The patio was her first salon, where a six-year-old Karrón Celeste would practice her art on the unsuspecting blonde heads of her Barbie dolls. Mixing together red and purple Kool-Aid, she’d achieve a deep black color, then air-dry and bake the dolls under the afternoon sun until their new looks were set. Barbie, Skipper, and PJ all had colored hair; they were no longer blonde. Her third-grade classroom almost served as her next salon. Thinking she was clever, Karrón Celeste cut the bangs of herself, another Black girl, and two little white girls. The plan was short-lived, however. For that evening, as their mothers went to put their hair in rollers for the night, around the hair would go, then instantly, the fresh cuts would FLAP out straight—not even a bend. A punishment was surely in order. Leimert Park Beauty College followed. “So, why a cosmetologist?” Mrs. Wells, the owner, inquired. Karrón Celeste’s response: “I want to teach clients how to have healthy, beautiful, and ‘stylish’ hair”—a mission that would define her career. And for her, cosmetology school came easy—understanding theory and putting it into practice was her joy.
In 1986, while still a student, her skill was recognized on a grand stage. Karrón Celeste won her first challenge in the Student category of the Bronner Bros Hair Show in Los Angeles, CA. This win proved to her mentor, Jacqui Montero, that Karrón Celeste was ready to move from assisting to artistry. When they moved to a new salon, New Attitude, Karrón Celeste spent a year and a half as an assistant stylist to the owner, Dedra Dupree, and other stylists. Her knowledge of products and understanding of diverse hair types and textures expanded exponentially. She wasn't just learning her craft—she was mastering it. Her core belief was simple: she wanted to empower clients to feel confident as the primary custodians of their look, with her role being to maintain it through expert cuts, colors, and styles.
Karrón Celeste took an unexpected but necessary path. She went away to Grambling State University, where, from 1990 to 1995, she was known simply as ‘Celeste, the stylist from Cali’. After graduating, life led her to a new, fulfilling role: for seventeen years, she became a school teacher and a devoted mother to her amazing daughter, Hazel Jade. In 2012, at a new chapter in her life, Karrón Celeste retired from teaching and returned to her first love: a stylist once more at New Attitude. The industry had evolved, and so did she. She dove headfirst into learning new products and techniques, focusing intensely on mastering the art of cutting and coloring for her clients. With the guidance of mentors like Eva ‘The Style Diva’ Williams, Patrick Bradley, and Tony Roland... Karrón Celeste’s skills were shaped and molded while finetuning her artistry through specialized classes.
Today, at 62, Karrón Celeste is a Master Stylist for ULTA Beauty and a name in her own right. Her journey has led to incredible opportunities, including collaborations with prestigious product lines like Tabitha Brown’s Donna’s Recipe, Julissa Prado’s Rizos Curls, and, most recently, collaborating with Ms. Tina Knowles, co-founder of Beyoncé’s Cécred, for which Karrón Celeste was one of the launch stylists from ULTA. For Karrón Celeste, this is not the end of her story. In approximately five years, she plans to leave the chair for a second retirement—not from the industry entirely, but to become a product educator for a major company. She loves her career, and with every chapter, she continues to color, cut, and style her own remarkable path.
I chose this young lady as my Industry Hero because I was not intrigued but impressed by her drive, determination, and focus to pursue her passion not letting time, age, or locations in life detour her. Her steadfast attitude for the industry helped her to become the master stylist she is today.
Karrón Celeste is definitely one to be admired and watched.
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