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

Hi Janine, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
Self-proclaimed perm queen, I specialize in perms and texture. I’ve owned Hairroin Salon in Los Angeles for 16 years as well as a salon in NY for six years. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, both salons were forced to close then reopen and ultimately I decided to permanently close my NY location as I’m based here in Los Angeles. It was heartbreaking but with all the newfound “time off” I dumped all my guts into CURL CULT – my perm project that I had secretly been working on for years. I pulled in an amazing team, including my business partner, Melissa. We secured funding and went on to launch a brand new perm during a pandemic. It’s been an incredibly exciting ride.

What should our readers know about your business?
Traditional perms haven’t evolved much since the 80s and I decided it was time to do something about that. Working with a chemist and laboratory in Italy, we created an all vegan, sulfate surfactant and paraben-free line that leaves hair shiny and healthy with less mess, less stink and in less steps than perms from the past. I also created retail products that can be purchased directly through curlcult.com that support all-natural curls and textures as well as perms. I’m here to bring the perm back, but better than ever. It’s been a battle every step of the way: from getting a chemist to believe my vision of creating soft and healthy permanent texture, to securing backing and distributors, to simply taking a chance on my idea. Plus, I have fought hard for clients to trust me enough to do it and I will continue to do so. My goal is to help reshape the message we have around texture and curls, as well as the accessibility to offer it at every and all salons.

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.
Day 1: Downtown! We would start off with breakfast at Home Girl Cafe then head to Santee Alley for some shopping. I love getting fun going-out clothes and over the top accessories at the wholesale meet swap meet, classic. Lunch in Little Tokyo at the Shabu Shabu inside the Little Tokyo Plaza. Next we’d stop at Pop Killer for some cool vintage deadstock items. We’d then head to the Japanese American Museum to see what’s on display. Then dinner at Wurstküche in the Arts District nearby and finish with some bar hopping on that same street.

Day 2: HOLLYWOOD! Hike at the Griffith Observatory, breakfast tacos at Home State, check out WACKOS bookstore across the street as well as some thrifting at the Goodwill right there and Crossroads just down the street. Get my hair and nails done at HAIRROIN salon. We’ll do dinner at GWEN and I’m going straight for the champagne cocktail and charcuterie platter. Then we’d head over to the Roosevelt for a night of bowling in the SPAREROOM, which is a fabulous small vintage bowling alley.

Day 3: MALIBU! Heading straight to Paradise Cove for breakfast at Paradise Cafe then renting one of their private beach loungers for the day. Early dinner at Nobu on the way back and drinks at Bungalow in Santa Monica.

Day 4: Glendale/Pasadena! Breakfast at Portos, then head over to the Rose Bowl Swapmeet for a bit. Go to Huntington gardens for the rest of day and lunch in their Asian Tea Garden Cafe. Dinner at Lil Sheep Korean Bbq in Pasadena and a movie and drinks at the IPIC.

Day 5: Mid City! Breakfast at Cafe Gratitude, a trip to LACMA , shopping and lunch at the Grove and more shopping on Melrose. Lastly we’d have dinner at Crossroads.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Definitely my entire team who I couldn’t have launched Curl Cult without. I mentioned Melissa Orr above who’s my business partner and then of course the rest of my core team including Elvira Cardenas and Lauren Knoche. These ladies do an incredible job keeping everything moving and I’m honored to have such a rockstar team of women.

Website: https://www.curlcult.com/

Instagram: @curlcult

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6LYv7_pe0nTix7Ep1cOX2Q

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