[EXCLUSIVE] Mushiya Tshikuka Talks ‘Cutting It: In The ATL’, Her Business, & Building Confidence in Black Women

Tell us about The Damn Salon and Taste of Damn?

I have The Damn Salon that’s here in Atlanta. Then, I have touring division, Taste of Damn, which tours through D.C., New York, Charlotte, Houston, Montreal, and various other cities. Then we have Runway Curls, which is our hair line. The Runway Curls hair extensions is actually the very first of its kind. It’s 100% virgin Ethiopian Textured hair. We created this hair line of only kinky to curly hair to seamlessly match the natural curl pattern of our own hair. There’s no straight hair in the line, but the hair can be straightened if desired. When wet, it falls back into curls.

Do you find the natural hair business to be very profitable?

Yes. It’s very very profitable because one…everyone is going natural. Even the people that wear weaves, their natural underneath. That’s like the newest, big thing…natural underneath, which I can’t stand. Well, I aim to make people natural on top of neath. [laughs]  The problem is they don’t really know how to wear their hair and to be sexy and still feel confident in it. And, that’s why Mushiya and The Damn Salon exists because we create styles that are natural and still high fashion, sexy. It can be corporate. And once people discover it, they never go back.

It’s definitely a profitable business. Natural hair is not a style, it’s actually a movement.

What’s “Hair that Causes Horny Husbands”?

It’s exactly what it is. Hair that causes horny husbands. I don’t lie about that. When you speak to our clients, and they go home, the way that their men love them about their hair. They think it’s a joke. It’s not a joke, this is exactly what happens okay. The men love it. Husbands will call me and thank me because they’re so different. Even like the protective styles that we do, you can wash it every day. He can run his hands through and not worry about him feeling tracks.

At the end of the day, what do you want viewers to walk away with after seeing you on the show?

I want people to begin or continue for people to understand the beauty of a Black woman and begin to love their natural hair. I want to turn more naturals underneath to naturals top of neath. I want them to being to believe that natural hair is what their born with and given by God is absolutely stunning and gorgeous. They can work in high fashion, can work in corporate America. I’m a dark skinned girl with kinky hair and there are a lot of issues in society with skin color. There are many people lightening their skin. Most people’s idea of beauty comes in a light skin with straight hair. Even people in Asia are bleaching their light skin to make it lighter. Asians are trying to make their skin white. A lot of different countries are lightening their skin.

That color issue is deeper than people think, than people know. It’s everywhere. But, I’m a dark skin girl and I love the Blackness of my skin. Give me a tan somebody and I’m still happy. I want to be that icon for a lot of women who has issues with themselves and their skin color and what society has displayed. I want them to see a confident, dark skin kinky girl on TV who loves herself. And, everybody loves her back. She loves herself first. That’s very very important, for people to take away is that – for the world to believe in you – you have to believe in yourself first and foremost. They’ll see that through the show that I am a believer in myself. I have a lot of drive and passion and that’s how you make it in life.

I don’t take things personal. A lot of things will happen on your life and people, women will fight. But, it’s how you react to it. It’s what you learn from it. It’s how you move on that makes you a successful person.

For more information about Mushiya Tshikuka’s The Damn Salon and Runway Curls, visit www.thedamnsalon.com or www.runwaycurls.com. Follow her brands on social media @TheDamnSalon @MushiyaTshikuka @RunwayCurls .

Don’t forget to tune in to “Cutting It: In The ATL” on Thursdays at 10 pm ET/9 pm CT on WE tv!