Nafisah Carter is living the American Dream, a single mother who turned her passion of doing hair into an international brand. A Southern Belle who honed her craft working at the world renown Rita Hazan Salon in New York City, Nafisah turned her experience into profit. The Hazan Salon is known for styling such celebrity clientele as Jennifer Lopez, Kim Kardashian and Beyonce. Nafisah is being heralded as the next go to celebrity stylist, she just recently opened her own salon, Nafisah’s Beauty Boutique, in her hometown of Raleigh, North Carolina. In addition to her new salon Nafisah also has a thriving hair extension line known as Pyara Hair. Kontrol Magazine recently caught up with Nafisah in the midst of a whirlwind schedule.
D’Artagnan: Thank you for taking the time out to talk with us. How are you?
Nafisah: Oh well thank you.
D’Artagnan: Ok, so my first question, I didn’t see it in your press kit, or maybe I just overlooked, but how old are you?
Nafisah: I just turned forty (40).
D’Artagnan: Stop playing, it doesn’t look like that from your photos.
Nafisah: Everyone says that even in person, my son is eighteen and people often ask if he is my brother or nephew, and I’m like no that’s my child.
DArtagnan: What is your favorite go to hair product?
Nafisah: I like Paul Mitchell products, the super skinny serum, I think that’s my favorite cause I where my hair straight. It keeps your hair straight and shiny and doesn’t weigh it down.
DArtagnan: What celebrity would you like to work with the most?
Nafisah: Beyonce, I’d really like to work with her. I’ve always loved her.
DArtagnan: So, you’re looking to manifest that into your 2019. Of the celebrities that you have worked with so far who were you most excited to meet?
Nafisah: Michelle Williams of Destiny’s Child. I recently did her hair about a month or two ago. I just love all of them Kelly, Beyonce and Michelle. I was just super excited to work with her because it was like a dream come true.
DArtagnan: How has the social media platform helped you grow your business?
Nafisah: It’s helped a lot, I feel like it’s helped me gain more clients. My posts have been shared all over the world. When I went to Dubai It wasn’t my first there, because I have family there, but my first time working there I met the girl off of social media.
DArtagnan: What hair trend are you just tired of seeing?
Nafisah: Um, I don’t know, I love hair so I don’t tired of seeing things. I love all the different colors, I always love bobs, and long hair and short hair. I haven’t gotten tired of anything yet, this might change in a month or two, but I just love hair.
DArtagnan: What do you first notice about a person?
Nafisah: Their hair. I look at their hair and their eyebrows. My best friend is an eyebrow artist so maybe I get that from her.
DArtagnan: Tell our readers what it took for you to turn your experience in profit.
Nafisah: Oh, wow it took a lot. The first time that I started my hair line, I worked and saved up the money to buy the hair. I saved two thousand dollars and when I got the hair back the hair wasn’t good. It was like I wasted two thousand dollars cause I had to start all over again. It definitely takes hard work. I started from the bottom.
DArtagnan: How many times did you try hair line before you felt like you got it right?
Nafisah: Maybe like three or four time and it wasn’t always the hair, sometimes it was the wefting, or the tracks were to thin. Since I do hair every single day I know what the hair should look like.
DArtagnan: What was is the best purchase that you have made?
Nafisah: I would have to say my studio, because I have a home for my clients. That was my best investment.
DArtagnan: Now you worked in New York for years before you came back home. What was the decision that caused you to come back to Raleigh?
Nafisah: Well, I didn’t really want to come back, but it was the best thing and it worked out perfectly. I’m single parent, my son and I moved there. I worked for a few years and struggled. Finally, I saved up my money and moved in to an apartment building, but the building had a lot of problems. We couldn’t stay there, we had no where to go. I had to make a good life for my son, so we moved back to North Carolina and that was probably the best decision because then things really took off.
DArtagnan: What do you like to read?
Nafisah: I don’t get a lot of down time, but I love my natural healing medicines. I’m more prone to grab books on natural remedies. My clients even ask me advice on stuff like that.
DArtagnan: How do you find the balance to take care of Nafisah?
Nafisah: My days off are Sundays and Mondays and sometimes I don’t always get those, but when I really need to take time off I do it.
DArtagnan: What is your biggest fear?
Nafisah: My biggest fear is …. I don’t really fear a lot of things I just always want things to go right. I guess maybe failure, but I don’t ever think I’ll fail. Like it’s my fear, but I’m not scared cause I know it’s not going to happen.
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