Today we’d like to introduce you to Alyson Lupo.
Alyson, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
It’s funny, but for as long as I can remember, my hair has played a starring role in much of my life–but I never considered turning my interest in it into a career. And then, after the birth of my second child in 2015, my hair changed. It was more resistant to straightening, and I didn’t know how to make it look ‘nice’ in its natural state, so I chopped it off into a pixie (one step below my original plan of just Sinead O’Connoring my whole head!) and tried my best to deal with it. Hated that, too. So in March of 2016, I happened upon and read in one evening “Curly Girl: The Handbook” by Lorraine Massey. From then on, I put away the straightening iron and worked on embracing my hair as it was, and myself as I was. I then found a couple of Facebook groups focused on this ‘curly girl method’, where I learned even more about the science of hair. All of this gave me a totally new perspective on my hair and hair in general. I was hooked. A few months later, when I felt I had a handle on my hair–which was still very much a work in progress, although I didn’t know it at the time–I created an Instagram and then a YouTube channel where I could just share my product- and technique-based experiments and outcomes. It was fun, it was sciencey, and then it became social. Like, really social. Today, I have just over 100k curl-friends across my social channels, and I’m so grateful to each of them for joining me on this journey. Truly, though, it’s the personal thank-you-you’ve-changed-my-life messages from people (who I can just tell are in the shoes I was in a few years ago) that keep me motivated and wanting to change lives. So, I decided to take that social platform and turn it into a platform where I could meet and hug and totally ‘love on’ people in person–which I did for the first time at an in-person meetup I planned and hosted in May of 2019. It was so much fun, and so inspirational to see 200+ curly heads of hair in one room, and meet so many of the people I’ve befriended online over the years! Currently, I’m finishing up cosmetology school and will soon be a professional stylist specializing in wavy/curly/coily/textured hair this spring, where I’m looking forward to spending quality one-on-one time with wavies and curlies, holding texture classes, and hosting events to help others learn how to better care for their hair, and themselves.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Oh, absolutely not. For the first six months after starting my ‘curly girl journey’, I think I had what I would consider one good hair day per month. It was incredibly frustrating, but I decided to focus instead on what I must have done right to have earned that one miraculous great hair day. Patterns of what I did right began to emerge, so I repeated them, kept things consistent, and threw out the things that didn’t appear to work for my hair. With time and consistency, my good hair days began to outweigh the bad ones–and I was even able to pinpoint what I had done wrong on those bad hair days. You have to be open to learning, be honest with yourself, and be tenacious in your approach for this method to be successful. They don’t call it a journey for nothing. But I promise it’s worth it.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about txture+studio, a wavy-curly hair space (coming this spring) – what should we know?
I really became passionate about wavy/curly hair when I understood how it could be encouraged and even improved in its natural state, rather than manipulated in a way that creates the appearance of health while actually harming its very fabric. What’s that phrase? Oh, “lipstick on a pig” – hah! But I’ve just never been fond of that idea. Most people who come see me aren’t looking for immediate results, but for answers to questions they’re not even sure how to ask. It’s almost a type of hair therapy or diagnosis. Together, we dig deep into their hair-related pain points to create solutions and a doable routine that will make a long-term difference in their hair–and, ultimately, their feelings about their appearance overall. There’s something really beautiful that happens when you start embracing who you are and how you were made, rather than trying to cover it all up, changing yourself beyond recognition. I want you to look like you. And if you want to look like you, and want to like what you see, I think we’d be a good fit. I do offer color services as well, but again, I’m always looking for the most natural, gentle products on the market. On another note, I’m also passionate about minimizing waste, so I am working on implementing ideas that will minimize my plastic waste and water usage, among other environmental concerns.
What’s the most important piece of advice you could give to a young woman just starting her career?
Your career is not a box you are locked into. I started my own career in journalism, branding, and corporate communications, only to have it later evolve into social media communications and public relations–and now hair! I never saw it coming. As time changes, so will you. I encourage you to find the thing that intrigues but scares you the most and run towards it. Dig in, deep. You may uncover a beautiful new part of yourself you didn’t even know existed. Don’t be afraid of who you will become.
Contact Info:
- Email: txturestudio@gmail.com
- Instagram: @reallifecurlygirl
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/reallifecurlygirl/
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/c/reallifecurlygirl
Image Credit:
Professional photos by Rawl Photography
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