Meet Kalita Hendrix | Luxury Beauty, Fashion and Lifestyle Expert

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kalita Hendrix and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kalita, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
Well from the young age of 10 the passion and thought process for what I do now was building and dreaming passionately in my heart . I’ve always been driven and had a go getter personality. I always wanted to have full ownership of my talents and businesses because I saw my daddy run his own company. He taught me 3 valuable steps that will always set me apart from others (1) Give Quality Top Tier Work Always (2) Charge What You Know Your Worth and add tax (3) Always Treat Whoever You Come In Contact with , with Kindness , TLC actually care about people .

His Hard work ethic and focus on running successful businesses for years , and his drive to always evolve and elevate in his career is what set the perfect standard of who & what I am today . He showed me that by following your Passion and your Natural God Given Talent you can make money doing what you love and be successful at it and it’ll never feel like work even though you will work more than a 9-5 job.

I wanted to change the world with 1 makeover at a time with my Natural God Given Talent . Thankfully I was Blessed to Have a Multifaceted Talent in being a Luxury Beauty, Fashion, And Lifestyle Brand Expert . Over the years I’ve been able to Master my craft as a Master Hairstylist and Pro Makeup Artist first and over the years adding other things to my business like Interior Design , Luxury Sustainable Wardrobe Styling and Creative Director for photoshoots. Those added talents that I was also very passionate about as a kid just so happen to align with my vision of my brand .

I’ve always had big goals under each of those categories that I’ve always wanted to accomplish with the idea in mind of always wanting to help someone feel beautiful with their natural beauty … and let their joy and beauty on the inside shine throw because that’s the most important to me . It always puts the biggest smile on my face and makes my heart so fulfilled when a woman turns around in my chair after trusting me and saying “ Wow I feel like this haircut was made specifically for me and I love it !!” Whenever I curate any of my special services and provide my clients with a diverse, edgy, multicultural, visionary experience that I know they will not get anywhere else . Their constant stamp of approval is what reassures me that I’m on the right track and doing something right .

A woman values her Hair, her Makeup, her wardrobe, Her Home. These things enhance a woman and bring peace to a woman and make her feel good from within. This is why I feel so passionate about changing a woman’s life I wanted them to always feel important, feel loved, and feel comfortable within themselves. This is why I do what I do and I’m Proud to Be a Woman in Business

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
That’s easy I’m constantly evolving but after my father passed I wanted to really buckle down and figure out my bigger purpose. That was the moment I changed my Art forum from just BEAUTY and FASHION EXPERT to LUXURY SUSTAINABLE LIFESTYLE BRAND.Take fashion, hair, makeup, and interior design they all run hand and hand together so I often times found myself Creative Directing the whole photoshoot or vision so it was easy for me to add Creative Director to my resume. I don’t focus on one more so than the other. I’ve mastered all those areas, but will forever be a learner. As an educator, I have to be able to educate myself in order to effectively educate others.

My job is fun and I get to transform the every day woman into a beautifully crafted chameleon. We all aspire to look a certain way, and I want to be the one to help women evolve and embrace who they are internally as they do externally. That to me is everything! My hard work and dedication has gotten me to where I am today, although there were times I wanted to give up. I believe wholeheartedly you’re not an entrepreneur until you fail, and sometimes you have to fall hard in order to wake up and get the point.

My most important learned lesson, is learning to delegate. I’m a little of a control freak. I like things a certain way. So I generally just do things myself , so I wear many hats ! I love organization and if things are not in order, I become anxious. Giving people responsibilities to something that is dear to my heart causes more anxiety, because I’m almost handing them one of my “sugababies” so to speak. My brand is not limited and ever evolving. It’s everything I’ve dreamed of since I was little. It’s a Kulture, It’s a Vibe, and It’s the Experience, Its the Love that is put behind everything. When I’m doing hair and attending to the needs of my clients, or offering a scalp or arm massage, it brings me joy that someone who doesn’t know me is able to trust me and relax in my presence.

We as women require and deserve a soft life and I’m happy to be able to provide that. With interior designing I’m grateful when clients allow me into their home and pay me to bring my style and influence, (My TWISTED KULTURE ) into their personal spaces. No one can emulate my style, nor will you find it anywhere else. I am THE DON MARIA BRAND.

This brand has allowed me to walk away from my comfort zone, and afforded me the opportunity to rebrand myself, which pushed me to no longer be afraid. IF YOUR DREAMS DON’T SCARE YOU YOUR DREAMING TO SMALL …. THINK BIGGER…DREAM BIGGER…What do you have to lose Just Start and keeping pushing even when you don’t want too . When I stepped outside of my comfort zone, my vision became clearer than ever, which I can attribute that to my God, Jehovah!! One thing to remember, when upon fail don’t be afraid to start over. And as long as you keep God first he got the rest !! I’m a testament to miracles happening in my life! And all I could do was say wow thank you God that was quick !!! Lol if you know you know !!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
First off, we’re going to Forks and Flavors for a trap brunch on Sunday. Monday night, we’d catch an old school black love movie on the rooftop of Ponce City Market. Then we’d do Taco Tuesday at Bartaco …Wednesday gotta hit up Apt4B for island contemporary fusion! Thursday I’m getting ready for the weekend so I’m doing my hair checking my makeup seeing if I need anything from MAC… Also yea I work at MAC Cosmetics as well lol … Friyay I’m chillin at the house me and my family have this thing called “ FRANKIE Friday” we cook (I’m Cooking) listen to Old School Jams we on the patio with our red solo cups and the kids are running around having fun this is the best time with the most exciting people I be around … my family time is everything… Saturday we hitting all the estates sales and sustainable shopping areas and enjoying the museum district!!!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to dedicate this to my “ My Big Teddy Bear” My Daddy !! He Taught me everything I know about running a business, knowing my worth and value, he showed me what it means to be a genuinely good person , show love to everybody and in everything you do, do things with intent and good intentions and never expect anything in return do it because you want to not cause you have to , ALWAYS THINK POSITIVE , BE GRATEFUL, and RESPECTFUL NO MATTER WHAT .

After he passed away in 2019 I wanted to pay homage to him in a way I knew he would be proud of me and I started my LLC with “ THE DON MARIA BRAND “ it’s both of our middle names !

What he has done for me and the love and constant support he’s shown me in my lifetime is unmatched and I’m forever GRATEFUL FOR/TO HIM … I just wish he was here to see it. I think he would be very proud of his babygirl !!!

I also want to thank two of my biggest mentors, My Uncle Sterfon Demings and My Old Boss/Mentor/Friend Glennis
“Big G” Tolunay!

My Uncle Sterfon taught me about behind the scenes of Luxury Healthy Hair Care Services he taught me what it was like to be around a Celebrity & VIP client and performing Top Tier Customer Service treating them like normal people cause they are ! So later in my life when it was my turn to do A-List Celebrities and VIP clients I already knew how to be professional but still myself . But also he taught me the niddy griddy of the business ! Most importantly because I have a legacy line of fabulous hairdresser and just some really Kool Kats in my family Style comes 1st nature to us ! Especially the guys in my family on both sides have this really Kool Swag it’s just in us and because most of my cousins are boys and my uncles dominate my family I guess that’s where I get my Kool Androgynous Sexy Style from … I’m a Grown Woman and I like to embrace my femininity… I like to bring the sexy out in every woman with a dope hair style or bomb makeup!

“Big G” Glennis and I met on my second round of my career when I moved to Houston, Tx in 2006 . We immediately hit it off as she saw herself in me ! She saw my passion…She saw my gift…She saw my experience…She knew she had found something special in me!!! I appreciate her for that… Because when I applied for the position they said they wasn’t hiring but because my God is a MIGHTY GOD they called me back within not even 2hrs to offer me a job! I just want to say thank you Glennis for all of your countless training and for trusting and believing in me always. Glennis taught me about running a business and working with systems and being on time for appointments rather your providing a service or not! She not only trained me but mentored me behind the scenes and developed a great relationship! Glennis has one of the Top Five Luxury Aveda Salons in Houston Metro Area ! It’s a great place to grow professional and be pushed educationally.

Lastly I would like to THANK any client, friend, family that has come to me and spent time with and gotten any service done with the The DMB ! YOU ARE HIGHLY APPRECIATED!!!

Website: Www.Donmariabrand.com and Www.tonyajonessalon.com

Instagram: @_thedonmariabrand_

Facebook: Kalita Hendrix

Image Credits
Photos : Matthew Tarver @ShotbyBarty Hair : Kalita Hendrix @_thedonmariabrand_ Makeup: Kalita Hendrix @_thedonmariabrand_ Styling: Kalita Hendrix @_thedonmariabrand_