Celebrity hairstylist and salon owner Yene Damtew joins us to talk about the real work behind “good hair,” the pressures Black women face around beauty standards, and what it was really like doing Michelle Obama’s hair at the White House and beyond. From the rise of Instagram stylists to the myths around natural hair, Yene gets brutally honest about the hair industry, client relationships, and why the best stylists are educators first.

💬 In this powerful and hilarious convo, we cover:

- Her journey from neighborhood braider to celebrity stylist
- Navigating hair trauma and salon PTSD
- The truth about heat damage (and why “heat trained” is a scam)
- Her most viral moment doing Michelle Obama’s hair
- How Black women navigate “presentation pressure” at work
- Her biggest career lessons from working with the First Lady

🎯 Whether you’ve got natural curls or a silk press, this episode will challenge what you think you know about hair care — and why the stylist you choose matters more than you think.

KEY POINTS: 

- Why Black hair is an identity, not just a style

- Good hair is just healthy hair. Period!

- Those baby hairs gotta do, darling

- Michelle Obama’s viral moment? Yeah, Yene approved

- Not every stylist is for you — and that’s okay

- Flat iron vs. ceramic? The damage is real

- Your hair is stressed because you are, too

- Why textured hair needs its own standard of beauty

- Are you also a victim of these common hair myths?

- The First Lady treatment? It’s not what you think

QUOTES 

“Healthy hair is good hair, whether it is looser, curl, tighter, curl, wavy, straight, anything in between.”  – Yene Damtew

“My main thing is helping my clients really love and embrace whatever texture that they have and teach them how to maintain it and keep it healthy.” – Yene Damtew

“More than anything, my passion is always teaching and creating an environment for women to come and feel good about themselves.” – Yene Damtew

GUEST RESOURCES: 

Yene Damtew 

IG | @YeneDamtew

RESOURCES: 

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Mona Kosar Abdi

IG |  @monakabdi 

Jeannette Reyes

IG |  @msnewslady 

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