When a country girl from Howard County, Maryland, and a country girl from Houston, Texas, collaborate, you get one of the hottest Vogue covers of 2020. That’s right—we caught up with master colorist and hairstylist to the stars, Shirley Gordon. Gordon, who comes from humble beginnings, has styled the hair of some of the most prominent celebrities in the game, including Beyoncé for her 2020 Vogue cover, Venus and Serena Williams, and Robyn Dixon from The Real Housewives of Potomac.
W4TC had the pleasure of speaking with Shirley Gordon at the second annual HBCU Honors, hosted at Cramton Auditorium on the campus of Howard University, the renowned Historically Black University in Washington, D.C. The Wella Award recipient, known for her undeniable talent in hair artistry, was open and candid about how she got her start in such an evolving career. She admitted that she initially began by playing in her sisters’ hair, like many young girls do, but credited a special someone in her life for recognizing her gift before she did. Gordon shared, “I got my start because my daddy said he saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself. I have seven sisters, and I just started playing in their hair... so he sent me to beauty school, and I didn’t really have a choice.”
The natural hair community has been on the rise in recent years, and the W4TC team has been strong advocates for the movement—supporting our fellow ladies on their natural hair journeys and proudly representing what it means for Black women to embrace their natural hair in spaces like the HBCU Honors. While celebrating natural beauty, we also recognize the joy of expressing ourselves through various hairstyles and colors. However, creativity can sometimes come at a cost when it comes to preserving the integrity of our natural tresses.
Being the visionary she is, we knew Shirley could give us sound advice on properly coloring our locs without disrupting our loc journey. The renowned stylist told us, “I do it all the time. You can definitely color your locs—you can go completely light blonde—but it’s all about protecting the hair... keep the developer low.”
Throughout the night, one theme was evident: a strong sense of belonging and camaraderie. From the moment you stepped into the room, it was clear that everyone was there with the same mission—to uplift and celebrate one another. Naturally, we asked Shirley what advice she would give to a young Black woman looking to excel in her cosmetology career. The Strands Hair Studio owner emphasized, “Continue to put yourself out there. Always look 100% your best because you never know who you’re going to meet. The young people today just come out of the house looking any kind of way. You gotta make me believe you do hair... and educate yourself, but not from YouTube University.”
If you want more tips on how to have fun with your hair all while keeping the integrity of your natural hair make sure to follow Shirley on Instagram and visit her Hair Studio website SG Studio.
Tune in to celebrate Black excellence on Sunday, December 1 at 8 p.m. ET on BET. Join the conversation on social media:
Facebook: HBCU Honors
Instagram: @hbcu_honors
X (formerly Twitter): @HBCU_Honors.
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