Not every hairstylist can trace their calling back to a Sunday ritual in West Africa, but Candace Witherspoon can. The Liberian-born, New York-based curl specialist has spent 16 years building a career rooted in the belief that healthy hair begins long before anyone walks into a salon and she has the client roster and the fashion week credits to prove it.
Witherspoon is the owner of Candace Witherspoon Salon in New York, where her entire practice is centered on one thing: making curls thrive. Her approach blends technical skill with genuine education, ensuring that every client who sits in her chair also leaves knowing how to care for their hair once they get home.
A passion that started with Sunday braids
Growing up in Liberia, salon visits were not part of Witherspoon’s routine. Hair care was a communal act neighbors, friends, and family members doing each other’s hair ahead of the school week. Those Sunday braiding sessions planted a seed that never stopped growing.
She continued styling hair through high school, even doing her own chemical treatments. Her first relaxer came at age 7, and she later made the decision to do a big chop at 23, eventually embracing her full afro by the time she turned 29. That personal evolution through different hair textures gave her something textbooks never could a lived understanding of what natural hair really needs.
After finishing high school, Witherspoon enrolled in beauty school the very next year. She has not looked back since.
Building a career at the top of the industry
Her path to New York led her through Empire Beauty School in Manhattan, followed by an apprenticeship at high-end salons where she sharpened her craft under serious pressure. She eventually rose to senior stylist and educator at DevaCurl, one of the most recognized names in the curly hair world.
When she was not working with salon clients, Witherspoon was backstage at New York Fashion Week, handling hair for major runway shows including those by Stella McCartney, Oscar de la Renta, Mugler, and Carolina Herrera. Each experience added a new dimension to her technical range and reinforced her reputation as one of the most trusted curl specialists working today.
What she’s focused on now
These days, Witherspoon works across all curl textures in her own salon while also navigating a new chapter of her personal hair journey she has recently transitioned to locs, and she describes the experience as something she is genuinely enjoying.
That kind of personal investment in the hair journey is what makes her approach resonate so deeply with clients. She reminds those who sit in her chair that everyone is on their own timeline, and that comparison is one of the biggest obstacles to hair confidence.
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Her top healthy hair tips
When it comes to healthy hair, Witherspoon keeps her advice grounded and practical. Her number one tip is consistent trims. Healthy ends, she explains, are the foundation that allows the rest of the hair to grow and flourish. Without them, even the best products can only do so much.
She also pushes back firmly on one of the most common hair myths: the idea that growth is only about what you put on your hair from the outside. Beyond genetics, what a person feeds their body plays a major role in the health and speed of hair growth, and it is a point she makes regularly with her clients.
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Her current go to product
For scalp care between wash days, Witherspoon has been reaching for Créme of Nature Scalp Relief Wipes. The product works for her own locs as a quick refresh and is something she recommends to active clients who deal with buildup between appointments. The wipes remove gel, oils, and dirt without disturbing the style a practical solution for people who want to keep their scalp clean without committing to a full wash.
For a stylist whose entire brand is built on helping curls reach their full potential, it is exactly the kind of tool that fits.
