Business Spotlight

Upon stepping through the front doors of A Curl’s Best Friend, one will be immediately pleased to emerge into a welcoming atmosphere with intentionally curated décor. The comfy living room and private styling rooms explain very quickly that this is no ordinary salon --- and owner Cindy Latter and her stylists Deanna Holper and Madi Rashidian are no ordinary hairdressers.

A Curl’s Best Friend was founded to fill the glaring blind spot that is the lack of curly hair products, education, and understanding in the beauty industry. As explained by owner Cindy Latter, curly hair comes in all shapes, sizes, and shades and yet many salons are ill-equipped to style it properly. In fact, many hairstylists may choose instead to straighten out or apply harmful products to curly hair. This status quo arises from the societal standard that straight hair is desirable whereas curly hair is something to be ashamed of. Negative portrayals of curly hair in the media and bullying by peers only serves to reinforce this sentiment. For that reason, A Curl’s Best Friend has become a therapeutic safe space for those with curly hair; a long-awaited refuge for the bullied to hear that natural is beautiful.

A Curl’s Best Friend also goes beyond just making their clients feel special but delivers incredible results with all-natural products and life-long education. An appointment with Cindy and her stylists involves far more than just a haircut. To prove their dedication to healthy hair, each client is taught the best methods for styling at home and given a “prescription” of products to use to achieve the results they desire. This methodology is clearly effective; baggies of hair products primed for pickup lay in piles by the counter and the salon’s calendar is overflowing with follow-ups and check-ins. Cindy and her team are even willing to help the most extreme of cases, once styling a client for over ten hours (with shaving one’s head and giving up never even being an option)!

One should not, however, assume that the products in these “prescriptions” are as ordinary as any other salon’s. As Cindy notes, an overwhelming supply of beauty products and a deluge of advertisements have left many confused as to what to use on their own hair. Even worse, the beauty industry, as Cindy sees it, is saturated with “dirty” products that are not only ill-suited for curly hair, but could lead to long-term damage for any user. Thus, A Curl’s Best Friend prides themselves on only using the best in natural hair care, namely in the form of Innersense products. Started out of a need for beauty products for a skin-sensitive daughter, Innersense offers a wide range of hair care designed specifically for those with curly hair; a revolution in hairdressing. With simple and clean products, Cindy knows that she is making a positive impact not just on her clients, but the local environment.

For these reasons among many others, it is clear why A Curl’s Best Friend has a dedicated and expanding list of clientele that has been able to expand naturally since its inception. The salon even has a few clients who have been with Cindy throughout her nearly 36 years of professional hairdressing experience; ready to follow her wherever she goes. And now, with Deanna and Madi, A Curl’s Best Friend stands ready to teach future generations how to not only care for curly hair, but love it too.

Please enjoy the personal testimonies of the hairdressers at a Curl’s Best Friend:

“Curly hair is something I didn’t know I needed in my life, but it has shaped me both as a hairstylist and in how I see myself every day. For most of my 14 years in this profession, I thought my hair was just puffy and frizzy, relying on flat irons and chemical treatments to feel “put together,” while offering those same services to my clients. After having my daughter and struggling with scalp issues, I switched to products with more natural ingredients, and my hair came to life—it wasn’t just puffy; it was curly! This exciting change opened up a whole new world in the industry that I didn’t know existed. Meeting Cindy, a curly hair specialist with 18 years of experience, changed everything. Cindy became my mentor, greatest supporter, and dearest friend, teaching me not just the technical skills of working with curly hair but how to truly listen, understand, and appreciate the deeper importance of helping curly hair take up space in the world.

I’m so grateful to her for having the courage to be a different type of hairstylist and for providing a beautiful, strong foundation to grow in and with. Alongside our incredible team at A Curl’s Best Friend, I have the privilege of helping people of all ages love, embrace, and understand their natural hair. Every story shared, every tear shed (both happy and sad), and every transformation I get to be part of reminds me that this work is important. It’s about more than hair—it’s about self-love, confidence, and empowerment. I’m so grateful I get to do what I love while helping my community and others in the best way I know how.”

- Deanna Holper, A Curl’s Best Friend, Inc.

“My mom made me an appointment with a Curly Hair Specialist because I had struggled with my curls my whole life. That appointment with Cindy truly changed my life in more ways than one. Not only did I leave with extensive knowledge of how I could achieve the look I had always wanted at home, but I also left with an idea of what I wanted for my future. I was only a senior in high school at the time, still trying to figure out exactly what I wanted to do, and after spending a few hours with her, I knew. Once I graduated, I was on my journey to becoming a Curly Hair Specialist.

In the two years I have worked with Cindy, I have learned more than I could have imagined. Every person with curly hair has a story; whether they didn’t know they had curls or had them their whole life, their journey has brought them to A Curl’s Best Friend. It is constantly inspiring to hear all of the stories; it serves as a reminder of why what we do is so important and is healing for so many clients who haven’t had confidence in their hair and their past stylists. I’m glad the curly world is expanding lately, and so many people have started embracing their natural texture. It is truly so beautiful, and I’m happy to be a part of A Curl’s Best Friend team.”

- Madi Rashidian, A Curl’s Best Friend, Inc.