What began as a Spring 2007 trip to Paris and a surprise marriage proposal under the Eiffel Tower has grown into a revolutionary movement in textured hair care - The DOUX Concept. In 2008, with over twenty years in the salon business/beauty industry, Los Angeles native, celebrity stylist, and newlywed military spouse Maya Smith, left her West Coast freelancing gig and relocated to Germany.
What Smith saw missing in both in the US and abroad was a salon experience tailored to the unique needs of clients with textured hair, especially women serving overseas in the Armed Forces. She discovered that European salons focused on providing a nurturing environment to clients but were manned by stylists with a skill set that allowed them to cater to only one hair type. The few salons that entertained the idea of servicing textured hair charged twice as much as straight-haired patrons, and most clients left unhappy with the results. “The client was picking up the tab for the professional's lack of skill," says Smith.
On the other hand, salons that served a more diverse clientele didn't seem interested in working with a client's naturally grown hair at all. High-cost extensions and chemical treatments were on the menu. Affordable luxury in a peaceful ambience was not. The term, "upscale" is thrown around in the beauty industry, but for me it was about more than designer furniture and bourgeois pretention. I wanted to not only create a beautiful environment that nurtured the unique needs of my clientele, but a place that visually stimulated and inspired a feeling of belonging and royalty within them."
And so it was. In 2008, The HoneyComb, a Maya Smith Hair Lounge became the ultimate destination for textured hair care for women from all over Europe, The UK, and as far as Africa. Named the birthplace of Germany's Neo-Natural Hair Movement, The HoneyComb hosted Germany's first of many natural hair meet-ups, inspiring a new way of transitioning hundreds of clients to a relaxer-free lifestyle. Maya's unique system of textured hair styling later sparked the development of The Doux® haircare products, first launched overseas, and distributed throughout Germany, France, Italy, and the Netherlands. The DOUX®, and later, DOUXrags®, Maya's line of hair accessories, gained national exposure in major U.S. publications, such as JET™ and DELUX™ Magazines.
In the Spring of 2014, The DOUX's newfound momentum resulted in a decision to uproot the brand, bringing its corporate office back to the U.S. In keeping with the brand's commitment to provide services in locations that are easily accessible to the military community, Maya chose Macon GA's historic Downtown as the home of the first of many DOUX Salonsâ„¢.
Located on Downtown Macon's historic Cherry Street, The DOUX Salon & Blowdry Parlour echoes The HoneyComb's original bright, open, gallery-esque feel, but on a slightly grander scale. The DOUX's hand-picked team of professionals come from some of the best cosmetology institutions in the industry, and are trained to deliver Maya's unique brand of collaborative hair care. Together, #TEAMDOUX stands above the mediocre salon sydicate, upholding a standard of superior service, world-class education, and an extensive skill-set for hair of every texture. We aim to empower our clients by educating them on their hair type and styling options, providing a personalized at-home maintenance regimen, and coaching via face to face and online tutorials.
The DOUX® manifesto is quite simple: to love people, to be a significant force in our community, and to elevate the salon experience for women of color.