Today we’d like to introduce you to Keisha Dorty.
Keisha, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I have always been obsessed with how creative you can be with hair. As a young girl like everyone else, of course I had dolls, but instead of me changing their clothes and shoes, I was giving them new hairstyles every day and found so much joy in that. As I grew up the love and the passion was still always there but you find yourself in high school and college taking the career path that your family, friends and even yourself think is the best and most sound career choice to secure a most meaningful and solid status. A career that will always have you safe and secure, something you can retire from, so I chose to go into the health care profession.
As I completed four years of Health Care Academy and two years of college pre-requisites, my next step was interning, and with that a two years wait came to get in. Oh No!!!, that is when I had my come to Jesus moment and prayed about my next steps. Do I wait to get into this program? Do I take a chance to do what I am destined to do? My answer was extremely clear, I knew then I was always put here to help other people in every way I could, however, I was destined to help them feel secure, comfortable, excited and confident in the way that looked at themselves in the mirror. At 25 I made my career change and moved to Dallas, Texas to attend Ogle Beauty School where I excelled and fell in love even more. Upon graduating, I wanted my own salon so bad but was molded by some great mentors and instructors to take my time, learn the industry from the real world standpoint, work in booth rental, hourly and commission salons, soak up and learn everything and then steamroll ahead with owning a salon, and they said I will look back and be humble for everything that I came through to get what I want. Absolute facts!!! They told no lies. This industry is a beast in more ways than one, but we all have our place in it and no one can take what is meant for you away no matter how hard they try, when it’s your time, it is your time and all things that you have worked sooo very hard for will be aligned perfectly and your blessing will be handed to you. So with extreme excitement, joy and love in my heart, I am proud to say July 5th, 2021 Extensions Of Me Salon was introduced to the Austin and surrounding areas.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Most definitely not a smooth road, when you are a shy, quiet, timid person such as me, this industry and the people you meet along the way will constantly have you doubting yourself. Even after me being in this industry for 18 years now, I still have to secure my thoughts and stay the course and remain driven to ensure the success of my Salon business. Okay, so let’s talk about obstacles for a minute as you would think that the obstacles that you may run into along the way of your dream of starting something great in your community would come from how to build a clientele, starting and running a salon business, picking a team maybe, mmmmm, not necessarily. Starting fresh out of cosmetology school, we don’t know everything there is to know about hair. They train you enough to pass the test, in real life, the rest is up to you. Through the 18 years that I have put into this, the being told that I couldn’t do this, I wouldn’t make it as a hair stylist, meeting people who don’t have the best intentions for you, they say I let people walk over me (push over), I’m not good enough, I’m not loud enough, I am mediocre, I don’t understand business, to just downright I will never be a salon owner has created more of an obstacle for me than anything else. Trying to recondition yourself and your mind to know that the things that people say and do to you should not and can not break you is a big task. While I’m sure that other stylists may have encountered these things along their journey, I must say it is designed to make you stronger and to rise up even better than you could have imagined yourself. Going back to the beginning and remembering that what is for you will always only be for you. On the business side of things, there is always going to be a challenge. In trying to invent a salon atmosphere that caters to what Austin is all about which is diversity and growth. My multi-cultural specialty extension salon is still only one year old and since I am a new small business owner, the challenge of finding and leasing the perfect location has been very hard. I am still in the process of working with people to get our location secured here in Austin in the months coming. Extensions of me Salon is operating and running out of Round Rock at the moment and while it has been hard, the support and love from my clients has been amazing and that’s what keeps me fighting so hard every day to get and put us in a location.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Extensions Of Me Salon has made a name for itself in the Austin area over the last year for being known as one of the most diverse salons. In the beauty industry as a whole, it has been an up and coming trend to have hair extensions or hair pieces added, but what has fallen by the wayside is the need and the knowledge of taking care of our natural hair while it is in the hair extensions. Extensions Of Me Salon prides itself on providing the best hair care and knowledge to our clients as well as the staff. We feel that providing knowledge and hair care regimens to the clients before and during the service will help them understand their hair texture and type and will keep them excited and wanting to make sure that the natural hair stays in the best shape and condition as possible while wearing the hair enhancements. My salon’s goal is to be able to use talent, skills, and education to assist and inspire our clients to realize and enhance their own beauty no matter what race or type of hair you may have. We love all hair. I want to just take a moment as well to touch on African American hair, in addition to understanding how to keep our hair healthy as possible in an extension style, sometimes it is misunderstood if the highly textured hair clients can get and maintain specific hair extension services and still keep theirs over curly hair hydrated and moisturized properly, Yes, you can and this is what we specialize in, the proper installation techniques and maintain proper moisture and hydration and stimulation to promote healthy hair and growth.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
Well… In this new age of social media, Surprise!! I get nervous when it is time to put me on camera, like literally every time. Most people or my clients wouldn’t know this about me because I am so at home behind my chair. I have so much love and passion for what I do that when they come in even a brand new client that I may have never met before can come in and sit in my chair. I’ll just start talking, teaching asking questions right away like we’ve known each other before. Knowing that I am that stylist who it excited and carefree and joking with my people in my chair, I don’t think anyone would suspect that I’d be social media and camera shy. I literally have been trying to work through what I call social media fright. I know we are in the age of advertising through all social media platforms and I definitely don’t want to be left behind in that aspect but, boy let me tell you that social media fright is real to me!!!!! Once I learn how to break through my personal social media barrier that I have going on…..one of these days I’ll be able to look back and laugh and say what was I so nervous about!!!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.extensionsofmesalon.com
- Instagram: @extensionsofme_atx
- Other: @keisha dorty
Image Credits
Keisha Dorty
