Kindra Barnes is a multifaceted professional based in Houston, Texas. She is a hairstylist and makeup artist known for her work at The KB Glam, a full-service hair and makeup studio. The entrepreneur has a diverse background that includes serving as an Army veteran, working in customer service leadership, and influencing social media.
Kindra’s journey into the beauty industry began with a passion for transforming natural hair, and she has since expanded her skills to include coaching and educating how to end hair breakage amongst Black women worldwide. Kindra’s commitment to her ending hair breakage and building the Houston Spa Boss Tribe has awarded her a Proclamation from Fulton County Atlanta, Georgia, for the leadership excellence award from The Spa Boss Tribe Visionary Candace Holyfield-Parker, as well as a significant partnership with a million dollar hair brand. Kindra’s vision will be fulfilled at The Triumphant Woman Summit on May 19, 2024, to celebrate local women in Houston. Guest speakers will break down the art of juggling womanhood to inspire, educate, share resources, and build community while celebrating boldness in our women.
Learn more about Kindra and how she empowers Black women through beauty below.
Fancy How long have you worked in the beauty industry?
Kindra: I have worked as a hairstylist for 13 years, on and off, as a W2 employee, commissioned stylist, salon assistant, booth renter, salon suite renter, makeup artist, educator, and content creator.
Fancy: Wow, please tell us more about your business, The KB Glam.
Kindra: Certainly! The KB Glam is not your average hair salon. We take women’s hair problems, remove the guesswork, and provide a plethora of solutions based on their lifestyle. Since healthy hair is a priority, we always offer at-home care advice and a suggested salon care routine guide. We remove the hassle of locating hair extensions by providing quality enhancements in the salon. We’ve seen major hair growth while retaining length in our natural and relaxed hair guests.
As with every experience, we are intentional with building relationships to empower women to be their best selves beyond the following hairstyles:
Silk Press Experiences
Relaxed Hair Experiences
Threaded Installments
Tape Installments
Micro Link Weft Extensions
Bonded Installments
You don’t have to invest fully while shopping around; you can start with a consultation.
Fancy: What was the process like building The KB Glam?
Kindra: The process started with the self-work or self-discovery of myself. It was scary; I felt alone and challenged, but I remained true to myself in the end. For the most part, I didn’t have a coach. I thought I had friends who I could relate to, but I learned I was appreciated more when I was lost and discouraged. I had to unlearn a lot about myself and create new faith-based thoughts. I had to quit hair a couple of times to work a job because I didn’t understand business. A lot of my development happened through experience in the field and while advancing in a Fortune 500 company.
I can stand strong today as a fearless leader because of the leaders I had (Jacqulyn Staten and Seneca Dotson). I can’t forget Annette Powell took a chance on me with no experience in leadership, I had to make them proud!
Once I realized I was only a pawn to get buy-in from other minorities to help push new initiatives, I learned I would never reach my fullest potential or operate in my purpose working for someone else. This is when I knew I had to commit to building my own brand.
This is why women’s empowerment means so much to me. The KB Glam was birthed at a time when I was hurt and still finding my purpose. I have always known God to be faithful, so although the process was tough and there were many things I didn’t understand, God was teaching me and building me for greater.
The only way you’ll get comfortable with stepping up, showing your creativity, owning your flaws, and using them as superpowers is to discover your true self. This is when The KB Glam was born!
Fancy: What was an obstacle you overcame, and how did you overcome it?
Kindra: As I became comfortable sharing the not-so-great parts of being natural or even women getting relaxers on four platforms, I started going viral a lot. I was always booked with new clients, and that was cool. Then I started to ask myself, where are the people I’ve already serviced?!
Only two would trickle back in after a couple of months. They shared how hard it was to get an appointment with me. I heard them, but I didn’t hear them. It took a few months for me to hear the same thing. At first, I thought it was so cute to be booked and busy, but what I learned was that it was actually ineffective.
Clients weren’t returning, so the plan I was giving them wasn’t working because I couldn’t see them to perform services. This is when I had to change the structure of my business. I am so glad I did. What I later saw was consistency in my clients’ hair! It was growing; the ends weren’t split; they felt more confident; and we were building relationships! This is when the true purpose was unlocked! I began sharing their stories of how their hair evolved, and my platforms grew even bigger. What I learned was that it’s your business, but it really isn’t your business. I am in business for the people, and sometimes, you have to listen to your customers to yield success.
Fancy: Why are you so passionate about educating Black women on hair breakage?
Kindra: Wow, you wouldn’t believe the amount of women who have hair but who don’t know how to manage it. With every experience, I ask many questions, from personal to professional to lifestyle. You wouldn’t believe the hair horror stories I’ve heard from clients who have been victims of malpractice in the salon. You wouldn’t believe how many moms simply avoid combing their daughter’s hair or how many sons play basketball with dry hair. Not to mention the fellas who are also using shampoo from Dollar General just because that’s where they buy their deodorant.
Believe it or not, all those things contribute to hair breakage. Right now, I’m only one person with two hands. While I can’t help everyone worldwide have healthy hair, it won’t stop me from sharing advice or showing them virtually how to achieve it. When a man or woman realizes they are going bald or have thinning hair, they go through a level of depression or disbelief. They are shocked and sad at the same time. It starts to attack the confidence until the person becomes okay with it.
Not to mention, I received millions of responses to my videos, and people were so inspired by my care and concern for healthy hair. This was crazy to me because, in my mind, healthy hair care should be the industry standard.
After seeing so many women with no edges, no haircare plan, using several products, and stylists’ lack of education or experience, I asked myself, “What will you do about it, Kindra?” I decided to become a part of the solution. I then created the Hair Growth Secrets Checklist and published it in January. I made it free because I didn’t want money to keep anyone from having healthy hair. So far, almost 2,000 people have downloaded it. You can tell the value changed their life from the replies from that video alone.
I can’t wait for my academy to launch because I will change the world, www.thekbglam.com.
Fancy: Can you share one tip for preventing hair breakage?
Kindra: Absolutely! If you care about your hair, spend quality time with your real hair. Use quality products on your hair. If anyone in your household has hair on their head, you should most definitely have a steamer in your closet.
Fancy: What is the Spa Boss Tribe?
Kindra: One word: sisterhood. There have only been two women in my life who have hurt my feelings while telling me the truth—one of them is Candance Holyfield-Parker. She is the visionary of the Spa Boss Tribe, the #1 largest spa community in the world. The community is strictly for beauty, health, and wellness professionals, with a focus on marketing.
I didn’t come from a family of business owners, nor did I have any formal education in conducting a business. When I thought I had a business – Candace told me I was broke, and she told me I didn’t want it bad enough. I cried in the car because it was the truth. The only time I’ve had to really work for something was when I was a police officer in the Military. That was the only time I pushed myself to be great, to get through the finish line, to aim at my target and actually hit it. I was treating my business like a sideline whore. Not to mention, I had access to her knowledge, but I was slow to implement it. So Candace told it to me straight.
I had to really listen to what she was saying and take a look in the mirror. At the time, I was just starting back up, but I was okay with making $1800 a month, honestly, because it wasn’t too far off from what I was making at the job. I’ve been married since 2012, and my husband is an amazing provider.
Candace honestly introduced me to the world of marketing. The moment she told me to ‘make it my own,’ the lightbulb went off! I embraced myself and took off. I scaled up to $20k+ months and grew my followers on four platforms (Facebook 109k, TikTok 28k+, YouTube 20k+, and Instagram 45k+), all in a matter of two years.
Now, I lead Houston’s Spa Boss Tribe as President! We have almost 200 members. We believe in community service and filling in gaps with next-level education. We empower each other, and most of all, we have so much fun together! Because of the Spa Boss Tribe, I literally have friends around the world! My closest Spa Sister is in Alabama, Stacey Kimber of KWU’s Health and Wellness Spa!
Fancy: Can you tell us more about what to expect at the Triumphant Women Summit?
Kindra: Of course! You can expect to leave being re-aligned with your purpose or at least with an understanding of where you are planted. I remember being so lost in my own self that I couldn’t show up in excellence and receive what God had for me. I would attend events as an entrepreneur and employee of a big company. There was never a space where I left feeling fed. Reality would sink in, and I would be back at square one, confused about which gifts to use and how to juggle womanhood and two careers. How do I know which gift to tap into? It seemed as though I had to unknowingly become friends with mean girls before I’d meet the big sister or brother in the room who would take me under their wing and give me insight.
So, after receiving my Proclamation in Atlanta from Councilwoman Natalie (powered by Six Figure Spa Chick), I wanted to share the same gesture with others who were simply trying to figure it out. What if I create a space where women come together with the expectation of sharing and giving? Just what if someone walks away with clarity? What if someone gets insight on whether they should step out on faith because one of the speakers shares the same struggle as them? What if women leave with newfound passions and lifelong friends that will help them get to their next level? That’s just what networking has done for me.
My guests will leave empowered, focused, confident, and liberated! I have five guest speakers who will speak on various topics, such as juggling a six-figure business and an executive role, mental health, managing media while growing, and simply how to push through when you feel like you can’t. I will also be honoring women with awards!
Fancy: How would you describe your swagher?
Kindra: My swagher is sisterhood. There is so much power in women’s empowerment. For some reason, I was always friendly. I loved meeting new people, and I’d always ask random people questions. Some people thought I was ‘doing too much’ or ‘too friendly.’ For a while, I questioned God- why am I this way? God has always shown me his answer by how he’d move through people. I started to notice the power of God in meaningful connections. Then it clicked: we were never supposed to do life alone. God moves bigger in communities and groups.
Still not knowing where God was leading me, I joined the Spa Boss Tribe. I was only making about $1800 in my business. I’ve never had a coach before, nor did I have a plan for my business. I only knew I wanted it to be successful. Fast forward to today, not only have I grown four social media platforms, but I’ve made more money being an entrepreneur than I have working a job, living in my purpose, and now I’m building the Spa Boss Tribe in Houston, Texas. If you are in the Beauty Health and Spa Business in Houston, text ‘hou’ at 877-883-1233.
https://instagram.com/thekbglam
https://www.tiktok.com/@thekbglam
https://www.Facebook.com/thekbglam
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIQmbtRKXZu6KY29CgSAnjA
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