Dolce´ Hair Designs
Karen Owens hails from Tuskegee, Alabama. She knew she wanted a career in the hair care industry at an early age. As a student at Tuskegee Institute High School, she gained a reputation for being able to style hair with flair. Soon she was being requested by her classmates to give them the “latest look.” After attending Hampton University, Hampton Virginia, she enrolled in Capelli Learning Center in Atlanta, Georgia to learn the fine art of hair styling and care. She honed her craft at Jakki Colours for five years under thirteen of the best stylists in Atlanta!
Jakki Colours was very well known at the time and received awards for the salon of the year five years in a row! Karen realized, that not only did Jakki Dee give her a job, but he allowed her to learn and build a foundation from some of the best. They helped Karen set a standard of doing what is right in this industry, and to remember that all money isn’t good money! Your name is worth more than any money you will ever receive!
In 1996, Karen founded Hair Atlanta of Buckhead. She organized the salon to focus on the requirements of African American women who desire to get professional services in an upscale salon that is sensitive to the special needs of their hair. After serving as a stylist in other salons, Karen chose to specialize in the reversal of problems associated with chemical services and teaching better methods of hair care while continuing the benefits of using chemicals.Karen has also had great experience with cancer patients who have had chemotherapy, as well as clients who have been on strong and heavy medications. We try to focus on their scalps and the complete health of it, so we can create the perfect environment for the hair to grow in.
In 2006, Karen opened Dolce’ Hair Designs, understanding that the future of the hair industry Would be softer styles, and healthier hair. Black Women were tired of going to salons and coming out looking worse than when they went in. Some of the people who came into the salon that had to be corrected were devastated by what had been done to their hair. Some of the information that they have been told is completely bogus! The sad part is that most of the information has come from licensed stylists. So this tells us that as Black stylists, we are not on the same page. Karen’s vision for our industry is to incorporate more education into our salon activities and to create a
Dolce’ Finishing Salons so that young stylists have an opportunity to learn as much as they can about healthy hair. Dolce’ Finishing Salons will provide an extensive educational program that will ultimately lead to a student to be on the level of a stylist who has been in the industry for at least 10 years. The Salons will also create a program for stylists who have already graduated from school, but want to improve their skills to maintain a sufficient living in the industry because of the level of their skills.
The Salons will also develop an assistant program that will allow new cosmetology graduates to acclimate themselves to the real world of the beauty industry. We have developed a salon program, that no salon has implemented so that our students will be better equipped to become not just average stylists, but the best in our industry.
Karen’s work has been published in Black Passion Magazine, Sophisticate’s Black Hair, Mazza Magazine, Atlanta Hair, Hype Hair, The Cheesecake Factory Menu. Stylist for the1996 Olympics, where 197 countries were serviced. Lead Stylist and Make-Up Artist for the Trumpet Awards 2002-2005.