Interview with the man behind Hair He Goes
From time to time I love to acknowledge the people in my industry that are making big waves with or with out big companies behind them. The other day I came across Darnells instagrams feed @hairhegoes and was instantly intrigued.
Darnell Wold is a well-seasoned multicultural hairstylist and wig maker from New York City who has over a decade of industry experience. He began his career and education with the Aveda Institute in Manhattan where he gained an intense cosmetology foundation, which allowed him to perfect his expertise in cutting, coloring and styling hair as well as skin care and cosmetics. He has been trained with some of the industry’s leading professionals, such as Ted Gibson, Nick Arrojo, Ruth Roche and many more and has worked with the likes of Cherrie Martinez, Natalie Nunn, Christina Milian and Lil’ Kim. In addition to this he has made his mark in the editorial and fashion world, where he was able to do hair for several fashion week events and editorial shoots. Aside from his successful career as hairstylist, Darnell also began dabbling in areas of skin care and cosmetics, where he established himself as a top selling makeup artist and cosmetics manager for some of the beauty industry’s leading beauty companies such as Clinique, Sephora and Estee Lauder. He didn’t stop there, he also developed a luxury wig and hair extension line where he completely customizes and hand sews high quality wigs for clients worldwide. His clients are happy because he uses his master stylist expertise to create gorgeous wigs, using high quality virgin hair and applying custom coloring, styling and cutting to exceed their expectations.
Darnell was ever so kind to let me interview him and I just love all of his answers! So check it out below.
What got you into doing hair?
I've seriously been obsessed with hair since I was little boy. My mom tells me I was trying to brush her hair before I could even tie my shoes. I remember being in kindergarten and being completely obsessed with anything that has hair or could be manipulated like hair. Basically, all of the girls had to hide their treasure troll dolls, their my pony dolls and don't even get me started on all of the makeovers I gave Barbie. Doing hair is something that comes naturally to me. Before I went to cosmetology school I was already cutting, coloring and styling hair on friends and family. From as early as the 5th grade I remember coloring my hair green all by myself using Manic Panic and the rest was history. Through out junior high and high school I was constantly experimenting on all of my friends and classmates and after graduation it only made sense to enroll in Cosmetology School. I graduated from The Aveda Institute in 2004 and seriously couldn't imagine myself not doing something hair related.
What inspired you to do hair wigs?
Honestly, one day I was bored and I had a bunch of gorgeous imported virgin human hair from India and I wanted to do something fun with the hair. I've never had any training in wig making or even attempted to make a wig so I thought it would be a fun challenge. It took me about three days, but I was able to create the wig and was pretty surprised with the outcome. I decided to take it a step further and custom color the wig and cut it and style it to get the full affect of what it would look like on someone. That same day I uploaded a picture of the wig on my instagram account and before I know it I had women from all over the world asking me the price of the wig. I was seriously surprised because I never looked at this as a business venture, however that all changed in a matter of minutes. Fast forward to a year later and I've sold over 300 wigs to women all around the world. It's been such a blessing and I couldn't be happier to interact with so many beautiful people from all walks of life. While being a hairstylist has been more than rewarding, the world of wig making has been life changing. Being able to make a wig for someone dealing with cancer or alopecia has been the most rewarding and humbling accomplishment of my career.
What does the process of making a wig intel?
First off you'd want to make sure you have all of your necessary tools prepared for the process and that you're using quality hair may it be human hair or synthetic. You'd def. want to take your clients head measurements to achieve the perfect fit, keeping in mind that every ones head size and shape is different. You'd want to have a detailed consultation with you client, ensuring that you have a clear understanding of what they're trying to achieve as well as what their hair routine consists of. You'd also want to do a basic hair and scalp analysis to make sure that a wig is the right option for your client. These steps will also help you determine what type of wig would be ideal for your client as there are several types of wigs and hair pieces. Once you have a clear understanding of what you'll be making you want to build a strong and secure foundation as this will determine the the longevity of your unit. You definitely do not want to construct your wigs using glue or bonding agents as this will not last very long and your client will be very displeased to find their unit falling apart after a few wears. Once your wig is fully constructed you will customize the unit according to your client. Choosing a gorgeous, cut, style and color that will compliment your client and his or her features.
Wow, seems like such an incredible process and yet he is a complete natural. Thank you so much Darnell for letting me feature you. And if any of you ladies out there are in need of a wig, you definitely need to check Darnell out. All of his link are below.
Darnell Wold
Hairstylist & Wig Maker
Instagram: @HairHeGoes
Twitter: @HairHeGoes
YouTube Channel