New Kaimuki Studio’s Hairstylist Has National Ranking

A haircut can sometimes seem like a major life change, so it’s a relief when you have a hairstylist you can trust. Enter Hillary Juliette who recently opened Winam Studio in Kaimuki.

“Hair should be fun,” she said. With 11 years of experience, the motto must fit, because it’s not just local clientele she is impressing. Elle magazine listed her as one of the “top 100 salons in the United States” in its August 2012 issue.

“I felt happy, content, amazed, confused, shocked and grateful,” Juliette said. “It was a big surprise, and not something I had ever considered.”

Winam Studio, meanwhile, offers a waterless “green cut,” which takes a half hour to complete and is environmentally friendly. “While at another salon, I grew concerned at the large amount of water being used for haircuts … so I started offering ‘green cuts’ as a way to expose more people to dry haircutting as a viable option, as well as water conservation,” she explained. Not using water also enables Juliette to see how the hair “lives” on each individual’s head.

After attending school in Oakland and taking additional courses throughout the country, Juliette returned home. “As a local girl from Kapahulu, I wanted to bring my sensible and creative approach to hair to the Islands in a simple, inspired way.”

She’s also been a para-medic working with California firefighters and a nurse while cutting hair in Macy’s. “The similarities are evident,” she said. “I see one person at a time, diagnose their ’emergency,’ use the tools and techniques that were taught to me and get them out better than when they came in. The bottom line is that I was making people happy. I helped them, and I was a service to them.”

Prices range from $35 to $45 for a haircut, $85 for a cut and gloss or color, and $125 to $135 for a haircut, color and highlights. For more information, call 922-1444. The studio is open Monday to Thursday from 5:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 1130 Koko Head Ave.