Meet the Curl Boutique Team
Curl Boutique team members have a genuine love for curly hair <3
We’re a team-based salon, meaning all staff work towards the same goal: providing every Curl Boutique client with technically excellent services and a five-star experience. We believe this creates the perfect conditions for you to love your natural hair.
Being team-based also means we collaborate throughout the day, so you may work with more than one CB team member during an appointment. Additionally, we encourage clients to book with any stylist when (re)scheduling; this allows for flexibility, and it demonstrates and cultivates our synergistic culture.
Click on a team member photo below to learn more about them!
If you are interested in working at the Curl Boutique in any capacity, we’d love to hear from you. Send an email to hello@curlboutiqueme.com expressing your interest and we’ll be in touch.
Debbi
Burns
Founder, Owner, and Lead Stylist
(she/her)
Zahra
Merson
Curl Specialist
(she/they)
Maddy
Love
Curl Specialist, In House Education
(she/her)
Melany
Levesque
Operations
(she/her)
Zoey
Flock
Curl Specialist
(she/her)
Kelly
Bruns
Curl Specialist
(she/her)
Ashley
Vargas
Curl Specialist
(she/her)
Marisa
Weisenbach
Receptionist
(she/her)
Kyla
Elsayem
Curly Hair Apprentice
(she/her)
Debbi Burns
Founder, Owner, and Lead Curl Stylist
(She/Her)
What’s your name, pronouns, and your role at the salon? My name is Debbi. My pronouns are she/her. I am the Founder, Owner, and Lead Stylist at the Curl Boutique. How long have you been working with curly hair? I have been specialising in curly hair for over 12 years. I have had curly hair my whole life! What made you fall in love with curls? What made me fall in love with curls is the moment I realized there was a method of embracing – rather than fighting – them. Learning to love my own hair helped me fall more in love with curls, too. What’s your go-to curly hair product and why? It is SO hard to pick just one! But, right now, I am obsessed with Mop Top’s Curly Hair Custard. Also, Innersense’s brand new Air Dry Cream. Sorry – I had to pick two!! What’s your favorite part of helping clients embrace their curls? My favorite part is seeing the smile – and sometimes even tears of joy – when a client sees something they have always hated about themselves suddenly become a thing of beauty. If your styling personality had a theme song, what would it be? Born This Way by Lady Gaga.
Zahra Merson
Curl Specialist
(She/They)
What’s your name, pronouns, and your role at the salon? My name is Zahra, my pronouns are they/she (fine with either!) and I am a Curl Specialist at the Curl Boutique! What’s your specialty? Shags, mullets, vivids, and gender affirming cuts and styles. Also, any other funky, alternative styles 🙂 How long have you been working with curly hair? I have been specializing in curly hair for almost two years at the Curl Boutique. I worked with curls in my five years of styling at my previous salon. What made you fall in love with curls? I fell in love with the variation and the artistic aspect of curls. I’ve always been a little more on the wild and creative side when it comes to styling and curls have been the perfect outlet for that. What’s your favorite curly hair technique or service to perform? I love funky cuts and creative color! I have always thought outside of the box when it comes to my artistic style and love to bring other people’s creative ideas to life and to help people (especially my fellow queers and weirdos ;)) embrace their personal style! What’s your favorite thing to do when you’re not at the salon? I love music! I love dancing, and my roommate and I are in a DJ duo together, so I am always either DJing and dancing! I also have friends that are in the hardcore/punk scene so I love to go to hardcore shows as well! If your curls had a personality, what would they be like? My waves and curls are definitely on the wild, sassy, and unpredictable side, you never know what you’re gonna get 😉 What’s your guilty pleasure? I have a BIG obsession with nutritional yeast, I put an ungodly amount on every savory meal I possibly can 🙂
Maddy Love
Curl Specialist
(She/Her)
Bio and profile coming soon...
Kelly Bruns
Curl Specialist
(She/Her)
What’s your name, pronouns, and your role at the salon? Hello! My name is Kelly, my pronouns are she/her and my role at the Curl Boutique is a Curl Specialist and Lead Stylist of our Color Department. What’s your specialty? Lived in blonding. How long have you been working with curly hair? I have been working at the Curl Boutique since 2022! What made you fall in love with curls? As a wavy, I never really understood my hair until I started working at the Curl Boutique. The difference between my hair when I started versus now is CRAZY! I love being a part of people’s own curl journey, and I truly feel like I make a positive impact in people's lives daily. If you could give one piece of advice to every curly-haired client, what would it be? YOUR curls are so beautiful; don’t compare yourself to others 🫶 What’s your favorite thing to do when you’re not at the salon? Outside of the salon, I love spending time outdoors and with my fur babies. What’s your guilty pleasure? Definitely reality TV… I am always awaiting the new season of Love is Blind 😍
Melany Levesque
Operations
(She/Her)
What’s your name, pronouns, and your role at the salon? My name is Melany and my pronouns are she/her. I manage Operations at the Curl Boutique. How long have you been working with curly hair? As a behind-the-scenes team member, I don’t work directly with curls. However, my hair has been curly my whole life! What made you fall in love with curls? Years ago, Debbi explained to me that wearing my curls could empower others to feel good wearing their curls. I suddenly felt a big responsibility to do just that. Once I accepted that mission, it turned into something so much more. I found my own confidence and self-love for my curls. It was life-changing. I haven’t looked back since. If you could give one piece of advice to every curly-haired client, what would it be? Curls are NOT meant to be perfect – what in life is?! Once you TRULY believe your hair is beautiful as it grows out of your head, everything will be different. You are not everyone else’s curls. Your curls are unique. Embrace them and love them. Do you have a signature phrase or fun habit clients love about you? I love telling our clients we’re Curlfriends. It usually gets a smile or laugh, but above all, it’s true! We’re so lucky to have such a close, vibrant, GORGEOUS curly hair community filled with curlfriends. What’s your guilty pleasure? It’s basic, I know, but… anything true crime fascinates me. I also am incapable of saying “no” to a sweet treat 🙂 .
Ashley Vargas
Curl Specialist
(She/Her)
What’s your name, pronouns, and your role at the salon? My name is Ashley or Ash. My pronouns are she/her. I am a Curl Specialist. What’s your specialty? Curls and coils. How long have you been working with curly hair? Allllll myyyyy liiiiiife… cue K-Ci & JoJo… LOL! Professionally for two years. What made you fall in love with curls? What made me fall in love with curls is their variety and diversity – just like us. Every curl has a personality, want and need. It is so fun and intriguing to learn about and work with all of them. What’s your favorite thing to do when you’re not at the salon? I love adventuring and just spending quality time with my children. Whether it’s traveling or local adventures. If you could have any celebrity’s curls for a day, whose would you pick? Alicia Keys! Sarah Jessica Parker! Selena! Give me all the curls… What’s one thing you geek out over besides hair? Food! I want to try everything. Thanks to my parents for teaching me to cook so young. That has just made me want to venture into different cultures and explore all they have to offer my palate.
Marisa Weisenbach
Receptionist
(She/Her)
What’s your name, pronouns, and your role at the salon? My name is Marisa. My pronouns are she/her. My role at the Curl Boutique is Receptionist. What’s your specialty? Creating a smooth, cohesive, flowy schedule for our salon and clients. How long have you been working with curly hair? The only curly hair I’ve ever worked with is my own…so since the day it started growing out of my head! What made you fall in love with curls? When Debbi first did my hair, I realized that I could work with it and like how I looked instead of fighting against it and trying to force it to change. What’s your favorite thing to do when you’re not at the salon? Read while sitting in the sun! If you could have any celebrity’s curls for a day, whose would you pick? Tori Kelly, 100%! What’s your guilty pleasure? Musical theatre.
Kyla Elsayem
Curl Specialist
(She/Her)
What’s your name, pronouns, and your role at the salon? My name is Kyla Elsayem, my pronouns are she/her, and I am a Curly Hair Apprentice. How long have you been working with curly hair? My whole life. I’ve been with the Curl Boutique for almost two years. What made you fall in love with curls? The CB team has played a significant role in my journey with understanding my curls. I have always struggled to manage them and was unsure which products or styling techniques worked best for me. Being in the salon and seeing the wide variety of curl shapes and patterns that come through the doors has truly helped me develop a deeper appreciation and love for curly hair. What’s your favorite curly hair technique or service to perform? Cleansing! I love to see the hair go from dirty to clean. Satisfying. What’s a random fun fact about you that people wouldn’t expect? I have a tooth in my chin that sits sideways. What’s your guilty pleasure (TV show, snack, hobby)? The Twilight series, and pickles with a peanut butter sandwich.