Celebrity Hair Braider Kia Harper: From Side Hustle to Booming Business

Celebrity hair braider Kia Harper has taken the beauty world by storm with her show-stopping styles for the Kardashian-Jenner kids and other A-list clients. What started as a side hustle has turned into a booming business for the Chicago native, who now boasts over 105,000 followers on her braiding Instagram account, @kiaharperbraids.

Harper, who initially pursued a career as a singer/songwriter, found herself turning to hair braiding to make ends meet while chasing her musical dreams in Los Angeles. It didn’t take long for her to realize the earning potential and flexibility that came with braiding, prompting her to make it her full-time job.

With celebrity clients like Kehlani and Toni Braxton’s son Diesel, Harper has been able to leverage her hair platform to cross-promote her music as well. She credits her success to putting herself out there, utilizing her network, and not being afraid to take risks.

“I began using my music as background music in every post I made on my hair Instagram page. Because my hair page has a large platform and because I’ve serviced celebrities, I began cross-marketing my music with my hair platform and those clients’ platforms,” Harper shared in an interview with Voyage LA.

As Harper continues to make waves in the beauty and music industries, it’s clear that her talent and determination have set her on a path to even greater success.