Hair Stylist David Gitau Is Redefining the Idea of Professional Hair and Beauty care in Thika.

Davie seen here at his work place Davies Hair Care located at Rafiki House 1st floor Mama Ngina Street, he has handle an array of clients from politicians,business people and magistrates since his began his career in hair and beauty in the early 2000's.

David Gitau is the founder of Davies Hair Care-Thika, he started out his business with one plastic chair, one blow drier and four mirrors, he used to hire out a blow drier at a cost of Kes 1,000 per month, but with the increase in clientele he would be forced to purchase a plastic chair from the supermarkets in order for him to accommodate them as his business expanded.

He encourages parents to allow their children to pursue a career in beauty and hair care, and shun the stereotype that beauty shops are a den for gossipers, and a career in this profession only suits one gender. 

1. How did you start your career in Hair and Beauty care?

I started way back in AIC Chebisaas Boys High School-Eldoret, while  in Form Two, I used to shave guys at school, in fact the school administration bought me a shaving machine and allocated me a slot as a prefect in charge of hair care, it was a double dividend for me because my school mates got an opportunity to save on time they would opt not to seek permission to go and get a shave at the nearby Kinyozi, and come to me, I was also exempted from pursuing other Co- Curriculum activities.

2. What Kind of skills do you require in this career?

You need to be creative, many are the times a client comes to me with a photo of a certain hair style and they want you to make them appear almost the same as the person on the photo, this requires you to visualise through it and embark on delivering it, also being a service oriented job it is important for one to cultivate customer care skills, work etiquette, hygiene are also key, you cannot be grooming people and yet you appear shabby, also there is need to be versatile and learn new and emerging styles and most importantly discipline.

3. What kind of training do you need in this career?

In every career it is important to acquire some training, most of my staff members have undergone training in various areas such as cosmetology, beauty therapy and customer care, I usually also go out of my way to train them on matters concerning beauty an hair care.

4. Who are some of the high level clients that you have dealt with?

If I can recall politicians such as former Thika Deputy Mayor and EALA MP Hon. Mumbi Ngaru, Kiambu County Assembly Nominated MCA Hon. Flozie Ngeru, Magistrates, key business people in Thika that I cannot mention here for obvious reasons, I have also being part of high level events such as Mr/Mrs Club Vybster, back in the days, high profile weddings such as Rocky’s wedding that made Thika come to a standstill late 2016, baby showers and birthdays too.

5. What is the biggest challenge of running a beauty shop?

 The biggest challenge is recruiting the right criteria of people to work for you, imagine if a client walks inside your beauty parlour and demands that they want to rock a certain hairstyle that they’ve seen on a magazine, and one of your staff members cannot  come anywhere close to achieving it, you might end up losing a client. Pricing is also crucial to you don’t want to erode a market by charging your clients a low figure so that you can be the talk of town.  The cost of electricity at times is also a challenge because sometimes you would get a bill that is so huge, and you are left to wonder who will lower the cost of fuel production for us?

6. What happens when after offering your services and a client is not pleased by the results?

First as a team leader I always listen to the client, give them time to present their grievances and if it’s a genuine concern we explore various options such as having the hair redone at no cost at all, and try as much as possible to and persuade them to allow somebody else to handle her hair.

7. Where do you see Davies Hair Care in 5years time?

I would like to sharpen my skills and venture into consultancy many are times the client doesn’t really know what they want, some are not aware of certain aspects that we consider in this industry such as somebodies skin texture, type of hair, I’d love to seat down with them and offer them some professional advice on the do’s and don’ts before embarking of any beauty and hair care procedure.

8. Why Davies Hair Care?

 Because it is the best in Thika, because it has the best team of hair dressers in this town, its the home of trendy hair styles, we have flexible opening hours , we are all rounded from hair care, beauty and fashion.

Connect with Davie on Face Book /davies.care, 

Cellphone 0721 879661