Welcome back to Behind the Chair — the ratchet, real, and raw podcast where two Atlanta stylists keep it all the way 100 about Black hair.

I’m Denise — 16 years behind the chair.

I’m Jada — 7 years in, and we both specialize in natural hair + locs

We were supposed to do “The Big Chop Wasn’t A Choice” this week, but your girls are driving to Premiere Orlando tomorrow — the biggest hair show for salon pros. So The Big Chop moves to Ep 4.

This week: We’re recording before we hit I-75. We’re talking what we hope to learn at Premiere for natural hair and locs, the tools + products we’re checking for, and the biggest struggle we still face in the chair: clients bringing inspo pics that don’t match their texture, density, or lifestyle.

We didn’t learn that number-letter hair chart in cosmetology school — it’s not a professional system. We DID learn texture, density, porosity, and elasticity. That’s what we use to consult you. We break down what you see online vs what you get in real life, why “I want THIS exactly” isn’t always possible, and why “no” is sometimes the best service we can give.

We’re vlogging Premiere! Follow us on TikTok @behindthechairpod and IG behindthechair.pod for behind-the-scenes from Orlando.

How we use K18: This is for the clients with damage — from color, heat, or years of tension. It’s not a conditioner, it’s a bond builder. You use it on clean, damp hair, 4 pumps, no rinse. Wait 4 minutes before styling. It works at the molecular level to repair broken keratin chains. We keep it in the chair for color clients and anybody dealing with breakage from old styles. Going in the road trip bag because somebody’s gonna need a treatment at Premiere