“In The Chair With” spotlights the incredible hairstylists in our community who are giving us major inspiration. Each week, they discuss their personal hair and career journeys, what they’ve learned from their clients, and their top hair care tips.
When Brandon Horsley-Thompson was a teen applying for a summer job in his hometown of Colombia, Missouri, he had his eyes set on the hair salon. But he admits that it was a lie that got his foot in the door. “They put me in the barbershop because being a 14-year-old gay boy in the midwest, a hairstylist isn’t the thing you say you wanted to be. But it all worked out,” Horsley-Thompson tells ESSENCE.
He got his start as a “shampoo boy” who was also tasked with “sweeping up hair.” Soon, the budding pro would catch the attention of a skilled stylist in the salon. After watching her for a month, she tapped him to “help glue on her tracks.” Horsley-Thompson felt like it all came naturally to him. That was confirmation he was exactly where he needed to be.
At 15, he moved to Dallas and enrolled in a cosmetology program within his high school. While he didn’t complete his beauty studies upon graduation, hair was always something Horsley-Thompson did on the side.
When he enlisted in the Navy, Horsley-Thompson spent deployment “putting in extensions and braids.” He went on to do a series of government contract gigs and a GI bill helped him pick up where he left off at hair school in Dallas, Texas. However, his sights were set higher than styling at a local salon. That said, he made the move to Los Angeles with the goal to work in TV, film, and production.
“I had to finish 100 more hours to get licensed in California or stay in Dallas. But I was ready to go,” he says. “So I enrolled at Tony & Guy. My first week there, I shot a commercial and was in a commercial. I just knew LA was for me.”
Positioning himself behind the chair at Drybar in Studio City was also a smart career move for Horsley-Thompson because it helped him to make major connections in Hollywood. The hairstylist and makeup artist has worked with big acts like Angelica Ross, Missy Elliott, and Keke Wyatt, as well as brands such as Hennessy, Jack Daniels, Target, and Kohl’s.
“What I noticed in the industry is that it is not common to be nice, on time, and get the job done. When you have these things, they set you apart,” he says. “As a creative and a hairstylist, we get so many monetary rewards, but it feels good to give back to people and share the gift.”
Below, Horsley-Thompson shares the greatest lesson he’s learned from the women who sit in his chair, the flat iron he can’t live without, and more.
His favorite hairstyles
I feel like my aesthetic is classic and effortless. It is my job to create the look— it’s also my job to educate my clients on how to maintain the look. Hair can look great the day of, but if it looks 85 percent of what it did three days later, that’s what I love. I like undone, effortless, run-your-hands-through-it-hair!
His current favorite products
The Pravana Nevo Intense Therapy Leave-In Treatment. No matter the hair texture or race of the person, you can use this product on anyone. It’s a really good foundation for a blowout, braids, twist-outs. And it doesn’t leave the hair heavy like other products do.
Kenra Professional is another one of my favorite brands. I like their formulations because they are moisturizing but do not weigh hair down, so you get the full benefit of products. Remington made this small flat iron. I can’t find it anywhere! The day that it goes out, please check on me. It has a bevel on it. You can use it on the edges and it would just smooth them. I’ve never had anyone say, “It burns.”
His top tip for healthy hair
I would say shampoo hair in warm to cool water because hot water is stripping. It feels good but it doesn’t do anything.
A hair myth he wants to debunk
That “my hair can’t do that.” I tell people all the time it’s not about “my hair can’t do that,” it’s about the approach to getting it to the destination. If you have someone who has shorter hair who feels their hair won’t look a certain way. They may want to consider a side part versus a middle part.
What he has learned from his clients
I have had clients pour into me on how I run my own business—including getting an LLC and not just being a sole proprietor for insurance reasons. What I’ve gained the most from the women I’ve served is learning business ethics.
How he uplifts his clients
I tell them that there is only one you and you do you best. So if you walk into that thing, whatever that thing may be, you are going to shine. I feel like I’m the listening ear because sometimes people just want to talk it through. They don’t really need my input. They just need an “uh huh,” “yes,” or “hmm” to get them on the path that they already know is true. I try not to give advice because I’m not a therapist, but what I do know is that I do come to decisions on my own by just talking out loud and having someone in the room. You put that with a nice shampoo, a finished style with you walking out of the door feeling like your best self, and the answer is yours.
