Rising Stars: Meet Darcie Lewis of North Kansas City

Today we’d like to introduce you to Darcie Lewis.

Hi Darcie, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
As a little girl I always had a love for all things beauty. My first passion was doing nails, I loved doing designs on my friends and sisters nails. Eventually I became very into doing hairstyles on everyone I knew, and I was good at it! I remember as a little kid, begging my mom to let me go to cosmetology school. She drove me up to a local one and let me walk in and ask to enroll, at the time I was about 12 years old, so of course everyone there thought it was comical that little ole me was trying to enroll. They broke it to me that I had to graduate high school first and I was shattered. I then started calling local salons and asked if I could sweep hair for them for free, they all politely declined. Jump to me graduating High School and immediately starting Cosmetology school a month later. I never doubted not doing hair, there was never anything else I wanted to do. I was very blessed that my parents supported my decision 100% and never tried to convince me to do something else. One I graduated school I started at a Salon under an apprenticeship and learned so much. Once my confidence grew I ventured out to a very corporate salon and learned even more there. After a few years of learning and growing I took a huge leap and started at a Salon that specialized in Curly hair, that was the biggest game changer in my entire career. Learning curly hair sparked a fire in me I had never felt, I was so passionate! It led me to gaining clients who I share a very special bond with. After being at that salon for 4 years and gaining a full clientele, I decided to open my own buisness and it thrived. I decided to go completely low-toxic and holistic with my buisness. I was tired of the terrible chemicals and being sick all the time. My clients really appreciated using clean ingredient products on them and a better color line. I started specializing in scalp health and getting to the root cause of hair and scalp issues. After a year of running my own buisness I had to take a step back to have more time with my children, I now work at a salon in North Kansas City called Salon Gratto! They use a non-toxic product and color line called Davines. I am so happy to be there!

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has always been a bumpy road with many challenges, something I always tell myself is to find the good in the hard. When working with someone’s hair, it is very nerve wracking and of course, I will always make mistakes. But every single mistake I have made, I have learned from, and that’s what is important! Of course I struggle with beating myself up over things and have had plenty of times I wanted to quit it all. But, it’s the clients who support you and love you that keep you always coming back. I truly have amazing clients who encourage me and drive me to always keep going!

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
If I had to really narrow down my biggest talents I would say Curly Hair of all textures, Thick and fine straight hair, Scalp care, and having a Holistic approach. I personally am not the kind of stylist to get you on tons of different products to simply put a bandaid on your issues. If you’re having really dry hair that’s breaking and not growing, let’s figure out why. I always try to get to the root cause for my clients. Especially with curly hair, my goal for every single client of mine with Textured hair is to get them to a point where they love their hair with no product in it. I have done tons of research, taken so many clients, and really set myself apart with my knowledge of haircare and scalp care. I love to educate and take time with my clients. My service times are longer than most hairstylists because I take my time and don’t like to rush or have my clients feel rushed. I love to help troubleshoot problems and struggles. I also love to help kids and teenagers love their hair!

Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
Every salon I have been at I have met amazing people who have supported me and been mentors to me during that season. I think it’s really important to put yourself out there and be open to listening and learning from everyone. And never be afraid to ask questions/ ask for help!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.vagaro.com/salongratto/book-now
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.hair.healer_/