Black History Month Weekly Features: Meet Chantel Edley
EBS' Black History Month Celebration: An Interview with Chantel Edley
Black History Month is infinitely important. It’s a month we look forward to honoring, celebrating, and reflecting on each year.
This time, though, we’re keen to share more than our own thoughts and opinions–we’re offering unique and one-of-a-kind insight and interviews from ambitious, successful, and admirable Black cosmetologists who just so happen to be Elite Beauty Society members.
These members of the EBS community have taken success to new heights in their beauty careers. And now, they’re sharing their passion, knowledge, and experiences with us.
Each week, we’ll share an exclusive interview with our featured guests in a Q and A style format, get to know them, and share their thoughts with you on cosmetology, the beauty industry, Black History month, and more.
Meet Chantel Edley: Educator, Cosmetologist, & EBS Customer
For Chantel, cosmetology is more than just a service–it’s a creative way to help other people look and feel their best. That feeling is something she’s been chasing since the first few times she sat in a cosmetologist’s hair herself.
Now a successful beauty pro and educator in North Fort Worth, TX, Chantel is committed to sharing her passion, knowledge, and insight with students that come her way.
Chantel has been in the industry since 2010 and has been teaching since 2015. But recently taken a step back into the salon, educating her clients from the chair and teaching as she builds up her clientele and beautifully balances motherhood and her career.
We're proud to have had Chantel as a member of Elite Beauty Society since 2020!
You can find and follow Chantel on Instagram, where she showcases her killer skills and educates clients and other stylists along the way.
Our Exclusive Q & A with Chantel Edley
How Did You Get Started in the Beauty Industry?
What Was One of Your Main Goals with Teaching? What Did You Want to Share with Students?
I don’t want to be classified as doing just one type of hair. There’s not just one head of hair in the world.
Everyone has different types of hair. I wanted to go into teaching to show people that you can do all kinds of hair without saying, “Oh, I can only do African American hair.” I can style and make another culture look good and feel good the same way that I did when I got my hair done.
Even in the black culture, you do not need to be obligated to one hair type–you can do multiple different kinds of hair and be true to your boundaries, true to yourself, and true to your culture.
What’s Something You Love About the Beauty Industry?
It’s all about the creativity. As a hairdresser, you never know when you’ll have a client come in and sit in your chair and just say, “do whatever you want–let’s get creative.” You also don’t have to look a certain way or check a certain box. If you want to have pink hair or green hair, you can–and no one is judging you for it. I also like that you can go so far in any direction in the industry. There are so many avenues you can stem from–it’s never boring.
How are You Celebrating Black History Month and Acknowledging That?
What we’ve been doing in our home–because my children have grown up in the hair salon with me–is researching Black History a little bit every day, especially in how African Americans have impacted the hair industry. We learn about Madame CJ Walker and other pioneers like the Bronner Brothers or Annie Malone. We’re learning about how they’ve changed and impacted the hair industry.
What Advice Would You Give to a New Pro Starting Out in the Industry Who’s Trying to Make a Name for Themselves and Find Their Niche?
Know what your passion is–get that passion–and then excel off of those. My passion is education–so I’m branching off education in a number of ways.
Pick a passion, one specific passion; then, as you excel in that one, the other branches will come along. Be passionate and stand your ground.
Love Chantel’s interview? Same here. If you’re anxious to read the rest of our Black History Month weekly features, be sure to subscribe to Elite Beauty Society here and now, so you never miss a post!