Aveda, Paul Mitchell, and Matrix are all global haircare brands, but do you know that they were created by hairdressers who made a living working behind the chair before they became household names?

Inspired by his mother who made her own tonics and tinctures from herbs, Austrian-born hairdresser Horst Rechelbacher was a pioneer of holistic beauty and a champion of environmental responsibility. Determined to develop a line of haircare products without toxic chemicals, he called his company Aveda, which is derived from the Sanskrit word Aruveda meaning “science of life.”

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Hairstylist Paul Mitchell had a great love for the Hawaiian Islands where he learned that Native Hawaiians had been using the fragrant juice of the awapuhi plant to soften and condition their hair and skin for centuries. Captivated by the plant’s healing properties, he and his business partner John Paul DeJoria established an awapuhi farm in Pa’auilo, Hawaii, in 1983 to produce the plant for use in their line of haircare products.

Meanwhile, in 1980 a hairdresser from Cleveland, Ohio, named Arnie Miller founded a company called Matrix based on the idea of synergy or togetherness. His goal was to create a matrix of support for every hairstylist, every hair type, and every business model. Beauty professionals who were inspired by his message became fiercely loyal to the brand.

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Now, 40 years later, we’d like to introduce you to a new crop of hairstylists who are just as passionate about what they do and have hair care lines of their own that are ready for takeoff.

Ted Gibson

TED GIBSON has worked with models, actresses, fashion and beauty insiders, and influential women who are happy to pay $2,400 for one of his haircuts. The star of “Blowing LA,” a new reality series on Paramount Plus, he is also one of the most sought-after editorial, runway, and celebrity hairstylists in the business.

An influential style maker, Ted is a regular contributor on “The Today Show” and “Good Morning America” and has had a presence at Fashion Week in New York styling some of the top American fashion designer labels including Pamella Roland, Carmen Marc Valvo, and Lela Rose. He also has a stable of celebrity clients including Madelyn Cline, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Debra Messing, Angelina Jolie, Tessa Thompson, Rachel Brosnahan, Lupita Nyong’o, Gabrielle Union, and many more.  

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His long-awaited collection of hair styling products called STARRING celebrates the individual. On their way to cult-like status, his products have been heralded by Vogue, WWD, and People magazines. STARRING is a labor of love for Gibson, who spent two years cultivating the line after testing it on his A-list clients and in-salon guests.

It took months to create the signature scent for SHOOTING STAR TEXTURE MERENGUE, which features fig as the keynote in the fragrance. “I’m a lover of cinema, fashion, and all things beauty,” says Gibson, who loves to create iconic images with hair. “With this collection I wanted to create a line of styling products that would become a staple in both the hairdresser and the consumer’s arsenal of tools.” STARRING allows anyone to effectively and easily create whatever look they desire and to feel confident enough to be the star of their own moment.

In trailblazing a modern path for STARRING, Ted has formed a strategic alliance with Amazon through their exclusives program, which is a curated list of the best of the best on Amazon. SHOOTING STAR TEXTURE MERENGUE will be the first professional haircare product on this exclusive list.

WHAT WE LOVE: The Shooting Star Texture Merengue is unlike any styling foam I’ve ever tried. Dispense some into the palm of your hand. It feels cool, right? It’s so light and airy that it practically disappears when you work it through your hair, which means it didn’t weigh my fine hair down. And the fragrance? Subtle yet intoxicating, which is a hard act to pull off.

Order at tedgibson.com.

Philip B

PHILIP B began his career as a colorist, working at a West Hollywood salon that catered to a number of A-list clients, and many of them colored their hair to suit each new movie role. Add daily heat styling, and you’re dealing with fragile, damaged strands, and even severe breakage.

With a natural passion for helping people, Philip quickly made his reputation as a problem-solver. While doing hair on film sets around the world, he shopped for haircare products that could help make his clients’ damaged, straw-like hair feel supple and bouncy again.

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He was shocked to discover that most shampoos on the market, even at the luxury end, consisted of basic blends of soap, water, and fragrance. Meanwhile the conditioners felt far too heavy and waxy, weighing hair down rather than making it look fresh and beautiful.

Back home, Philip dove into medical and naturopathy research; met with acclaimed doctors, chemists, and healers; and began researching plant-based ingredients. In the beginning, he mixed his own products in his kitchen, using generous amounts of the finest extracts he could find. The approach was revolutionary. Even now, some of Philip’s products contain essential oils at concentrations that are virtually unheard-of in the industry.

Each PHILIP B. formula addresses a particular need and incorporates leading technology to deliver the ingredients in the most effective way. His belief that healthy-looking hair comes from a healthier-looking scalp comes across in all of his products. Made with imagination and integrity, they bring out the beauty in every hair type, pamper skin, and create a singular luxury experience.

WHAT WE LOVE: What’s not to love about Philip B is the real question, but let’s start with Russian Amber Imperial Shampoo. The decadent formula is so thick and rich that it feels like honey, and it’s infused with shea butter for weightless hydration, a lavish dose of panthenol (vitamin B5) to keep color looking vibrant, and 11 amino acids used at active strengths as well as protective silk, wheat, and soy proteins to condition hair.

Ultra-potent, Russian Amber Imperial Conditioner oozes out of the bottle like liquid gold and left my hair looking sleek, smooth, and shiny. The secret: a rich blend of amino acids and pure botanicals. They’re pricey ($160 for the shampoo and $170 for the conditioner), but you’ll see dramatic improvement if your hair is dry and damaged.

Order at philipb.com.

Phillip and Mary Wilson

PHILLIP and MARY WILSON are husband and wife with 80+ years of experience between them as hairdressers, salon owners, and educators. Over the course of his career, Phillip has worked with some of the top beauty brands including L’Oreal, Redken, Kerastase, Pureology, and ColorProof, while Mary has a background in product development that includes marketing, sales, and education.

In 2019, they formed Wilson Collective, which provides dynamic haircutting education and opportunities for salons and independent stylists. Their color-safe line of Wilson Collective hair care products is sold in prestigious salons across the United States.

Each of the products in the line is infused with sachi inchi, an exotic oil harvested from the Amazon rainforest. Rapidly absorbed into the skin and hair, it’s rich in fatty acids like omega-3, 6, and 9 and is deeply moisturizing. Infused with pure essential oils, the fragrance offers a pleasurable cleansing and styling experience.

What’s more, the advanced formulas are free from artificial colors, sulfates, known cancer-causing chemicals, and ingredients that strip color from the hair.

WHAT WE LOVE: Want to add lift and volume to your fine to medium hair? Volume Up Thicker & Fuller Cleanser does the trick, offering a true sensory experience. Bathe your senses in the essential oil fragrance combination of invigorating grapefruit and rosemary, while extracts of sugarcane and bamboo work their magic, leaving hair looking fresh and bouncy. Volume Up Thicker & Fuller Conditioner has the same uplifting fragrance as well as sunflower oil for heat protection.

Order at wilsonhaircollective.com.

Billy Yamaguchi

BILLY YAMAGUCHI is featured monthly as a guest artist at luxury resorts in the U.S. Beauty editors have listed his salons in Ventura and Westlake Village among the top five in California and one of the top 20 in the U.S. During the course of his career, Billy has served as international spokesperson for Schwarzkopf, a haircare line defined by innovation that was founded by a German chemist 120 years ago.

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He has also made numerous appearances on national and international television including ABC, CBS, CNN, Style Network, and E! Entertainment. The first to introduce techniques and products based on the principles of Feng Shui to the beauty and wellness industry, he has published two books, including Feng Shui Beauty: Bringing the Ancient Principles of Balance and Harmony to Your Hair, Makeup, and Personal Style.

Yamaguchi Hair Therapy is a complete hair maintenance and styling line that has evolved through years of salon experience. Rich in botanical oils and extracts, each of the Yamaguchi lifestyle products has been developed to support an Asian-influenced approach to beauty by offering styling products to meet the distinctive needs of individuals based upon their energy and hair design.

“Each of the Feng Shui elements—fire, earth, metal, water, and wood—is an identifier that gives me an idea of the person’s personality type and lifestyle,” says Billy, who assesses each client’s body type and face shape and puts it all together to find the look that is best for them.

The company was co-founded by Billy and his wife, Melissa Chambers Yamaguchi, a national and international motivational speaker whose focus on energy is reflected in her seminars as well as each of the products in the line.

Nine Frequencies is a joint venture on LITT Live, a digital radio broadcasting platform with over 80 radio stations. Tune in on Wednesday and Friday at 5 p.m. and listen to Billy and Melissa talk about how energy impacts every aspect of our lives.

WHAT WE LOVE: Guided by the principle that “what goes on the body goes into the body,” Yamaguchi Hair Therapy systems use only the purest essential oils and herbs. We also love that the Asian-influenced approach to beauty embraces the notion that serenity, tranquility, balance, and harmony are fundamental to wellness and beauty. 

Order at yamaguchilifestyle.com.

Marco Pelusi

MARCO PELUSI is globally recognized as a leading hair color authority, fashion-forward celebrity hair colorist, and renowned platform artist and educator, who executes standing-room-only classes at the International Beauty Shows in New York and Las Vegas. He also appears regularly as a hair color expert on Fox, Hallmark, and KTLA in Los Angeles.

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Marco’s premier hair studio is located in the heart of the trendy, ultrachic West Hollywood Design Center, where he caters to an upscale clientele that includes models and actors like longtime client James Brolin. His love for hair color began at his family’s upscale chain of salons in Pittsburgh where his fashionable mother taught beauty school. The Marco Collagen Color Guard Hair Care System is the first and only collagen-based system developed for color- and chemically-treated hair.

WHAT WE LOVE Having your hair professionally colored is costly, so why not choose a shampoo and conditioner that protect your investment? A no-brainer, right? That’s what we thought, too. Color expert Marco Pelusi poured years of experience into creating his line of shampoo, conditioning, and styling products that not only protect hair from premature color fade, but also leave locks looking smooth and silky.

Take Marco Color Health Shampoo, which infuses the hair with natural proteins that promote maximum vibrancy and shine and optimum pH balance. The zesty herbal fragrance? That’s a bonus. Meanwhile, Marco Color Hydrate Anti-Frizz Leave-in Conditioner is not only light and airy, but is also expressly formulated to replenish the hair’s own natural reserves to boost its condition as well as hair color longevity, vitality, and tone.

Order at marcopelusi.com.

[Courtesy photos]

Marianne Dougherty is an award-winning writer, editor and publisher, who has twice been a finalist for a Golden Quill Award for journalistic excellence. Predicting the day spa trend, she founded American Spa magazine in 1998. She has also been editor in chief of American Salon, Launchpad, and Shades of Beauty magazines. In 2023 she published her first novel, What We Remember, which was a Mariel Hemingway Book Club selection. Follow her on Instagram: @mariannedoughertyauthor. Or visit her website: mariannedougherty.com