Trendy with Kim Allison

Some days you get a wake up call that's less "aha" and more "ouch." Today I'm unpacking a truth that hit me hard: most people simply aren't thinking about you, good or bad. Not your critics, not your comment section, not the people who cut you off in traffic. And once that actually sinks in, it's oddly freeing. I'm talking through what that realization taught me, and dropping a few actionable nugg...

In this episode, I sit down with hairstylist and salon owner Jasmine Khaitan to talk about something we don't talk about enough in this industry: mental health behind the chair. Jasmine opens up about closing her successful salon in New Jersey, moving to Alabama, and choosing her peace over burnout, even when it didn't make sense to everyone around her. We talk entrepreneurship, boundaries, protec...

So the CreaClip hit my feed after Shark Tank, and everybody's asking the same thing: can this little gadget actually replace your hairstylist? Well, I've got 30 years behind the chair and some thoughts. We're gonna watch the demo together, I'm gonna break down what's really happening when you chop into your own hair with a piece of plastic, and I'll give you my honest professional take. Have you e...

Okay, so I'm back on my Love Island hair talk, and you already know I'm about to get myself in trouble. This time it's Anaya and that curly weave, and before anybody comes for me, I'm coming from love. I'm a Black woman who knows vacation hair, especially when it will not cooperate. I've been there. I paid over $700 for a weave earlier this year that lasted seven days and dried up suspended in mid...

So I tried to throw my best friend Rose a simple little game night for her 70th, and y'all know simple is not in my vocabulary. Six stores, meat dust taco meat, three kinds of salsa, an Aperol spritz nobody asked for. You know what everyone ate? The $20 Costco casserole. And we still had the best time. Because somewhere I confused love with preparation. Turns out the memory isn't what's on the tab...

Okay, this one's a little deep and a little personal. I'm 59, I'm a Black woman, and lately I've felt the temperature in my comments. So let's talk about it. About being told you have to back the culture 100%, right, wrong, or different, or else you're a sellout. I was raised by a strong mom who taught us we were just people who happen to be Black. I'm not discounting anybody's experience, your pa...

In this episode I sat down with my online bestie Audra Brown (@audrapaintshair), the colorist and educator behind Atomic Orchard Salon and the creator of the Del Oro Method, and y'all, this one is packed. Audra's been doing hair for 20 years, and she pulls back the curtain on traditional balayage the right way — the low-and-slow lifting that keeps your hair integrity epic, how to actually manage w...

Gray hair. Lord have mercy, I hate her. 😅 In this Kim's Chair solo rant, I'm pulling the red folder and getting into the silver strands we love to hate. After 30 years behind the chair, gray is now the #1 topic in my chair, and honey, I AM one of you. But here's what got me while prepping this one. Is this really about gray hair? Or is it about aging? You can get Botox on your lunch break and wom...

Here's what happens when a hairstylist watches Love Island: I'm deep in the drama like everyone else, but I also can't stop grading the hair. So this week I'm breaking down the villa, from the leave-outs that are absolutely laid to the three rows of curls keeping me up at night. We're talking weaves, blends, baby hair, and who's earning a chef's kiss versus the dunce hat. And before anyone comes f...

This week I'm asking something I've been sitting with for 30 years behind the chair: when did we decide that longer automatically means better? I'm getting into our obsession with long hair, why it means something completely different in every community, and how it gets tied up in our identity. Plus some honesty about my own hair journey, the thinning, the wigs, and why I'll always love a good pix...

This week I'm talking straight to clients, and stylists, don't come for me until you hear me out. There's a real difference between a hairstylist who builds their business around their clients and a content creator who just happens to do hair, and I think you deserve to know it. I'm telling you about the appointment that changed how I treat people forever, the green flags and red flags to watch fo...

Okay you guys, this one hit different. I sat down with Carly Zanoni from The Blonde Chronicles to talk about something a lot of us are scared to say out loud.. you can be talented, fully booked, working your tail off, and STILL somehow broke. Carly cracked that code to a seven-figure level, and she keeps it so real about the fear, the haters, and what it actually takes to bet on yourself. Whether...

Okay you guys, we need to talk. Threads is a war zone right now, hairdressers versus clients, and the service that broke me? A $250 silk press. In this solo rant I'm breaking down where that number even comes from, why the math isn't mathing, and why clients asking questions are NOT the enemy. After 30 years behind the chair, I've got some things to say. So pull up a chair, because we're bringing...

Okay you guys, this one is straight from the heart. Hate is having its moment right now, on Threads, on TikTok, everywhere, and I am so over it. So in this solo I'm getting real about hate culture and the question nobody wants to ask: what role am I playing in it? I'll walk you through the exact questions I ask myself to check my own heart and choose peace over all the toxic noise. No judgment her...

You guys… he DID it. Alfredo Lewis just dropped QOAT, the first-ever professional hair color top coat, and let me just say, she is THAT girl. Think top coat for your nails, but make it hair: she seals, she shines, and she stops your color from fading the second you leave the chair. Five minutes at the back bar and your color actually LASTS, honey. But this convo? It's so much more than a product....

Okay you guys, let me tell you about Alfredo Lewis. Master colorist, 30 years in the game, over 2 million on TikTok - and an innovator who finally solved the thing we've ALL been frustrated about: color that fades wash after wash, no matter how many bond builders and purple shampoos you throw at it. His answer? QOAT. Instead of protecting the color from underneath, he put something ON TOP to lock...

We've all had our moment where the internet tried us. In this episode, I'm getting real about how I navigated some unexpected internet drama, protected my peace, and actually worked through forgiveness step by step. Because grudges? They will kill your glow, sis. I'm sharing the exact process I used to let it go and come out on the other side smiling. If you're holding onto something that's been w...

Leah Sampson is not your typical hairstylist. She's an Army vet, a colorist, an extension specialist, and the woman who clipped her mic to a knife at a restaurant and went viral for it. We talk beauty school, going independent, and what it actually takes to build a loyal clientele. ✨ Leah Sampson – Hairstylist, Colorist, Extension Specialist & Makeup Artist Based in Charlottesville, VA IG: @l...

You guys, there is a new bill on the table called the Earnings Accountability Act and if you are in this industry, you need to know about it. The government wants to measure our success rate coming straight out of beauty school and put us in a salary box. And I'm sorry, but it is not that cut and dry. Our industry does not work that way. I break it all down in this episode. And if that's not enoug...

You guys, I'm just going to say it. I don't want to talk about politics in my chair. And before you come for me, hear me out. This is not me burying my head in the sand, okay? I know what's going on in the world. But when you sit in my chair, that is your time. I want to focus on you, your hair, and honestly just give you a little break from all of it, because Lord knows we all need one. Tune in,...

We talk about taking care of our clients. But who's taking care of us? Mental health therapist Tom Hentelman sits down with me to talk about the emotional weight beauty professionals carry every single day and what to do about it. ✨ Tom Hentelman – Mental Health Therapist & Beauty Industry Mental Health Specialist IG: @performance_mental_health IG: @avguygrooming Website: https://www.caarecou...

Sometimes the moments that shake you are the ones that clarify you the most. I'm opening up about a recent experience that tested me, what I learned from it, and why I'm more rooted in my mission than ever. 🛍️ Shop Virtue Labs through my link: https://www.virtuelabs.com/en/stylist/Kim-Allison ✅ Subscribe for more conversations with the voices reshaping the beauty industry. Click Here For More Inf...

Two years ago I hit record for the very first time and I haven't stopped since. In this quick solo episode I'm sharing what keeps me coming back, why I refuse to give up on this podcast, and what I need from you to help this thing grow. Thank you for being here. Genuinely. 🛍️ Shop Virtue Labs through my link: https://www.virtuelabs.com/en/stylist/Kim-Allison ✅ Subscribe for more conversations wit...

Being a parent doesn't stop when your kids become adults. In this personal solo episode I get candid about one of the hardest parts of parenting grown children. Learning when to speak up, when to stay quiet, and what happens when your child doesn't want to hear what you have to say. If you're an adult parent trying to figure out where the line is, this one is for you. Subscribe to stay in the know...

In this episode of Kim's Chair, Jules Heron of Hair for Humans in Portland, Oregon gets real about why so many clients leave the salon without getting what they asked for, why quitting color was the best business decision they ever made, and how going all in on what they actually love led to 750,000 followers across four platforms and $12,000 months on Facebook. Jules also breaks down the Facebook...