For some, hair is little more than accessory to the perfect outfit, but for Keinya Beasley, hair is an artistic medium. Our hair is central to our identity, and makes statements of personality and character to the world about both client and stylist. Hair can be a curse or salvation, pride or shame, and for Keinya, it continues to be canvas for her imagination’s palette.

 

Keinya began her love affair with hair as an adolescent, styling and sculpting the looks of her friends and family. Later, she attended UC Davis where she studied child psychology. “I’ve always wanted to help and work with children.” Keinya says with warmth.

Yet as powerful as the urge to work with children was, it was no match for the calling of hairstyling. Midway through her college career, and after much soul searching, Keinya suspended her pursuit of her bachelor’s degree in psychology and began an educational program in Cosmetology. Says Keinya, “I was getting good grades…. the best grades I had gotten in college, but my heart just wasn’t in it… I needed to do more... I wanted to become an artist”.

 

Once she began her course of study at Federico Beauty Institute of Sacramento, Pandora’s box had been opened and Keinya couldn’t absorb knowledge fast enough. After completing her education, Keinya would go on to apprentice under some of the top stylists in Sacramento. She learned first hand the values of professionalism, client care, and the balance between business and artistry. Her passion for education would lead her to advanced educational courses from Vidal Sassoon, Redken, Joico, Paul Mitchell and the American Board of Certified Hair Colorists.

 

As a stylist, Keinya had developed a loyal clientele; all the while she was hungrily learning new styles and techniques. Then in 2004 everything would change forever, as Keinya’s career would transition from student to teacher.

 

Robert Reed, founder and CEO of ERGO Styling Tools, had heard of Keinya’s talent and passion and tapped her to join his team of top stylist to represent his product lines at hair shows. After the first few shows he grew more and more impressed with her comfort and confidence in front of the crowd, but more than any other trait, her wealth of knowledge made Keinya stand out among other stylists and educators. “I research what I’m going to do before I do it. You have to strategically teach people new information.” According to Keinya, “If you can combine the ability to teach those that learn visually (by watching) with hands on demonstration learners and you are willing to learn as you teach you will become a great teacher. You want your students to get it, seeing the light bulb coming on is priceless”.

 

Since those first prodigious steps Keinya has taught at events such as the ISSE Long Beach, and the Premiere Orlando shows. She’s done presentations or taught classes in London, England, Council Bluffs, Iowa, Las Vegas, Nevada and all points in between. She became an instructor at the American Board of Certified Colorist Symposium. She has worked with top stylists Neeko (Halle Berry), Nicholas French (Matrix International design team leader), and Kim Kimble (Beyonce, Mary J. Blige), just to name a few. She has appeared on the Oprah Winfrey program and at the Chicago Alternative Show (benefit hair show for leukemia research) were she participated in a Discovery channel documentary, and been featured in industry magazines such as Modern Salon and Below Zero.

 

Keinya is owner and lead stylist at Hair Addictions Design Studio in Rocklin, California (suburb of Sacramento). There she teaches local cosmetology students the “the basics” and how to continually nurture their artistic nature. She has taken photography and videography classes and incorporated them into her instruction method.

She has collaborated with companies such as Kimble Hair Care Systems, and Total Salon Image to create marketing campaigns and educational curriculum, and she continues to learn whatever she can about hair artistry, and business. “When you stop learning you kill the creativity and artistry in what we do.”

 

 

 

 

OK, I'm going to see to it that I'm home by 4 p.m. on Friday. Why? Could be that I'm probably the only living soul in Sacramento without a TiVo!

And I simply must catch "Oprah." That's because local stylist Keinya Beasley (shown left in a picture courtesy of Vivian Brassell) will be appearing on the show, which airs on Channel 3.

Keinya, who owns Modern Hair & Day Spa in Rocklin (5961 W. Oaks Blvd.), called to fill me in on the details.

She was asked to accompany celebrity hairstylist and friend Kimberly Kimble, one of five nationally known stylists asked by the show to come and do makeovers on women (and one guy) in various stages of their lives.

(Kimberly's clientele includes Mary J. Blige and Beyonce, and Keinya carries Kimberly's hair-care products and extensions in her salon.)

"At first, I asked Kimberly how long it would take," Keinya says. "And she said, 'Hey, it's Oprah!' So, we hopped on a plane for Chicago on Oct. 14 and started shooting the next day."

Keinya was - to put it mildly - overwhelmed by what the Oprah team had assembled. Each of the stylists - and their teams - had been told to bring everything they had in their hair arsenals.

"We did about 35 of the makeovers, and we had our own salon built right in the show's studio," Keinya says. "These weren't just average women. Some of them were cancer survivors who wanted to look and feel like themselves again.

"In fact, one woman we did was crying after she saw her new look," Keinya says. "She survived ovarian cancer. She told us, 'God saved my life, you saved my hair.' I've never experienced anything like it. I expected it to be great, but it was over the top. We actually changed lives."

Of course, Keinya got to meet Oprah. "She was in the hallway, barefoot and carrying her shoes in her hand. She greeted everyone and said, 'Let's get to work.' "

Oprah herself wielded some cutting shears, I'm told. While checking in on the stylists, Oprah apparently whacked off actress Hilary Swank's locks to donate to Pantene's Beautiful Lengths campaign for women who have lost their hair because of cancer treatments.

"We taped two shows," Keinya says. "In December, Oprah will bring the celebrity stylists back ... to talk about the makeovers, which also included audience members."

Check back here at 21Q for more on that.

In the meantime, because of her experience on "Oprah," Keinya says she now plans to do makeovers in her Rocklin salon at least once a month. For more information, call (916) 242-9939.