Kim Kimble Talks Hair Trends And New Season Of 'L.A. Hair'

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Celebrity hairstylist Kim Kimble’s resume is pretty stellar – Beyoncè, Sanaa Lathan, Kerry Washington, Mary J. Blige and an All-Star cast of celebrities have all sat in her chair. On top of that, Kimble, who’s owned her own Los Angeles salon since 2000, has starred on the WEtv reality series “L.A. Hair” for four seasons. The fifth debuts at 9 p.m. on Thursday, January 5th and promises some surprises and new talent. We caught up to Kimble to ask about hair trends in 2016 and what to expect when L.A. Hair returns for business.

How did the ‘Kimpire’ come about? Was it your association with Beyoncè that kicked it off?

I already had a salon by the time Beyoncè came along. I had started working with entertainers before her, but definitely when I started working with her, my brand and my career [skyrocketed]. I met her on a film where she was included on the soundtrack. She’s an amazing person to work with, she’s super talented and am fortunate to have had her as a client.

What will 2017 look like in hair? Super straight styles seem to be coming back, but there’s the natural hair phenomenon as well.

There’s a big rush of people who wear weaves and extensions because everyone loves to enhance their hair. But natural hair will continue to have a big impact on the industry and I think a lot of people are going to be adding more color and cutting and styling their natural hair, which I definitely recommend.

I think dressing it up and really owning it and making it high-end and making that commitment, going all it all the way. Don’t just rock it natural, make it a cut and a style. One thing I love about Solange – her cut and her style really make women understand ‘Oh wow, I can rock this and be fly or very high-fashion. Whatever your reservation with natural hair, you can let people see that there is something special about it. It’s not a phase anymore.

Have you seen a change in your business since natural hair became more popular? When it may have been 75-25% in favor of weaves and wigs, has that changed?

The majority of my business has always been that. We do have a few natural clients, but they don’t really come into salons that often. It’s home care. It’s home maintenance-based. We definitely encourage people to come in and get their hair cut and shaped and get it styled. There’s definitely a perception that you can do it all at home. I think that more salons need to offer more services to natural clients because it’s definitely not going anywhere.

Is there anything new going on in weaving and extensions for 2017?

In terms of weaves or extensions, a lot of people are gravitating more to wigs than extensions, clip-ins to enhance their natural hair, and that’s something we manufactures. Hair, wigs, they are a big part of our business. Because they’re very popular we’ve definitely made it a big part of what we do in our salon. I did and exclusive product line for HSN a conditioning treatment and hair care and a ceramic flat-iron with argan oil vapor out of the iron. It helps seal the hair and gives you a lot of shine even while you’re flat ironing.

What’s happening this season on L.A. Hair? Give us some insider scoop.

Well, you know I work with my family; my mother and my sister. There’s a new family member coming on L.A. Hair that people haven’t seen. There’s a new cast – new stylists that are coming on. One of them is James Blake, you remember him as the Patti Pie guy. As a businesswoman, you’ve seen us make tough decisions in the past. Being an entrepreneur is still very turbulent on L.A. Hair. You’ll see me talk about going to HSN and you’ll get to follow me there, pitching and creating and doing presentations for HSN. There’s definitely drama among the stylists. But you’ll see me building my brand in the midst of it all. I’m excited about this season. I think folks will have a great experience watching it.

You can buy Kim Kimble professional products via HSN.com HERE.