I moved to LA with £230 in my pocket – now I work with the Kardashians & charge £75k for a DAY’S work
A CELEBRITY hair stylist who has worked with everyone from Gwen Stefani to the Kardashians reflected on her career to date.
Jen Atkin went from working multiple jobs to see herself through her apprenticeship, to co-owning a successful beauty brand that lines the shelves in Sephora.
Speaking to Grace Beverley on her podcast Working Hard, Hardly Working, the 44-year-old stylist recounted her story.
Raised as a Mormon in Utah and eventually Hawaii, Jen described her younger self as a “product of pop culture.”
She explained that she was obsessed with makeover scenes in movies and the idea of transformation.
Jen went on to channel this interest into her love of hair, despite not knowing any women who worked as stylists.
“My poor little sister, she was my first client, Barbie was another,” she recalls.
“I just always loved playing with hair and I never knew that could be a career.”
When she was 19, Jen moved to LA with her best friend after a chance encounter with American musician Dave Matthews inspired her to pursue her dream.
She joked that the adventure was like a real life Romy and Michelle, and revealed that she only had £230 to her name at the time.
Jen joked that at the time she had “zero plans, zero connections, and zero Wi-Fi.”
She explained that this was the best time for her to take risks as she “truly had nothing to lose.”
Who is Jen Atkin?
After moving to LA aged 19, Jen worked her way up from salon receptionist to celebrity hair stylist.
The 44-year-old is the co-owner of OUAI and has worked with everyone from the Hadid sisters to the Kardashians.
Jen also founded the digital magazine Mane Addicts and writes a column for Glamour magazine.
She published her first book Blowing My Way to the Top in 2020.
“I just didn’t feel like there was any risk, it was just me, myself, and I,” Jen says.
She started out by working as a receptionist in a salon in LA and “hoping for the best.”
This lucky break was exactly that as Jen revealed that she was only offered the job after the owner of the salon overheard her interviewing for another position in a Starbucks.
Jen described the salon as a “hot spot” and said it was “like a total movie.”
She says she took the opportunity to learn as much as she could, studying the manager, watching stylists, and assisting whenever possible.
I could tell there was a shift happening.
Jen Atkin
This led to her working directly with Madonna’s hair stylist and eventually doing extensions for the likes of Lindsey Lohan, Paris Hilton, Mischa Barton, and Nicole Richie.
Jen explained that she never complained about her long work hours, and was always the first to show up and the last to leave.
After spending two years as a receptionist she went on to become salon manager, balancing her time with an apprenticeship and a night job working as a hostess to pay her bills.
Jen spent her mid 20s to early 30s assisting any stylist she could and she even went on tour with Madonna in 2006.
She booked an appointment styling a celebrity publicist and said they “hit it off,” crediting the unnamed woman as playing a “huge part in making my career happen.”
The publicist referred Jen to some of her clients, including Sofia Vergara.
Jen juggled a busy schedule for fashion events, sewing wigs for until 2:00 am, waking at 8:00 am to style models, and sneaking away to work on celebrities such as Emma Stone before returning to add touch ups.
By 2014, she had built a well-known clientele, including the Kardashians, and began focusing on other areas of her career.
Jen founded the digital magazine Mane Addicts, which she described as a “playground for people who love hair.”
“I really started thinking about a hair brand around 2014,” she explains.
“I could tell there was a shift happening.”
After styling Gwen Stefani for the cover of Vogue, Jen felt confident in her brand to take it a step further.
The packaging was horrendous, everything smelled like old lady of little girl bubblegum.
Jen Atkin
She noticed the issues in hair products and spotted a niche in the market.
“The packaging was horrendous, everything smelled like old lady of little girl bubblegum,” Jen recalls.
In contrast, she was inspired by models she worked with, explaining that “the mood board was that.”
“I wanted [my products] to look good, smell good, and work really well,” she says.
And with that OUAI was born, offering a range of haircare products in shops like Sephora.
While Jen describes the initial years of building a brand as “intense” and “so stressful,” she concludes they are well worth it.
The stylist, who became known for her expensive ‘dos, now makes up to £75,000 per speaking engagement.