If you are natural or looking to go natural then this woman is someone to know . As the owner of The Damn Salon in Atlanta and Runway Curls textured hair extensions Mushiya Tshikuka doing her thing.

Next month she is breaking out in the new WEtv début Cutting It in the ATL , all about the Atlanta salon scene. Mushiya is an explosive ball of energy I met during the Runway Curls  press preview in NYC. Her and her staff showcased their Curly , Kinky afro, textured hair ,and all the ways it can be worn. There are endless possibilities. She is originally from the Congo and learned her craft the way a lof of us do  from dear old Mom. She is the master stylist behind City Twists in Atlanta as well. I talked to Mushiya about the art of purchasing quality hair for your installs and where she sees the natural hair business going. With summer fast approaching its time to go curly. So to keep my hair healthy and heat free I’ll be rocking some Runway Hair for a naturally look. I’ll be reviewing my look here and can’t wait!

BL: Mushiya as a stylist you have an advantage in the Hair market. What do you think is important to consider when purchasing hair for an install that women aren’t seeing (in your experience)?

M. For years women have been purchasing hair but have never asked themselves 2 questions: Does the hair blend with my own natural hair, and does the hair represent who I am and my lifestyle. Why are the these questions important? Simple. One: I think it is important for purchased hair to blend in with our own hair texture, so that we do not have to physically alter and permanently damage our own hair texture for extension blending purposes. This is mostly due to the fact that most hair extension lines are not created with a mission to blend with the texture of the African american girl’s hair. Hence, the extreme neccesity for Runway Curls. Runway Curls was created to truly blend with the curl pattern of our own hair. Runway Curls eliminates the chemical and flatiron force of blending tight curls with looser curled hair and silky straight hair extensions. We created Runway Curls in celebration of who we are. Imagine a bundle of hair that allows you to blend your curly, nappy, or kinky edges with it so that it looks absolutely natural . Runway Curls allows the consumer that has embraced their natural curls experience longer length that is seamless. Its amazing how accurate the blends are ! Big Natural hair is the all rage especially for the summer ! Do you see the natural hair extension business growing as well? The Natural Hair extensions is indeed a growing business! Who the hell doesn’t want to elongate their fro or curls with some longer fro or curls! The world used to think that if you wanted longer hair, you had to wear it straight or body waved like Beyonce. What?! Now slowly but surely women are finding out that they can elongate their kinks. Indeed the natural hair extension business is growing and about to grow bigger! Its about time !

BL:Well how about caring for natural hair while wearing an install. .Can you realistically protect your hair in between installs from dreaded breakage ? Any suggestions?

M:See, it is not even about protecting your hair underneath or between installs anymore… its about protecting your hair WHILE installed. If the hair that is installed is so similar  to your own hair, then the protection and care for both the bundles and your own hair never changes. So if the care of your own hair demands a sulfate free shampoo and a Shea coconut moisturizing butter… so do the Runway Curls Hair! It is much easier to care for both your hair and the hair installed when they demand the same care. Runway curls is such a replica of our own hair that once we install it in our hair, the hair care regiment remains the same: Shampoo and condition with sulfate free products, moistures with a blend of shea, coconut and mango butter, and seal with a good natural hair oil. Detangle and twist hair at least 1 night of the week and sleep with a bonnet.

BL: We are seeing finally women of color owning not just buying from the hair companies. Why do you think it took so long?

M:The beauty industry is so amazing because the consumers are 98 percent black and the retailers and distributers are 98 percent Asian /Persian. And of course I may have made up those exact numbers but it is certainly close to the reality. It has taken a long time for woman of color to start owning beauty companies. The extension hair market is predominantly an Asian/Persian monopoly. It is a very hard market to penetrate. However the natural hair movement has provided alternatives for the business woman of color. The Black Hair Industry is a multi billion dollar industry that everyone but Black people are capitalizing from and finally the Black community has become aware of this. Awareness is the first step in changing the ownership of this market. The second most important step is for the Black Community to work together and collaborate their finances and resources to rebuild the industry from the ground up. Our mission with Runway Curls is to create empowerment by providing the opportunity for stylists, small boutique owners and other individuals to collaborate with us, with an aim to create a big enough army to begin to reap the fruits of this billion dollar industry that we fund.

BL: What was the void Runway Curls will fill ?

M: We aim to match African America women’s natural curl pattern such that they do not need to process and damage their own hair. We love nappy hair and only promote nappy extensions + We promote working together with other stylists and business owners. We understand that the beauty industry and market has enough clients, money and opportunity for everyone. Our Runway Curls affiliate program promotes building an empire by encouraging other stylists and business owners to collaborate with us to to take over the beauty industry. BL: Who is the ideal Runway Curl girl to you ? The ideal Runway Curl girl is a girl that loves her natural curly textured hair. She is a girl who embraces every curl, every kink, and every nap, so much that if she is going to add a weave either to protect or to elongate her hair, then it better look like her own damn hair. She loves the wildness and carefreeness of her natural and does not hide from it, but rather, expresses herself through it. The Runway Curls Girl is confident. She is a trendsetter. She is flirty with her curls and she oozes sexiness through them. She is beyond comfortable with her natural. Her curls are what sets her apart and make her unique and the reason why she stands out in a room. The Ideal Runway Curls girl is a leader.

So walk… Runway Curl Girl, lead the way and the world will follow. Want to see more Runway Curls ?

Check here www.runwaycurls.com