Today we’d like to introduce you to Kelly Rhodes.
Hi Kelly, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
There were a lot of things happening in my life that came together in interesting ways to put me where I am now.
I learned how to do fairy hair at a party. It was my way of having an easy way to interact with people – I stood in a corner, they came to me, we got to chat, and then they got up and the next person came over. It was a great way to fight my own social anxiety, and it made me happy to see all of my friends be sparkly. I did it more and more until a friend mentioned an event he was involved with and that I should apply to vend there.
I started working at the Maryland Renaissance Festival. I had always loved it as a kid, and when a friend mentioned that she worked for the hair braiders there and could get me in, I was ecstatic! I worked as a hostess for the braiding booth for years until they convinced me to learn how to braid, and then I was hooked.
I actually found the world of fairy festivals through a Girl Scout troop I volunteered with. I learned these were a thing, and that there was a whole world of fairies, professional mermaids, and weekend adventures.
All of these amazing opportunities, and the people I met along the way, all churned and melded together until I realized I could totally run my own booth. I started applying for festivals. I started using my vacation days for long weekend events. I made contacts in all sorts of incredible communities. I sparkled kids, adults, fairies, mermaids, pirates, gnomes, dogs, horses, a pig, and basically anyone who would sit still long enough. I found my fairy self.
And then I decided to roll the dice, bet on myself, and step into this world full time.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I don’t think I’d say smooth, but I’d definitely say lucky.
Finding my passion in working with people has definitely meant learning to understand a lot of different people. Sometimes that means figuring out how to step away from controlling situations where my enthusiasm was taken advantage of. But overwhelmingly, it has meant that I’ve been able to connect with some of the most passionate, supportive, creative people I’ve ever met.
When I can’t leave my booth all day at an event, I have people who come by and bring me snacks and refill water. When I’m not sure I can afford to vend at a festival, I have people who reach out to share space or split a room. When I had a medical emergency at a Renaissance Festival, I had my coworkers, my friends, my family, festival staff, and my regular patrons all going out of their way to check in on me, cover the booth where I was working, take me where I needed to be, and keep me company the entire time.
My people and my communities have found events for me, bragged about me and my work, recommended me to their friends, and gathered people together for me to come hang out and sparkle. I could not do any of it without them.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m a hair fairy! I do renaissance festival style braiding, and I hand ties fairy hair sparkles.
As a braider, I love trying new things. I enjoy getting creative and giving someone a braid that matches their style. My favorites are viking-style braids and anything that incorporates fun hair accessories. And I absolutely LOVE braiding colorful hair. I’m incredibly proud of being able to do not just 3 and 5 strand braids, but also 7 and even 9 strand braids!
But what I am truly known for is fairy hair. Some people call it tinsel, but I try to avoid that word because what I do is a little different from the crimp-in beads that have become increasingly popular. I hand-tie sparkle strands to individual hairs. The strands themselves are heat safe, and safe to treat like normal natural hair, and when they’re tied to just one hair, they stay attached until the hair they’re tied to falls out. I tell people it’s hard to predict how long they’ll stay in, because it’s hard to predict when any given hair will fall out. I have regulars and friends who come back to me with strands that have in in their hair for over a year. My record was a friend who had some stay in through the COVID pandemic until we ran into each other again…4 YEARS LATER!!
I’ve sparkled all different textures of hair, from babies only a few weeks old to textured natural hair, as well as beard hair, chest hair, back hair, armpit hair, and just about any type of body hair you can name (yes, really). I’ve sparkled dolls and accessories, dogs, a few horses, and even a pig!
I love watching people when I hand them a mirror at the end, whether it’s to admire a braid or to shake their head and see the sparkles. I love the joy.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
Well, I just took the plunge and made this my full-time job. I’ll be honest, I have no idea what’s going to happen, but I’ve seen the communities and events that I love becoming more popular. I’ve watched sparkly hair become more popular. I don’t know what comes net, but I’m all in at this point, so I guess I’m going to find out!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.yourhairfairymd.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yourhairfairymd
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yourhairfairymd
