Who Is Andre Walker?

Getting to know me…

Let’s face it: when it comes to hair, few women are content with the beauty God handed out at birth. Even if she’s a modern-day Rapunzel, the average woman will find some little something she’d love to change about her hair. So what does she do? She fries it, dyes it, perms it, iron it, conks it, relax it, sprays it, frizzes it, sticks it with pins, hacks it off, stretches it with extensions or beats it with a blow-dryer. Then when it’s breaking off in clumps, she runs to a hairdresser or dashes to a drugstore in search of that magic elixir to erase all the horrors she’s just inflicted upon her tresses.

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Some of this dissatisfaction is a simple grass-is-always-greener scenario. Some of it is good old cultural brainwashing: blondes have the more fun. You won’t be happy if you’re nappy. Goldilocks. The Breek girl, Those glossy magazine photos of glamorous supermodels with long, flowing locks- never mind that it took an army of hairstylists, photographers, styling products and a wind machine to achieve that “natural” look.
Enough is enough.
It’s time for an attitude adjustment. It’s time for you to call a truce with your hair. And I’m going to help you do it.for the past decade, I’ve been working with Oprah Winfrey to achieve the dozens of hairstyles she’s sported on and off the show. It may sound like I’m tooting my own horn, but Oprah’s hair is enormously flattering- up-to-date yet classic, chic yet sassy, easy to care for, functional and, above all, healthy. Why? Because she works with what she’s got, she isn’t afraid to experiment and she follows my advice. By the end of this book, you’ll be able to do the same- no matter what your race or hair type, no matter what monstrous act you’ve committed on your hair. Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of working with women in all walks of life, from celebrities like Halle Berry, Barbara Bush and Roseanne Barr to professional working women to my mother and sister. That’s right, my mother and sister. They were my first clients- and very gracious guinea pigs, I might add. To this day, they won’t let anyone else touch their hair. You see, although I’ve been in the business for more than twenty years, I’ve been fascinated with hair since I was a little kid growing up in Chicago. By the time I was in junior high, I decided that I could style hair. And so I did, messing with my sister Pam’s hair every chance I got. Soon I was experimenting with my mother’s wigs and wiglets. (Maybe I should have tried them first before I started going at my sister’s hair) It was fun, but I was just playing. Styling hair wasn’t something that I took seriously until high school when I won a hairstyling competition. The prize: a partial scholarship to pivot point beauty college. I was thrilled- and so was Pam, who was my model. I accepted the scholarship, going to beauty school part-time until I graduated from high school. Then I made a decision that changed my life and freaked out my parents: I decided not to go to college. I knew the creative life of a hairstylist was the only life for me. I was right. My career progressed rapidly as I worked in the best salons Chicago had to offer. By the time I was twenty-six, I had my own salon, naming it- what else? -Andre Walker. Then Oprah moved to chicago and my life changed, Again.

Through the grapevine, I heard that Oprah was looking for a stylist. I couldn’t agree with her more. I saw how her hair looked on television, and I knew that I could make her look better. Much better. And that’s exactly what I told her. Fortunately, she believed me. Now, like my mother and sister, she won’t let anyone else touch her hair. The busier she

is, the busier I am. My schedule is too hectic to accommodate running a business, but whenever I can, I squeeze in a couple of hours at a downtown salon in Chicago. Why? I like to make people look and feel good. Being able to dress hair isn’t just being creative. It sounds hokey, but I really believe that helping other people feel better about themselves is my purpose in life. Of course, we all know that looking good on the outside isn’t going to help if you feel rotten on the inside. But looking good gives us all a little boost- not to mention the pleasure it gives the folks who have to look at us. What better way to attract attention than with a beautiful head of hair. Great hair is sensuos, pleasing to the eye and to the touch. We all want it. But beautiful hair shouldn’t be your life’s work. Find the easiest style for your hair to handle within its natural texture- and then forget about it. Until, of course, the compliments come pouring in. Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying you should never dye, relax or perm your hair. There’s nothing wrong with a little artificial enhancement. I’m not against reaching for the chemicals or for a plug of synthetic hair. What’s wrong is the spirit with which it is often done. This isn’t war. Your hair isn’t your enemy. It doesn’t matter if you keep your hair natural or if you enhance the beauty God gave you. Whatever you do, it should be done in a playful spirit. Hair shouldn’t have to be politically correct, but it shouldn’t require a time-consuming, Herculean effort either. Your hair should be easy to handle. You should love what you’ve got, whether it’s bleached or jet jet black, straightened or kinky, wavy or stick straight, bouncin’ and behavin’ or limp and lank. All you need is a formula to make you look like a million bucks. And that’s what I’m here for.