. It’s important to note that not many hairdressers were dealing with curls and natural hair. Many weren’t even welcoming the learning processes of how to cut & style it. I was new and building my clientele so I welcomed the challenge. Something innately told me to cut her hair in its natural state (not straightened or wet) to shape & cut it properly. Little did I know she was a budding influencer on Youtube. One video post showcasing her new do & the rest is HERstory. I developed my very own self-taught technique and discovered it was a niche. I’m so excited to take part in the evolution of hair texture and be able to pass on my knowledge to each curlfriend.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
I would have to say my first curly-haired haircut was 7 years ago. My client posted her new do & it immediately went viral — talk about manifestation! Not only is this one of the most interesting things that have happened to me, but it is also where my journey truly began. It stands out most in my memory because it truly was a focal turning point for me and my career. It also showed me the influence that social media & content creators have.
Are you able to identify a “tipping point” in your career when you started to see success? Did you start doing anything different? Are there takeaways or lessons that others can learn from that?
I would say it was more of an opening of the floodgates than a tipping point and for that, I am very grateful. Within less than a year I started witnessing HERcurls transform from a community to a movement. I began challenging my curlfriends to make educated changes on how they treated their hair by making education a part of each service for each client. Every person that walks into my salon leaves with newfound knowledge on how to nourish and take care of their curls properly. The takeaway from all of this has been learning that doing what is best for your business and clients pays off — so do it, even if you haven’t seen it done before!
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person to whom you are grateful who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
I am extremely grateful to my mother who taught me to never give up on my dreams. I also want to give a shout-out to my life partner Sarah for her constant support. Lastly, everyone who has been involved in HERcurls throughout the years. They have all believed in me & I wouldn’t be here without all of them.
Ok super. Let’s now shift to the main part of our discussion. The global beauty industry today has grown to more than a half a trillion dollar business. Can you tell us about the innovations that you are bringing to the industry? How do you think that will help people?
I think the most innovative thing I’ve contributed to the industry is shining a light on the beauty of natural textures. We have witnessed many times where the industry has modified patterns rather than enhanced them. The constant innovation and pursuit of education is extremely important as well. We need to be disrupting myths and modifying older cycles that have been kept the same for decades. We are in an age where people should possess the knowledge of how to nourish their hair properly, this will then make natural hair, with any pattern easier to manage, style, embrace and love.
Can you share 3 things that most excite you about the modern beauty industry?
Creativity: As a form of self-expression!
Acceptance/Representation: These both go hand in hand for me, they fuel each other. They push the boundaries of traditional beauty standards we so often see.
Pushing Boundaries: New ideas & innovations will open up new horizons that contrast conventional beauty standards.
Can you share 3 things that most concern you about the industry? If you had the ability to implement 3 ways to improve the industry, what would you suggest?
Social Media as a whole, I know it can be so helpful in regards to showcasing talents & learning new things but it’s often filled with false information. A perfect example would be realistic, unfiltered photos vs. photoshopped images & filters galore.
Online misleading and sometimes dangerous information. Influencers are vlogging & blogging about their curl routines that might not be right for your hair type or are just plain unhelpful or unhealthy. I believe brands should be bringing on stylists to try out their products for review, especially since we have more education in product performance.
Education is key! Textured hair has been around for centuries but sadly there has been little to no education centered around it. Cosmetology schools have extremely little or more often than that, no education regarding maintaining & styling textured natural hair. Instead, their focus has been to go to press, straightening, or relaxing products. What improvement looks like to me is basic and intermediate education in cosmetology schools. I encourage any students interested in this career to make sure their apprenticeship is under a stylist who has great leadership, experience, and more importantly knowledge in their field of expertise.
You are an expert about beauty. Can you share a few ideas that anyone can use “to feel beautiful”?
Two things stand out first & foremost for me…
Education: Take the time to learn about your hair and what works best for it. Always remember quality over quantity.
Confidence: Embrace your hair, embrace your curls, and let ’em bounce!
Here is the main question for our discussion. Based on your experience and success, can you please share “Five Things You Need To Know To Succeed In The Modern Beauty Industry”? Please share a story or an example, for each.
Visualize your goal. Create and follow through on the steps you need to reach them.
Confidence in yourself & what you are capable of… trust your vision!
Work on your craft to expand and enhance your talents. Never stop learning!
Stay creative and original but stay open-minded to innovations — embrace them!
Stay unique & true to yourself. Remember just because it’s different doesn’t mean it’s wrong and just because you haven’t seen it done, it doesn’t mean it cannot work.
Know your worth. You are a unique, original masterpiece, stay true to that.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
Spread Love Daily! As for hair, Stop Texturism!
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“Speak into existence.”
Thoughts become words, words become actions, and actions become reality.
This is how I have been able to manifest my dreams, along with tons of hard work & dedication.
How can our readers follow you online?
Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok & Website below:
@hercurls.studio
@gethaiya
Thank you so much for joining us. This was very inspirational.
Haiya Eliza of HERcurls: Five Things You Need To Know To Succeed In The Modern Beauty Industry was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.