Celebrity Hair Stylist Tippi Shorter Launches Own Hair Care Line

There are three things on the checklist of every A-list starlet who’s getting camera ready: a show-stopping outfit, perfectly applied make-up, and, arguably most important, a flawless hairstyle as her crowning glory. For the past 15 years, Long Beach, CA, native Tippi Shorter has been a mainstay in the industry, delivering her signature “Big, sexy, healthy hair” to red carpet regulars and civilians alike. As the go-to girl for such celebrities as Beyoncé, Alicia Keys, and Rihanna, as well as being the first African American spokesperson for Pantene and Clairol, Shorter was able to parlay success into even more opportunity by recently launching her HAIR by Tippi Shorter product line, promising to deliver “Your best hair ever!”

Taking a quick break from taming Jennifer Hudson‘s tresses for an event, Shorter sat down with BlackEnterprise.com to talk about her rise to success, building celebrity clientele, and her new mystery potion that just may be the holy grail of all products.

Was being a hairstylist always your goal or did you start on a different path?

I grew up in California so I was all about fashion and beauty, but I didn’t necessarily want to be a hairstylist. I was really into performing and I would end up doing hair and make-up for a lot of the singing and dancing groups I was in–I was honing my future career skills and didn’t even know it. After being in a bunch of groups that never went anywhere my mom suggested that I start looking into something else so I started to explore being a hairstylist. I ended up at Bellflower Beauty School [in Lakewood, CA].

How difficult was it finding work after graduation?

Well, towards the end of school my hairstylist’s mom, Doris Mosely, who’s a very well-respected stylist in California, said I could come and

assist for her. So I started working there part time and got a lot of training. It was great because I felt like I was getting ahead right from the start. Then another friend of mine, Jamika Wilson, who is still a really great friend of mine and another respected stylist, went on maternity leave and asked me if I wanted her spot. So I had a fulltime job right out of school. Pretty soon I realized I needed to start building my own clientele, so I took a chance and moved to New York–I think I was about 22 at the time.

At what point did your clientele start becoming more high profile individuals?

I worked at about five different salons before I started dealing with celebrities. And even then I couldn’t claim them as “my’ clients;” they were really clients of the salons. But the first notable person I can claim as “my” client, who was working exclusively with me, was [actress] Diahann Carol. My first celebrity client [who was then featured in a magazine] was Foxy Brown. She was doing a magazine cover for Essence and they wanted to give her a new look–she continued to work with me for about a year afterwards.

How did you go about continuing to build high-profile clientele?

Well, there was a lot of hard work and making sure I was doing my best work. Referrals will always be the highest form of flattery. A lot of my clients were working in the entertainment industry–editorials and music–and they’d say, “We have this new singing group; can you style their hair?” or “We need someone to do a make-up for this TV show.”

I definitely owe a lot to Essence magazine, too. I had only been in New York for about six months and The Ricki Lake Show

was looking for an expert in African American hair. They called Essence, and Essence suggested they have me on the show.

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That’s pretty impressive to land in the national spotlight as an expert so soon. How did that help propel your brand and business?

It helped out a lot. I’m very grateful to Essence for that one. I was also working with agents who work as liaisons between various potential clients and they helped build my clientele too.

Hairstylists use agents?

[laughs] Yes, we do! I have a great agent, and she’s put me in contact with a lot of people I wouldn’t otherwise have been able to…but she can only sell me if I’m able to deliver the final product. So while I owe a lot to my agents over the years, ultimately, I’m successful because I’m able to give my clients what they’re looking for.

For most hairstylists, owning their own salon is the ultimate dream, but you took it a step further with creating your own product line. Was HAIR by Tippi Shorter always part of the master plan?

Having my own salon was the ultimate goal for me at first and I achieved that with Luxe [in New York City]. At first, I didn’t have so-called “A-list celebrities,” but I did have “A-list clients”–moms and working women who were faithfully working with me. But then I started working with Rihanna, and when her career went through the roof I found myself traveling the world, and building more clients, and having all of these new experiences. Having a product line was never my initial goal. But as I started having new experiences my dream evolved.

What sparked the idea of creating your line of products, HAIR by Tippi Shorter?

Five years ago I

was tapped by Pantene to represent them and speak on their behalf. I didn’t even know there was such a position. But I would travel and speak about healthy hair and the products that can help give you the look you want. Then other brands started knocking on my door. Soon people started asking me, “When are you going to have a line of your own?” and I realized they were on to something.

What makes HAIR different than all of the other lines on the market now?

[My debut line] “The Smoothing Collection” is for women with all hair types–natural or chemically straightened. Within the past few years we’ve really seen an over-saturation of products for women with curly hair. Everywhere you turn it’s about hair care for naturally curly hair. I wanted to give a product that was more versatile, and moisturizing, and can be used on hair of all types.

Is there a conflict of interest now that you have your own line?

Not at all. I have no problem with recommending another brand name. I don’t only use my products on my hair or my clients. As a hairstylist my job isn’t just to push my products on someone; I’m going to use whatever is going to give them the best result based on their hair texture and the look that we’re trying to achieve. I’ll use my products when they’ll give the best results, but other times I’ll use someone else’s and that’s fine with me. In fact, right now I love Ojon’s Restorative Hair Treatment, and Breakage Defense by Pantene. The Bamboo Dry Oil Mist from Alterna is really great, too.

For a longtime you ran your own salon, Luxe. How did you come to the decision to let go of that business to focus on other opportunities?

In 2005, about six months before I decided to sell Luxe, my business partner took me aside and said, “You know you don’t want to be here anymore.” [Laughs] I was just traveling non-stop because of my high-profile clients and I really felt bad with leaving her with most of the responsibility at Luxe. So in a sense it was an easy decision and a mutual decision, and it’s what I needed to do to take my career to the next level.

So now that you’ve reached that level, what have you set your sights on next?

Well, I’m working diligently on my product line and I really hope to expand into more specialized lines–products for thinning hair, a reparative line, and a line for curly hair. I’ve also finally got a prototype for a travel bag for stylists. It took me two years to find a functioning prototype but now I’ve got it and I really like it. I also have an idea for an amazing product . I’ve been developing it for about five years now and keep running into roadblocks from people saying that it can’t be done or else it would have been done already. But I’m steadfast in believing in myself. It’s going to be amazing.

Can you tell us about what the product idea is?

Absolutely not! [laughs]. I’ll talk about it when it’s manufactured and on the shelves–not a second sooner…. But other than that I’m just learning to be in the moment. I’m really focusing on expanding my brand but I also know I need to balance that with rest. I’m ready to put my passport down for a bit and spend more time with my family.