New Year. New Hair.
The man behind the hair of icons, Sarah Jessica Parker, Awkwafina, Debra Messing, Cameron Diaz and many more big names in the industry speaks to us today.
What do these gorgeous women all have in common? Josue Perez.
Over the past year or so, Josue has worked with and used Beyond Clip-In Hair Extensions on his celeb clients. After speaking with him, we immediately knew his passion in life was not only hair and perfecting his craft, but also making his clients feel as good as they look! We caught up with him on a call to chat all things hair, quarantine, COVID restrictions, favorite products and Beyond Extensions.
Q: Tell us a little about yourself. How long have you been a hairstylist? How did you get your start in the industry?
“My introduction into the hair industry was influenced by my love of the arts. I watched my sister work as a stylist in a New Jersey salon and fell in love with the field. I had been a drummer growing up, and I realized that my drumming skills contributed to the quickness and efficiency in a way I could use my hands.”
“I began my career ten years ago in a New York Salon. I had a chance meeting with a well-established hair stylist, and was asked to assist on a job with Stella McCartney, which led to an opportunity to assist on a shoot with Gwyneth Paltrow. At that time, I had styled her hair with beautiful soft waves. After attending the same event as Gwyneth, Sarah Jessica Parker discovered my work and loved it! I owe a lot of my continuing success to SJP. She believed in me… which eventually helped open many new doors.”
Q: Josue, 2020 has affected all of us. We know your line of work has definitely been impacted. Tell us how you’re adjusting in this new world?
“While the whole world, and especially celebrity events, has been on hold, I have found time to continue working on my craft… hair. I’ve taken advantage of this extra time to learn new techniques. When the salons finally opened up, it allowed me to spend more time in my sisters salon. And fortunately, as things have slowly opened up, I’ve been able to go back to my routine work, covering many photoshoots in the city. I’ve also used some of the downtime to focus on myself. I’ve spent more time outdoors, working-out and discovering what is meaningful for me in life.”
Q: What is your favorite way to use Beyond Extensions?
“Using the smallest 1.5” wefts is the perfect solution to fill-in around the front of your face where hair tends to be thinner. This creates just enough fullness, yet remains very natural looking. There are many different ways you can use clip-in hair extensions. It is not always about “length”. Creating fullness on shorter hair, is what I’ve been doing a lot of these days. If you want to add a bit of length to your short hair, try extensions that measure a few inches longer than your natural hair (2” or so). This will give you some additional length and a truly natural look.”
Q: What do you like best about working with Beyond Extensions?
“I love the fact that Beyond is honest. They take pride in the quality of the hair being sold. So many hair companies in a saturated market claim to have 100% Natural remy hair, but they simply don’t. Beyond offers quality hair and an exceptional product. Their ultra-thin wefts are layered so naturally, that they blend right into your own hair. This is something that no one else does. Their wefts are so thin, you won’t experience those commonly noticed “bumps.” on your head. And from what my clients share, they are BEYOND comfortable!
Q: True or False: Frequent trims makes your hair grow faster.
“True. On average, human hair grows approximately a half an inch a month. Frequent light dusting trims help avoid split ends, which allows the hair to grow quicker without any breakage or splitting. One of the most common mistakes women make is not getting frequent trims. They believe that by not cutting, their hair will grow long, when in fact they’re actually creating more dry brittle split ends and breakage. A simple tiny trim every three months will allow your hair to grow quite a bit.”
Q: With virtually every event in 2020 being cancelled, and weddings being postponed, how have you adjusted?
“Trying to stay busy. Fortunately, I’ve been in NYC working a little more these days. I’m also working with brides and doing trials for weddings in 2021. That’s another way that I like to use Beyond Clip-In Hair extensions… is to bring bridal hairstyles to life. When we see photos used for bridal trials, 9 times out of 10, we need to add a little more volume to create the look the bride desires.”
Q: As a hairstylist, what is your GO-TO styling product that is always on hand?
“I love anything R+Co brand. They have awesome prep and finish products with an awesome smell. My favorite is the ‘Dallas thickening spray’. It’s great for volume and frizz. They can run a bit pricey, but are worth every penny!”
Q: Do you have any last-minute style secrets that you could share with us?
“Using dry shampoo right after a fresh blow dry. It’s normally intended for when you already have oily hair. But, if you apply a good amount of dry shampoo after a fresh blow dry, it will prevent your hair from getting oily so quickly, because it’s already applied waiting to catch your natural scalp oils. You can add more as time goes by, to refresh your hair.”
Q: Last question, what is your FAVORITE part of your job?
“The favorite part of my job is seeing the joy that I bring to people. I know I’m “just” doing their hair, but I feel so empowered and pleased when I see how great I can make someone feel and look. Up until this past year, I also had the chance to travel for business outside of my home area. These opportunities allowed me to meet so many special people. People that I normally would not have had the chance to meet. I think that’s pretty cool and I’m super grateful for having been given those opportunities.”
When Josue isn’t busy on-set, he’s busy helping his sister at one of her two salon locations in New Jersey, Boho Hair Salon, (by appointment only).
Follow Josue Perez on Instagram.