KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kat Collet, the owner of With Love Salon in Kansas City, Missouri, works to educate others when it comes to diverse hair.
“As an artist I’ve always loved to create, I’ve always loved chemistry,” Collet said.
Colleth's salon in the Kansas City Crossroad drips with bright colors and her designs.
“We have poured our hearts and souls into this place,” she said.
Collett has made a name for herself in the hair styling and fashion color world that reaches beyond Kansas City.
Born and raised in the Kansas City area, Collett will tell you she’s also first generation from the Philippines.
She now leads the way in diverse hair education.
“As someone who grew up in Johnson County, I didn’t grow up with a lot of people who had my hair type or ethnicity,” she said. “With having a really course hair type, I have a lot of clients who come to me specifically because they know I can work with course hair, curly hair.”
She travels across the country multiple times a month to teach others how to work with all hair textures and types.
“I want them to feel safe in my chair and know I can handle it,” she said.
Collett calls it "‘creating a crown," but knows some people may not see it that way if they’ve had damage or mistreatment from past hair experiences, so she works to educate others.
“There’s just an awareness of it now, we need to change, and we need to keep learning and keep growing to be able to help more people,” she said.
She also warns of hair stereotypes while driving her passion.
“I want people no matter what their upbringing was, no matter what society has told them, no matter to what they felt about themselves in the past, or maybe they aren't confident, I want them to feel beautiful,” she said.
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