ST. GEORGE — It was the hair flip that flipped the entire hair industry.
One simple photo posted on Instagram was all it took for a St. George entrepreneur to transform a hair extension technique into a business empire. McKenzie Turley now trains hairstylists worldwide, bringing them and their tax dollars to Southern Utah.
Finding a better way
Turley was frustrated. After years of training in various hair extension techniques, Turley was vexed by the unsightly and sticky mess traditional methods caused to the scalp. There had to be a better way.
“I always felt like there were boxes that I could not check with these methods,” Turley said. “There would be things I would be struggling with no matter how much practice I put in or how many times I visited an educator.”
Eventually, Turley gave up on the old methods and created new ones that worked astonishingly well. Turley approached the issue in a scientific way, trying different techniques and taking notes on how well they worked. One fateful day in March of 2019, Turley posted a photo on Instagram that showed the hair flipped up to reveal a row of hair extensions she had been working on.
This was way out of bounds for the hair industry, which avoided showing potential clients the beads, bonds and adhesives required for the then-established hair extension methods. At the time she posted the photo, Turley had about 2,000 followers on Instagram. She was shocked by the response.
“I got flooded with stylists from across the world asking me if I could teach them,” Turley said. “I realized there was a call that I just had to answer.”
Today, Turley holds two patents on the method that she now uses to train stylists from across the globe. Invisible Bead Extensions is taught via an online course that has proved to be wildly successful. So much so that Turley felt compelled to build a massive complex in St. George for stylists who wanted extra, in-person training.
The campus on the corner of St. George Boulevard and Bluff Street has an education facility, full-service salon, media center and fulfillment building called Shop IBE. Turley said her company sells three lines of hair extensions, tools and accessories, filling about 30,000 orders last year.
“We’ve got over 400 variants, which means different lengths, colors and textures of hair extensions,” Turley said. “We offer hand-tied and micro-wefts to be used with the IBE method.”
Classes at Shop IBE in St. George became an instant hit with stylists eager to take their training to the next level. The estimated 50 stylists who fly into St. George every month dump untold amounts of money into local tax coffers through car rentals, room accommodations, food and shopping. In turn, these stylists get to train in a luxurious space plunked down in the middle of a desert landscape known for its proximity to Zion National Park.
“I want to match the effort that they are putting into their careers and clients by creating an experience here where they are truly treated like the queens they are,” Turley said.
IBE is a “clean” industry that leaves behind a very light environmental footprint, she said. As a female business owner, Turley eschews the idea that women have to choose between family and career.
“I wholeheartedly believe that I am the business owner I am because I have four kids at home,” Turley said. “There is a lot that a wife, homemaker and mother can take straight into the corporate world.”
The root of the matter
At the end of the day, the IBE hair extension method is about giving clients beautiful locks that won’t ruin their scalps. Renee McNally, master educator and IBE chief of staff, is a true believer when it comes to this technique. After working as a stylist in New York for many years, McNally discovered that she could earn more and work less by servicing clients who wanted hair extensions.
“Extensions are more of a luxury service,” McNally said. “It exponentially grows your income.”
Stylists learn the process through online courses with the assistance of mentors. Once a stylist is certified in the IBE method, they can continue their education through a program called “IBE Masters.” McNally said this level of education has classes in business, color, cutting and technique.
Once a student is certified through the online classes, they are eligible to further their training at the education center on the IBE campus in St. George.
“We have a lot of advanced education for technique, and boot camps for all our IBE Masters programs,” McNally said. “Our philosophy is community over competition.”
Learning in luxury
The spacious and well-appointed IBE Education Center offers stylists a way to further sharpen the skills they have acquired in the online training. Melissa Holmes is the first point of contact for students who travel to St. George. Holmes said it’s apparent they love what they are seeing when they come here.
“Their cameras are out, they’re taking footage of everything,” Holmes said. “They’re just enjoying their time here.”
Holmes is in charge of filming, catering and pampering students. In keeping with the IBE “Queen for a Day” approach, Holmes sets out goodie bags in the education theater and hair mannequins for the hands-on training to follow. Besides the additional instruction in the IBE method, Holmes said the thing stylists enjoy the most is the personal relationships they get with their instructors.
“They get to be a part of this community and meet stylists from all around the world,” Holmes said.
These in-person classes are ongoing and well-attended. Holmes said those making the journey to Southern Utah to further their education leave not just with knowledge, but with memories of learning in a beautiful atmosphere.
Heeding requests to share how she pulled all of this off, Turley has written a book about the journey she took in pioneering the IBE method called “Fractured” which is available for sale on Amazon.
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