Today we’d like to introduce you to Faisal Khalil.
Hi Faisal, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers.
Since I was a little kid I was really interested in hair and hair styling. I was one boy between six girls. I was fascinated by how we all had different hair textures/types, despite the fact that we are all siblings. Our hair looked and felt different from one to the other. Then, I became interested in hair care and styling products from the way they smelled to how they performed on people’s hair.
So, I would go hide in the kitchen and mix different oils and spices to create a product. I got in trouble a few times because I was making messes. I personally have curly hair, but growing up, having curly hair wasn’t very cool, and as a result, I was always straightening my hair because I wanted to fit in. I would never leave the house if my hair wasn’t straightened.
In college, my friends and college mates would ask me to straighten their hair too. I made a little cash from it. After a few years of doing this, I noticed that I was damaging my hair and wanted to embrace my natural texture, but I noticed that not every stylist is comfortable doing curly hair. I had a fair amount of bad experiences with salons. I thought I can’t be the only one. Fast forward to 2011. I decided to leave Jordan and move to the States.
After completing my degree in Jordan in English Language and Literature, I decided that I wanted to peruse a career path in music. When I arrived in the States, I lived in New Orleans Louisiana. I arrived in the States with just my suitcase and $300 in my pocket and not a clue of where I wanted to go. I met a friend after about a week of being here and he helped me a lot by giving me a place to stay and helping me navigate the city. I was able to find little jobs here and there to make money.
After about five months of being in New Orleans, I decided to enroll in Delgado Community College to study music recording and production. After about a year and a half, I decided that I wanted something different, I wanted to see more of this new place so I moved to Indianapolis, IN in 2014. Doing odd jobs here and there I got to explore and really do some soul-searching. I went to get a haircut, hoping that I would find someone that knew what they were doing with my curly hair. I went to the Aveda Institute, a cosmetology school in Indianapolis.
The people here were very nice and the students were very well instructed as well as monitored while doing services. The haircut I got was great. After getting a cut here a couple of times, I decided that this might be something I wanted to do. I discovered a naturally derived product line that I really loved and believed in. I wanted literally everyone to use the products. I loved that brand that much. I decided to go on a tour of the school and see what their program was all about.
In 2015, I enrolled in school here and started in August. After a year of class and technical training on the floor, 1,200+ hours, and a 108% attendance rating I graduated in 2016 with honors and a few awards and got to go to NAHA (North American Hair Awards), which is one of the biggest hair shows in the states. Going to NAHA inspired me even more.
I worked at two great salons in Indianapolis and Carmel IN. The first one was Evan Todd Spa and Salon right out of school and freshly licensed in 2016. After working in this salon for 3 months, while it was a great salon, I just didn’t feel it was the right fit for me. The search was on for a new salon. After visiting a couple of other salons in the Indianapolis area, I found Pure Concepts Salon in Carmel, Indiana.
I reached out to the owner to inquire about any open positions in the salon. After meeting the owner, Jackie we decided that I would come into the salon as her assistant while learning their ways and building my book. I learned a lot from her and she is still a great mentor for me. I worked there for 5+ years. I did really well in her salon with her mentorship and guidance. Which brings me to where I am today.
In May of 2021, my husband (Howard) and I decided that we wanted to move somewhere warm and start our own salon. After taking a trip to Scottsdale, AZ to check out the area, We decided while Scottsdale is beautiful, it just didn’t feel right for us. The search was back on. The next place on the agenda to check out, is Miami, FL.
We traveled to Miami in January 2022. Arriving in South Beach Miami Florida around 1 am, seeing the nightlife, all the lights, restaurants, places, and all the people out, we were amazed. We walked all over South Beach and visited downtown Miami while we were here for a week. We knew this was the place we wanted to be. Returning back to Indiana, the hunt for our salon was in full swing.
We looked in Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, Hollywood, and surrounding areas. We found a salon in Hollywood that we decided to come back to Florida and look at in April. The salon was nice, but not what we were looking for. In July of 2022, we found another salon to look at in Ft. Lauderdale so we made another trip to check it out. Again, not quite what we were looking for.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
No, it wasn’t smooth. Finding the right salon and location was challenging. Navigating the financing and unexpected problems was the biggest challenge. But, determination and following my dream made it a little easier.
I knew what I wanted and where I wanted to go; it was the paths and roads that I had to travel to get to where I am now that were the hardest. As this is my first business, it has definitely been a learning experience. Being told that getting the first salon was the hardest, I am confident that going forward in the direction I want to go will fall into place.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Doing hair is where I get to express my artistic side, and I think of people’s hair as a canvas I get to color and sculpt. My approach is holistic; I care for your hair, your well-being, and the surrounding environment. I offer moments of wellness throughout the services, such as aromatherapy and hot towels for relaxation. I am a good listener, which is a crucial skill in delivering outstanding results.
Investing in education and new tools also helps me take my skills up a notch. As far as the environment goes, a portion of the dollar amount our guests spend on some of the products goes to planting trees around the world. The materials used in the packaging of the products are made from recycled plastic recovered from our oceans.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
I was an energetic kid growing up, positive and wanting to be involved in the community. I wasn’t very good at school, but I enjoyed some sports, music, and cooking.
Pricing:
- Custom Cuts start at $90
- Color Processes start at $80
- Treatments start at $45
- Shampoo & Style starting at $65
- Silk Press Starting at $120
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.khalimansalons.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/faisaldoeshair/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/curlsrockhairstudio
Image Credits
@faisaldoeshair and @khalimansalons
