Fly Female Entrepreneurs

Fly Female Entrepreneur

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Tippi Shorter

Who do celebrities like Alicia Keys, Rihanna, and Jennifer Hudson continuously look to when their tresses need taming? These style mavens turn to none other than their indispensible hairstylist, Tippi Shorter.

Tippi prides herself on her signature big, sexy, healthy hair. She not only makes great efforts to use “green” hair products, the newest tools and styling options; Tippi gives her clients personalized hair analysis. It’s one thing to have a great hairstylist. It is an even greater thing to have a hairstylist who can give you both healthy hair and a great style. That is what has made Tippi Shorter a leading hairstylist and colorist in the entertainment and beauty industries for the past 15 years. Her beauty transformations have graced the covers and editorial pages of trendsetting magazines like Elle, Essence, In Style, and Vanity Fair.  Today, Tippi sits down with In Her Shoes to chat about life in the fab lane!

In Her Shoes: You’ve worked your hair styling magic on quite a few of our favorite celebs like Rihanna, Jennifer Hudson, Erykah Badu, and Lauryn Hill. What has been your most memorable celebrity hair moment to date?

Tippi: My most memorable celebrity hair moment happens every single time I work with any of these wonderful ladies. The fact that I get to do what I love and get accolades for it is always memorable!


In Her Shoes: We’re familiar with the Soho salon you previously owned by the name of Luxe Studio. It was extremely successful for four years, however, you sold the business in ’05 to focus on commercials, photo shoots and music videos. Do you ever dream of opening another salon and if so, what would you do differently?

Tippi: I think of opening a salon often now since I have a 2-year-old and would love to cut down on the amount of traveling that I do. If I were to do it all over again I would keep the staff a bit smaller, with under six employees.

Get Gorgeous Hair Featured in Essence Magazine

In Her Shoes: As the quintessential Fly Female Entrepreneur, you always seem to have quite a few irons on fire. Tell us about your newest endeavor, Get Gorgeous Hair, and how that came to be:

Tippi: A really good friend saw my frustration from ordering hair from a well known brand and the hair not being exactly what I ordered. She suggested I start selling my own hair, I took her great advice and GET GORGEOUS HAIR was born!

In Her Shoes: Can you give us an idea of what a typical day in Tippi Shorter’s shoes is like?

Tippi: I wake up at 7 a.m., have breakfast with my daughter and take her to daycare. I get a ride to the airport from my husband and fly off to L.A. to work on a client for a red carpet event. Days on the road are always busy and fly by so quickly! After getting my client red carpet ready I head back to the airport for the 11p.m. red eye. I get rest on the flight and land in NYC at 6 a.m. and head back home. I wake the family up for breakfast and if I’m lucky, I go back to sleep and wake up at 1 or 2 p.m. At this point I get myself together and leave the house by 3 p.m.  to prep a client for their NY red carpet event. If all goes well I’m back home and in bed by 10 p.m. to rest up for the next day!

In Her Shoes: What are some of the common hair care mistakes made by some of your clients? What’s your advice on how to avoid those mistakes?

Tippi: Most of my clients don’t really do a lot to their hair on their downtime.  They typically get it shampooed and styled bi-weekly by me, another stylist, or an assistant. Most celebrities have two stylists in the event that someone isn’t available for last minute jobs. That said, I’m fortunate enough to work with clients who don’t get the opportunity to make too many mistakes on their own hair.

In Her Shoes: We absolutely love the work you do with Pantene’s advertising campaigns targeting women of color. Do you have any plans for future collaborations?

Tippi: I have been working with Pantene for about five years now. I absolutely love their products and will continue to work with them as long as they keep producing great shampoos and conditioners.

In Her Shoes: What advice would you give to an aspiring hair stylist who would like to walk in your shoes?

Tippi: Don’t forget to pay your dues. Hard work, professionalism, and creative ability will take you far in this industry!

For additional information on Tippi Shorter visit www.tippishorter.com. Ready to Get Gorgeous Hair? Click here!

As a New York City storyteller, filmmaker, digital content creator, and PR strategist, Renae Bluitt created "In Her Shoes" to empower and enlighten women committed to realizing their dreams.

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