On the first day of beauty school, the instructor went around the room asking everyone what they wanted to do in the industry. Hands shot up. Some students wanted to be celebrity or editorial stylists, others wanted to open a salon.
When she got to Dominique Ly’Var, his answer was a bit different: “I want to educate. Maybe open a school.”
He didn’t wait long to act on it. In New York State, cosmetologists are required to work in a salon for two years before applying for an instructor’s license. Ly’Var applied early.
“They didn’t realize I hadn’t worked in a salon yet!” he recalls with a laugh. “I fell through the cracks. That’s how I got into teaching.”
Ly’Var’s early move set the tone for everything that followed – a career defined by not waiting for permission, but by recognizing the gaps and going for it.
After beauty school, Ly’Var took what he calls “the corporate route,” working in salon chains like Regis and Supercuts, where he advanced from stylist to manager to multi-unit manager. It wasn’t glamorous, but it was foundational. He learned policies, procedures, and how to lead.
In 2012, he applied for a management role at DevaCurl, not mentioning during the interview that he did hair. “I just wanted to manage and go home,” he says.
Still, they found out. And when Essence reached out to DevaCurl to feature the brand in a shoot, the owner needed someone to style it and Ly’Var was the one they sent. “I think it was a little bit of a test, too,” he says.
Ly’Var ended up staying at DevaCurl for 10 years. He watched the brand become a cultural phenomenon — then unravel in real time in 2020 when users started filing lawsuits accusing its products of causing hair and scalp damage. “I saw the rise and the tragic fall. I was in the thick of it,” he says.
He moved to another brand – one without the corporate backing he’d come to rely on. The security and structure just weren't there.
Ly'Var then made a critical leap of faith and went independent, opening up his own suite in Midtown Manhattan. He also launched his own education brand with no corporate safety net, just a belief he could do it better.
Thus, the Uzuri Method was born. Partly inspired by the rise of self-care during the global pandemic and partly by his time at DevaCurl working with clients experiencing hair loss, Ly’Var threw himself into research, specifically to uncover what actually reduces hair loss.
As a result, he developed three oils, blended under the name Croissant Uzuri, combining the French word for growth and Swahili word for beauty. Eventually, the product line evolved into a masterclass.
Ly’Var makes it a priority to teach fundamentals and techniques that can be applied to all hair textures. He also teaches the soft skills nobody else covers, such as how to handle difficult clients and how to price your services.
He even counsels stylists on how to tell a client something isn’t right for their hair, even if it’ll costs the appointment. “That builds the rapport,” he says. “They know you’re not just trying to take their money.”
Throughout his corporate years, Ly’Var was often the only Black man at the table, and he felt the weight of it constantly: Being asked to perform a certain kind of Blackness. Having to code-switch to survive.
Now, he’s the voice speaking up for others who may feel unheard or underrepresented. “Wherever I can get my foot in the door and open it a little wider … that’s what I'm going to do.”
The same commitment drives his classroom today. He wants every student to feel like they belong there. “I love when other demographics want to come learn from me,” he says. “I don’t want anyone to leave with the preconceived notions they may have walked in with.”
Because at the end of the day, that’s what he’s always been teaching: Not just technique; not just texture, but how people are made to feel.
“That’s really what matters most,” he says, “and what I hope to amplify with every platform I have.”
Dominique Ly’Var is teaching “Cutting Beyond Boundaries: Master Texture with Confidence” at the Be+Well | Beauty and Wellness Show New York (formerly International Beauty Show–NY), taking place March 8–10. Registration is here; use promo code EDSALON20 for 20% off education classes.