Source: Courtesy of Talibah Stewart
While most cultured millennials were too busy belting out the notes to songs from R&B sensation Monica’s debut album, Miss Thang, Talibah Stewart was captivated by the singer’s pixie cut. Monica’s closely cropped 1995 sassy hairdo influenced the creative to experiment with her hair. “I first fell in love with hair before I knew how to do hair. It was that pixie cut Monica had. It inspired me to get my first grown-girl haircut just before going to high school,” the stylist reminisced. And so, Stewart’s romance with hair began.
Talibah Stewart Masters the Art of Hair
As a Bronx native with Jamaican roots, Tilly (as her friends call her), never experienced the pressing comb rite of passage that plagues most Black women’s childhood memories. Her Rastafarian mother kept Tilly’s hair in protective styles like braids until she decided to get a perm and the Monica haircut, which, according to Tilly, was an epic failure. “It wasn’t a pixie cut,” the creative admitted while giggling. “Girl, they cut my hair like a bald fade.”
A few years later, after bouncing back from the hair faux pau, Tilly eventually got another haircut that was on point. Growing up in a single-parent household helped to cultivate Tilly’s hairstyling skills because instead of having the luxury of going to a hairdresser weekly to maintain her new cut, the Bronx native had to study how to keep it up herself. “I just learned, and from there, kept evolving,” recalled Tilly. “There was no blow-dryer in the house, and I would perm my hair and wrap it with oil while it was wet. I didn’t really know what I was doing. I was just watching other people and trying to do what they did.”
The Alwayz Pretti Hair Journey Begins
Source: Courtesy of Talibah Stewart / Courtesy of Talibah Stewart
That keen emulation is what led Tilly to her hairstyling journey. She once observed her sister get a questionable weave back in the day, and it nudged at her hair intuition. “I was like, that doesn’t look good, but whatever. My sister liked it,” said Tilly. Actually, her sister hated it. She complained about the placement of her curly weave (it was too far back). “I remembered vividly where the hairstylist went wrong, and I was like, ‘There’s a way you could push it further up,'” recalled Tilly. “I told my sister, ‘Let me try.'” Tilly swooped in to correct her sister’s style and officially became her stylist. After that, a hair star was born.
Tilly’s reputation as a hairstylist began to spread. She tried to hold down other jobs while doing hair but quickly discovered that working for other people was not her life’s calling. She continued to grow her hair business, dubbed Alwayz Pretti, which speaks to nurturing her clients’ confidence from the inside out, taking it from the Bronx to White Plains, N.Y., Pennsylvania, and now to Yonkers, N.Y. The multi-hyphenate’s specialty looks include up-dos and sew-ins that look as if the hair is growing out of your scalp. Her go-to products include her own haircare line, which is vegan-friendly and made from natural ingredients.
Alwayz Pretti Encourages Healthy Hair
Tilly’s hair principles are comprised of healthy methods that nourish her clients’ manes. She encourages her clients to avoid any hairdo that damages their hair follicles, to stay hydrated (with not only water but also fruits), and to eat diets rich in iron. “Don’t use too much oil. That’s really a myth,” she affirmed. “You do not want to clog your hair follicles or your pores. A healthy scalp makes healthy hair.”
Talibah Stewart is the Kitchen Beautician We Wish We Had
The urban phrase “kitchen beautician” was birthed from hairstylists who practiced their crafts in their kitchens. Over the years, the term garnered a negative connotation that referred to an unlicensed or bootleg hairstylist. Tilly is not a fan of the phrase but understands it and honors its origins. She is ecstatic to be recognized as HelloBeautiful‘s “Kitchen Beautician” Melanin Awards winner so that she can help break the term’s negative stigma and show the benefits of conducting hair business in personal spaces. “It’s about preference. Some people are private and prefer one-on-one service,” Tilly explained. “My clients prefer the intimacy of my home – as long as it’s professional.”
Tilly’s home-based salon surpasses professionalism. Her DIY skills are on full display and envelope you as soon as you step through the door of her salon, which is a closed room behind her living area (she gave me a virtual tour). The hair guru’s salon space offers tranquil vibes with gospel or sometimes ’90s R&B music playing softly (depending on her mood) and incense burning. “Alwayz Pretti,” is written in gold letters on a wall and etched into a floral-clad, grass mount that the hairstylist created herself. The words “You’re really pretty” are plastered next to the floral display for every client to read and internalize. Tilly’s goal is not only to make her client’s hair look bomb, but she also wants her clients to feel fulfilled. “I want my clients to feel encouraged and good about themselves,” she said sincerely. “It’s about more than beauty. It’s a sisterhood.”
When asked about her future plans for her hair business, she pondered the question and then confidently uttered one word: “Global.”
Click here to connect with Tilly.
