“Hair Battle Spectacular” Host Derek J Reveals Top 3 Celeb Hair Trends [VIDEO]

15 Minutes with Derek J

After finding out that Derek J is a fan of BGLH (he describes the site as “fab”) I got a quick chance to talk to him. For those who don’t know, he’s a supporting cast member on Real Housewives of Atlanta, a judge on Oxygen’s Hair Battle Spectacular and was featured in Chris Rock’s movie “Good Hair”. Check it out;

You’ve had a pretty swift rise through pop culture. How did you go from being a hair stylist to a TV personality?
Derek J: I went to hair school in ’99, got licensed in ’01 and moved to Atlanta in ’02. I actually moved there for fashion school, but then I got hooked up with a great lady who was doing a lot of music videos and commercials. So I started working with her. I’m from Toledo Ohio and all you know is that when you get your license you work behind a chair and then you might own your own salon, and that’s the end. So when I started working with her I was like, ‘Oh wow. You can make money doing hair on a set.’ because I didn’t know that all those things could be done. After learning that I was like “Okay, cool I like this.” and I decided to take my own path with it.

I did music videos for a long time and was really in the urban market. I went from music to the magazines. I knew a photographer and makeup artist who were up and coming and we all started working together. We did black men’s magazines like Smooth, XXL, Vibe and things of that nature. When I got tired of that I go into the competition realm and started competing in hair shows. That’s when I started getting more notoriety in the hair industry. Because for most hair stylists, we’re behind the scenes, so competing puts you in front of the scene. People started to notice me and in 2007 we taped Good Hair. But I wasn’t planning on being on TV.

The relationship between you, Kim Zolciak and her wigs is somewhat legendary. How did you get connected with Kim?
Derek J: It’s crazy, I was in the club and one of the producers from the show was like, “Why aren’t you on the Housewives?” And I wasn’t even watching that so I was like, “I don’t know”. He was like, “Listen, you should be on the Housewives. You’re fabulous, we want you on there.” So we exchanged phone numbers and about six months later he called me and was like, “I need you to come to Kim’s house now.” Never met her, didn’t know who she was. I went to her house, she was having a wig party, and we just clicked so well. The producer was like, “You guys are great.” Now, we’re friends. I’m doing her hair for her upcoming wedding.

What trends are you seeing in the world of black hair right now?
Derek J: Texture is in. Texture’s really in right now. Women are going away from you know, just having regular straight hair, now they really want it with texture. Also black women are experimenting more with color. More than they ever have before. It used to be taboo but black women are dealing with color now and I’m very excited about it.

Do you have any clients who are natural?
Derek J: I work with natural hair clients all the time. 95% of my clients wear weave because they want to, not because they have to. So my clients have hair down their back, and they’re natural, no relaxers. But they wear weave because of its convenience. It’s a great way to try new things with your hair or do something different.

How does one consistently rock a weave without their edges getting torn up?
Derek J: Anything on a consistent basis, without change, causes damage. So first of all don’t wear it for so long. Don’t wear it for 5 months, start with 2 or 3. When you take it out and put it back in, change your part. Change it to the left side one time, change it to the right side one time, leave your edges out one time, put your edges in one time, wear bangs, change it up. Because doing the same thing over and over again you put stress on the same area of hair, and it’s gonna break off.

Do you check out the hair gurus (relaxed and natural) on YouTube at all?
Derek J: No, I try not to get into any of those things (laughs). I just kinda worry about myself.

Who are some of your favorite artists/celebrities to work with?
Derek J: I love Nicole Ari Parker, Terri Vaughn is a great client of mine and I love working with her. I work with Tika Sumpter alot and she’s fabulous. I had the pleasure of working with Natalie Cole, I’ve worked with Nicki Minaj before. I’ve never really had bad experiences with the celebrity clients that I’ve dealt with.

Do you have any upcoming projects? Anything in the works?
Derek J: I really live day by day. When things pop up I’m like, ‘yes’ or ‘no’ but, I don’t really do long-term goals because they set you up for failure sometimes (laughs). Real Housewives starts in November, I just did something for VH1 the other day and I’m doing an appearance on the Dr. Drew show next week. So I pop up here and there, I keep myself on the scene.

Thanks for talking with us Derek! Be sure to check out Derek J on Twitter :)