In this episode, we play a little game of “would you rather,” to explore what it really looks like to work with a brand vs. going out on your own. We're talking indie education vs. branded education, private labels vs. big logos, sponsorship perks, limitations, visibility, ownership, and everything in between. It's not just about choosing sides, it's about knowing what you want, what you value, and where the industry is headed next.

Featuring

Sarah Rappolt @sarahrappolt Co Founder of It’s the Breakroom @itsthebreakroom

Garrett Markenson @garrettmarkenson Founder of Reverie @gmreverie

Akela Douglass @akelashair Owner of Got Roots Color Bar @gotrootscolorbar

Lo Shabino @classiclois_hairstylist Owner of Strangebird Salon @strangebirdsalon

Sponsor

Reverie @gmreverie

Reverie, a daydream of botanical pleasures founded by Garrett Markenson.

Reverie is hair care for all humans, no matter your hair density or texture. The clean and innovative formulas nurture the integrity of your hair for unrivaled results. Made intentionally in California, Reverie utilizes innovative skincare methodology to formulate products of substance, a ritual that stands above and apart.

Want Reverie in your salon? Email wholesale@gmreverie.com. Mention code DIRTYHAIR10 and save 10% on your opening order. Follow @gmreverie on Instagram for all things botanical pleasures.

Progress isn’t linear. Progress is non-binary.

Movements don’t move in straight lines—they stall, fracture, regroup, and keep climbing anyway. In this episode, we talk with Kristin Rankin of The Dresscode Project about gender-affirming hair, the politics of progress, and the emotional labor of pushing an industry that prefers optics over infrastructure.

What’s real change? What’s performative? And who’s still doing the unpaid work?

Because the climb continues. And the middle? It’s messy as hell.

Featuring

Kristin Rankin @kristinrankinhair Founder of @thedresscodeproject

The Dresscode Project

Our mission is to empower hair stylists and barbers to give people haircuts that help them look the way they feel. We envision a world where every hair salon and barbershop is a gender affirming, safer-space for LGBTQ2S+ clients.

We want to provide support, resources and events that help, not only our member salons, but any hairdresser or barber interested in seeking additional knowledge to create safer spaces in their area.

For many queer folks, the professional beauty industry has always been considered a safer space but we still have a long way to go with education, acceptance and understanding and it’s our mission to make sure we continue forward momentum.

Become a Dresscode Project Member

Donate to the Dresscode Project

Where we'll uncover why everyone's suddenly obsessed with what's under the hair. From rituals and results to marketing and mindset shifts, we dig into the new goldmine sitting at the root, literally, of the beauty industry.

Guests

Nicole Cichocki, Founder of @truth_beauty_and_goodness

Garrett Markenson @garrettmarkenson Founder of @gmreverie

Lori Huitron @lorihuitron_scalpe_educator Founder of @huihuiessentials

Sponsor

@freeyourhairbrush Founded by @roxiejanehunt

FREE YOUR HAIR Brush is a small, independent, woman-run business created by hairstylist

Roxie Jane Hunt.

Designed behind the chair, FYH Brush is a vegan mixed-bristle brush with long bristles that

actually reach the scalp, set in a beautiful beechwood handle engraved with hand-drawn art.

It’s more than a brush—it’s a daily ritual for scalp health, circulation, and pleasure.And yes—brushing your hair helps it grow.

When the scalp is stimulated regularly, circulation improves, shedding decreases, and hair

grows stronger and faster.

Roxie Jane created this brush for hairstylists and their clients. Teaching clients to brush

properly transforms their relationship with their hair while supporting scalp health and growth

between appointments.

For hairstylists, FYH Brush is also a powerful sales tool. Through the FYH affiliate program,

you can share the brush directly with your clients and earn 20% commission on every

sale—no inventory required.

If you’re a hairstylist who cares about scalp health and wants to offer clients a tool that actually

supports their hair growth, sign up for the FREE YOUR HAIR affiliate program today at freeyourhairbrush.com

Experience it for yourself with 25% off your first brush using code BRUSHLOVE25.

FREE YOUR HAIR Brush — made by a hairstylist, for hairstylists.

Coaching has become one of the most polarizing topics in the beauty industry. Depending on who you ask, it's either transformational or transactional, empowering or predatory. In this episode, we sit down with the biggest names in coaching from different companies to unpack why coaching has become so contentious and what it actually looks like behind the scenes. We're not here to pick sides. We're here to explore the nuance, the different approaches, the myths, the motives, and where personal responsibility fits in.

Guests

David Bosscher @davidbosscher & Cyd Charisse @cydcharisse

Co-Founders of Destroy the Hairdresser @destroythehairdresser

Britt Seva @brittseva Founder of The Thriving Stylist @thethrivingstylist

Once the hottest category in hair education, curls were everywhere, and everyone wanted in. But what happens when the bookings slow down and the hype fades? In this episode, we unpack what's really happening with curl education right now. Is it oversaturation? Is the movement still alive? Or has the industry once again commodified a community without doing the real work? We talk about performative allyship, corporate hijacking, and what independent curl educators are seeing behind the scenes.

Guests

Dominique Lyvar @kingdomofcurls_ Founder of @theuzurimethod

Keya Neal @keyaartistically Founder of @texturevsrace

Mahaila Penson @1800hellyeah Creator of Curlsunlocked

Aaron Scott Lacy @aaronscottlacy Founder of @asimplelessonforcurls

This Episode is sponsored by Free Your Hair.

Free Your Hair Brush is owned and created by Roxie Jane Hunt. She started the brand over a decade ago after 15 years behind the chair working with curly haired people.

She saw a real need for education and tools for scalp health and hair care that was simple, sustainable, pleasurable, and effective. She created Free Your Hair Brush as a foundational tool for hairstylists and clients alike to use in their personal, professional, and community care practices.

Visit www.freeyourhairbrush.com and enter code DIRTYHAIR for 15% off your order.

Follow on Instagram at @freeyourhairbrush and at @roxiejanehunt for all things Free Your Hair.

Glamour, fashion, fame—but what’s really behind the glossy pages and backstage passes?

In this episode, we take you behind the scenes of the editorial world: what it takes to “make it,” who holds the power, and whether the dream still matches reality. We talk team politics, pay-to-play culture, brand gatekeeping, and how much the game has changed for independent stylists.

Guests

Amy Farid @therealamyfarid

James Pecis @jamespecis

Lena Ott @lenaott

Damalia Majeed @damaliamajeed

This Episode is Sponsored by Blu & Green

Blu & Green was created by James Pecis because he wanted high-performing products for work, that are toxin-free, don't come in plastic packaging, and don't compromise in any way.

At Blue & Green, we believe that beauty shouldn’t come at the cost of your health — or the planet. That’s why we’ve created salon-quality, high-performance hair care and styling products that are as clean and sustainable as they are effective.

Purchase: www.bluandgreen.com

Use code DIRTYHAIR - 20% off your order. Limit to 1 x per customer.