Simone Durant provides a variety of hair restoration and hair loss services for men and women suffering from hair loss at her clinic, The Hair Dive.
BY KARIN DAVIS-THOMPSON | Staff Writer
ST. PETERSBURG — For Simone Durant, owning The Hair Dive is about more than just being a business owner; it’s her calling.
She started her business in 2017, changing the name in 2021 as her business model grew and the needs of her clients began to take shape.
The Hair Dive provides a variety of hair restoration and hair loss services for men and women suffering from hair loss. But more than that, Durant offers a safe space for her clients to share their fears, frustrations, and worries.
“I have suffered from hair loss and alopecia for some time,” she said. “So, I know how they feel. I can relate, and that makes them feel more comfortable.”
Durant said hair is vital to a person’s identity and how they view themselves, but they don’t give much thought to it until they begin to lose it.
“I felt I needed to create a safe space in the beauty community to talk about it,” explained the 34-year-old. “I wanted to let people know there is help.”
While hair loss may be a medical condition and a doctor can provide some help, they often don’t know how to help someone work through how they feel as they navigate their hair loss.
“Doctors can give you a pill, but they don’t understand what you need to make you feel more comfortable in how you look when you go out in public.”
What’s more, she said, some companies or doctor’s offices may be able to give you a wig if you are a cancer patient, for example, or hair extensions if you qualify, but they don’t know how to help you figure out what to do next.
“I’ve had clients come to me and say they got the wig, but they don’t know how to style it,” she said. “At The Hair Dive, you get the best of both worlds. We have the products you need and we know how to help you meet whatever goal you have.”
Durant starts by asking her clients a series of questions, from what they want to see when they look in the mirror to how they want others to view them when they step out in public. For some, it’s a matter of figuring out how to manage the hair loss and grieve the fact that the hair may not always return. For others, it’s figuring out how to use things such as hair extensions or wigs while their hair grows back.
The entrepreneur said not only is the work personal because she can relate to her customers but because her 9-year-old has suffered from hair loss too.
“It wasn’t until last year that I was able to figure out the pattern,” stated Durant. “I had to build her up so she is confident in who she is and how she looks no matter what while helping her learn how to manage it.”
And while she helps her daughter build her confidence, she uses some of those same techniques to help her clients.
“It’s sometimes hard for them to open up and talk about and hard to make peace with because they don’t understand it,” said Durant. “Being an active listener is important.”
Not only does the licensed cosmetologist understand her clients because of personal experience, but she also has the expertise for the job, receiving her hair loss certification from the Tony Love Training Center.
That certification allows her to partner with doctor’s offices and enable clients to use insurance if their plan covers hair loss.
“We can customize a plan for every client,” she said. “We can work with their budget and devise a plan based on their goals.”
For Durant, the best part of the job is the chance to partner to increase her reach. She works with the VA in Pinellas and Hillsborough counties as well as the organizations Wigs for Kids and Children with Hair Loss.
When a client’s treatment plan results in more confidence and the ability to embrace who they are and how they look, she knows she has done her job.
“That is the most rewarding part — when they look in the mirror and see what they want to see,” Durant said. “When say they are ready for that job interview, wedding or event and they feel normal. They are so grateful, but I am grateful, too, that God put me through some things. That’s why I can relate. It’s a blessing to be able to be a blessing.”
For more information on The Hair Dive, visit www.thehairdive.com or call 727-265-0013. The Hair Dive is located at 6920 22nd Ave. N, Suite 120, St. Petersburg.
This business spotlight is part of a series on small business owners in The Green Book of Tampa Bay, a listing of black-owned businesses in the Tampa Bay area, encouraging communities to be intentional about spending their dollars with business owners of color.
