I moved to LA with £230 – now I work with the Kardashians and earn £75k A DAY
A CELEBRITY hairstylist who’s worked with everyone from Gwen Stefani to the Kardashians reflected on her career so far.
Jen Atkin went from working multiple jobs to get through her apprenticeship to co-owning a successful beauty brand that stocks the shelves of Sephora.
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In conversation with Grace Beverley on her podcast Work hard, work hardly at allthe 44-year-old stylist told her story.
Jen grew up Mormon in Utah and later Hawaii, and described herself as a “product of pop culture.”
She explained that she was obsessed with makeover scenes in movies and the idea of transformation.
Jen turned this interest into her love for her, despite not knowing any woman who worked as a stylist.
“My poor little sister, she was my first customer, Barbie was the next,” she recalls.
“I always loved playing with her and I never thought I could make a career out of it.”
When she was 19, Jen moved to LA with her best friend, after a chance meeting with American musician Dave Matthews inspired her to pursue her dream.
She joked that the adventure was similar to a real-life Romy and Michelle, saying she only had £230 to her name at the time.
Jen joked that at the time she had “no plans, no connections and no wifi.”
She explained that this was the best time for her to take risks because she “really had nothing to lose.”
Who is Jen Atkin?
After moving to LA at age 19, Jen worked her way up from salon receptionist to celebrity hairstylist.
The 44-year-old co-owns 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.
In 2020 she published her first book Blowing My Way to the Top.
“I felt like there was no risk, it was just me, myself and me,” says Jen.
She started her career as a receptionist at a salon in LA and “hoped for the best.”
That’s exactly what Jen had to offer, as she said she only got the job after the salon owner heard her applying for another position at Starbucks.
Jen described the salon as a “hot spot” and said it was “like a movie.”
She says she took the opportunity to learn as much as she could, studying the manager, observing the stylists and helping out where she could.
I noticed that a change was happening.
Jen Atkin
This led to her working directly with Madonna’s hairstylist 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 days and that she was always the first one in the office and the last one to leave.
After working as a receptionist for two years, she became a salon manager, balancing her time with an internship and a night job as a hostess to pay her bills.
Jen spent her 20s and 30s assisting every stylist she could find, even touring with Madonna in 2006.
She booked an appointment to style a well-known publicist and said they “got along really well,” praising the anonymous woman as “a huge part in establishing my career.”
The publicist referred Jen to several of her clients, including Sofia Vergara.
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Jen juggled a busy schedule with fashion events, sewing wigs until 2am, getting up at 8am to style models, and sneaking out to style celebrities like Emma Stone, only to return to touch up her hair.
By 2014, she had built up a well-known clientele, including the Kardashians, and began to focus on other aspects of her career.
Jen founded the digital magazine Mane addictswhich she described as a “playground for people who love her.”
“I really started thinking about having my own hair brand around 2014,” she explains.
“I noticed that there was a change going on.”
After styling Gwen Stefani for the cover of Vogue, Jen felt confident she could take her brand to the next level.
The packaging was horrible, everything smelled like old lady or girl chewing gum.
Jen Atkin
She saw problems with hair products and discovered a niche in the market.
“The packaging was horrible, everything smelled like old lady or girl chewing gum,” Jen recalls.
Instead, she was inspired by the 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 so OUAI was born, offering a range of hair care products in stores like Sephora.
Jen describes the first few years of building a brand as “intense” and “so stressful,” but she concludes that it’s worth it.
The stylist, who became known for her expensive hairstyles, now earns up to £75,000 per reading.
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