Hair stylist to the stars Dupe Talabi, known for her stellar work with Oreka Godis, Jemima Osunde, Di’Ja and more had a chat with BellaNaija Style about how she started, her background and she helpfully shared a few tips and tricks for taking care of our locks! The accomplished beautypreneur behind TasalaHQ and the best selling product Truth by Tasala reveals her favourite beauty products and more in this short Q&A with BN Style!
Tell us about yourself and your brand
My name is Dupe Talabi. Head Stylist and owner of TasalaHQ hair and beauty salon, which is full service salon catering to clients with both natural and relaxed hair. We have a team of expert stylists who specialise in different fields such as healthy haircare, natural hair styling, bridal hair, wigmaking, hair colour and cutting. The salon is located in Ikoyi, Lagos but we also offer home service for styling services.
Our bridal hair team deliver exceptional service and our work is regularly featured on popular sites and blogs such as BellaNaija Weddings.
You can see more about us by visiting our Instagram page @TasalaHQ
Where do you go for beauty inspiration especially on the looks you create?
The internet has brought the whole world to our fingertips so there’s endless sources of inspiration. From Instagram,Pinterest, YouTube, etc
On instagram I love @protectivestyles @voiceofhair @lalasupdos @georgiykot
Top 5 must-have beauty products especially for hair?
The ever faithful shea butter is always a firm favourite because I use it in so many ways.(FYI: It’s also a key ingredient in her Truth by Tasala range of hair products!)
A satin scarf or bonnet to sleep in.
A great leave in conditioner – I love Carol’s Daughter hair milk.
An effective protein treatment such as Protein Defence by Enitan Healthy hair studio.
Bobby pins!!! I cannot live without them. I go through so many because it’s one of those things that always just seem to disappear.
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What beauty trends are really being requested by your clients right now?
We currently have a lot of clients embracing wearing their natural hair out and wanting flattering styles.
I love the facts that our clients are willing to be more experimental with their natural hair and always look forward to create headturning styles. A lot of clients are often surprised at what is achievable with their own hair. So much can be done when you find the right stylist for your hair.
What influencers or celebrities are you most excited about working with right now?
This sounds so cliche but we have some exciting stuff coming up which we can’t disclose yet.
Moreover all our clients are our very own micro influencers once they sit in our chair. Social media has now made every voice noteworthy.
And we take pleasure in treating all our clients like celebrities.
What are some hair styling tips and tricks or quick hacks you can share with our audience?
One of my favourite hairstyles for both natural and relaxed hair is slicked back look with a braid ponytail. This can be worn in 3 different styles. Wear the braid straight down, wrap the braid round your head as a crown braid or loosen the braid for a fun looking fuller ponytail.
For natural hair, loose twists pinned randomly with bobby pins is an easy style that always look gorgeous and looks more complicated than it really is.
You can see some of my quick DIY styles by searching #TasalaTutorial on Instagram.
Do you have a preferred extensions brand when adding volume to a client’s hair, for a red carpet or editorial shoot for example?
I am not partial to any brand in particular. I’m always willing to experiment and try any type of hair I come across which looks interesting.
We carry a range of different hair textures at the salon so there’s always something to suit everyone.