Known around Austin as the "curly hair guru", Ethan Shaw and his salon, Curly Hair Austin, specialize in working with the natural textures and tendencies of each individual's hair. Known for their abilities with curly hair, they work with every client (no matter the hair type) to develop a unique plan to make sure their hair is healthy, easy to style, and looking great!

Many years ago, Ethan was sent to New York for advanced training as a hairdressing instructor.  This was the height of the "flat iron era", soon after ceramic flat irons were all the rage.  Ethan and his fellow pupils were told by some of the greatest hairdressers in the world that the current state of hairdressing was a disaster, with everyone trying to pretend that every woman had silk-straight hair, and terribly damaging it in the process.  "The art of hairdressing--working with one's natural hair textures--had been lost," they said.

Ethan took that to heart, and set out to master the art of working with the natural beauty inherent in every woman's hair.

After years of experience, education with some of the top names in hairdressing, and lots of trial and error, Ethan developed his own unique system of approaching hairdressing.  He felt that the keys to beautiful hair are the health of the hair and working with its natural tendencies. He believed many women over-complicate their daily hair routine, when they could spend a minimal amount of time on their hair and have it come out better!  The stylists at Curly Hair Austin teach every new client how to approach her hair in a simple, effective way, achieving beautiful results easily.

Several years ago, after many years as a curl specialist, he had a 200+name waiting list, and decided he needed to expand and take on his first apprentice. Curly Hair Austin continues to this day to have stylists that carry on the tradition of great, low-maintenance curly hair, with our current stylists bringing their own experience and artistic vision to the salon.

Here’s what Ethan has to say:

“After over 20 years of doing this, I’ve become an old man in this industry! (smiles) I feel very fortunate to have watched and been part of the ‘curl revolution’ from the beginning. I’ve learned valuable insights over the years about curly hair that are applicable through every trend that comes and goes, and I’ve been happy to teach those to my stylists and our clients. Focusing on the universal truths of growth patterns and hair characteristics lets us know that we will always be able to give a good haircut, no matter what the current trend is. I love that it’s gone form the early days of trying to convince people to embrace their curls to the current fashions where curls are what everyone wants!

I feel very lucky to have the team that we’ve grown into. Charley brings with him a breadth of knowledge you could only get when you and everyone in your family has grown up with curly hair. His passion for hair and fashion and style and a continual quest for knowledge have made him a great hairdresser! Sherry is a fantastic hairdresser who does a great job of consulting with clients about their hair goals and making them a reality. She brings a huge amount of experience to our salon! Our stylists each bring their own ideas and skills to our team, and you will get a great haircut with anyone here.

We’re not some big, corporate salon—we’re just small salon of passionate stylists, trying to give curly-haired people an opportunity to not have to worry about their hair anymore, and go enjoy life.”

The stylists at Curly Hair Austin are happy to have many happy beautiful clients trusting them with their hair! If YOU are ready to embrace the natural beauty of your hair, please contact Curly Hair Austin to schedule your appointment!