Meet celebrity hairstylist and Ouai founder Jen Atkin
SHE’S the celebrity hairstylist who does the Kardashians’ hair and owns the best selling haircare line in Australia. Here’s why Jen Atkin charges so much for a haircut.
LEGEND has it that celebrity hairstylist Jen Atkin first did Kim Kardashian’s hair on the set of a Cosmopolitan magazine shoot in Miami six years ago.
Kim’s sister Khloe was also in town, and on that job Atkin soon earned the trust of the famous reality stars, who invited Atkin to join their travelling “glam-squad”.
Since then Atkin, 36, has appeared on Keeping Up With The Kardashians, is a regular face on the family’s Instagram and Snapchat feeds and even stars in Kim’s multi-million dollar video game.
“I genuinely love Jen’s personality,” Kardashian told The New York Times. “She’s snarky and witty and has phenomenal one-liners. She’s become one of my best friends.
“It’s knowing that I could hang out and get drunk with [Atkin] and she’d never take advantage. Some people, you give them an inch and they take a mile. Jen is always on time in the morning,” she said.
Atkin’s knack for creating effortless, undone hair that looks like you haven’t spent two hours at the salon - along with keeping celebrity gossip in the vault - has made her one of the biggest names in hair.
‘Is This The Most Influential Hairstylist In The World?’ asked the Times in its 2015 profile. The answer? Definitely.
Atkin has built a global brand through social media - she has 1.8 million Instagram followers, and plenty more on Snapchat - and travels all around the world just to cut hair.
“People ask me all the time, ‘What’s your strategy?’ and I’m like ‘There is no strategy’’. It’s all organic. I’m showing you my life and my journey,” Atkin told news.com.au.
Outside America, the Middle East is one of her biggest markets. She travels to Dubai around four times a year and does 21 haircuts a day during a four-day trip. She charges $A1100, for a cut and blow dry.
“I have clients that travel from Bahrain and Kuwait and Qatar and Saudi Arabia,” she said.
“I still get goosebumps when I do a royal wedding. I can’t say [whose wedding] though. They’re amazing. And going to the Cannes Film Festival, I find myself on private planes doing haircuts and blowouts, it’s insane.”
Atkin is currently in Australia to promote her haircare line Ouai, which stockist Sephora says is now the best selling haircare line in the country. Atkin calls it the “haircare brand of the people”, because it’s been designed with the help of her fans.
For example, she found out that most of her followers run out of shampoo faster than conditioner, “so we made the shampoo bottle bigger.”
They were also complaining that regular dry shampoo wasn’t enough to make dirty gym hair look clean again.
“So we created a dry shampoo foam, a new product in the category, which is based on what they use in hospitals to help patients who can’t wash their own hair,” Atkin said.
She created Ouai, which is marketed purely through social media, for women at home, not professional hairdressers. Her message is simple. Women are busy. Who has time to spend worrying about their hair?
“I was sent every hair product under the sun and I felt there was nothing that really related to my friends and I. I felt that the advertising was very unrealistic. I felt like it was always a hairdresser doing hair on someone. I wanted to give the power back to the everyday woman. I wanted women to be able to do their hair themselves,” Atkin said.
“I came from a very small town in southern Utah. I never imagined I would be where I am today and it’s been hard work and determination. But I think it’s my responsibility to share [my story] with other girls and let them know that they can do anything too. I think any positive vibes that we can spread right now, is a good thing.”
JEN ATKIN’S TOP HAIR TIPS FOR WHEN ...
Your hair is limp and lacking volume: “Use texturizing hair spray – it’s like dry shampoo and hair spray had a baby. It gives you an instant lift and soaks up oil.”
You’re on day three and it’s getting a little greasy: “Our dry shampoo foam is like dry shampoo on steroids and it’s for the woman who is too busy to wash her hair.”
You’ve curled your hair and don’t want the waves the drop: “The best secret is to spray our medium hold hairspray all over your hair and then use the tong afterwards, so it has some grit”.
rebecca.sullivan@news.com.au