Hairstylist and businessman Jawed Habib has long carved an undeniable niche in the Indian market regarding haircare and beauty. With outlets in 120 cities nationwide, Habib’s chain Jawed Habib Hair and Beauty recently celebrated 20 years of service in the City of Joy. A t2 chat.

Twenty years is a milestone. Walk us through the journey in this city.

Calcutta has played a very important role in my success. We started from Calcutta. I used to come here, work here every month, and then we started franchising, we started the education bit of what we do and hosted seminars. India as a whole has played an important role in my journey, but I started from Calcutta, so that aspect is, of course, always there.

And I’ve seen Calcutta changing with the times. I know the Salt Lake area has completely changed. Where the ITC hotels are now, previously that spot used to be the corner of Calcutta. Now it has become a centre point in the city. And Salt Lake is a “city” now. It was previously just a small area of the city, and there was no flyover, no Metro tracks, nothing. The world has changed. I travel a lot and I’ve been to Calcutta multiple times, so it’s always great to be back.

The one thing you’ve always stressed on in your work is the fact that you want to educate people in terms of haircare. Is that still an ethos that you live by, 20 years down the line?

Yes. I’m also a teacher, so I do shows and masterclasses, and I think teaching has allowed me to not only become a good educator and to travel to every part of this country, but also to see and understand the mindsets of the people in the cities I travel to. My experiences, teaching and reaching out to people have made Jawed Habib what it is today.

It’s very simple. I don’t propagate business. Through my work and my sessions, what I am aiming to do is impart education. And it’s very basic, general hair care that I stress on. I don’t sell cosmetics. Cosmetics don’t guarantee good hair. What I am doing is teaching people how to look after their hair at home. That’s the most important bit.

Because the world is full of cosmetics today. And the world is also full of people who are suffering from hair problems. That tells you that cosmetics are not a guarantee. The real guarantee is knowledge. Education.

I tell people that oil doesn’t work on dry hair, which honestly people never knew or thought about before. I tell people not to oil their hair at night, and nobody believes me. I tell people that they don’t need to condition their hair too much; rather they should wash their hair every day. And nobody actually sits down to explain the science behind all of this to you, do they? And people get very shocked and ask me: “Oh, but wont washing your hair everyday lead to damage because of excess chemicals?” Then I tell them: “Toothpaste has chemicals. Soap has chemicals. Anything you use in your kitchen has chemicals.”

What I’m saying is, you need real knowledge, and that knowledge is what gets you ultimate hair care. This is required for the whole world. Not just in india. There is a plethora of existing knowledge beyond the use of cosmetics which people don’t know about. Even shampooing your hair is a science. And hair care is the same everywhere. All you need to do is wash your hair every day. That’s the secret.

And that’s the reason why Jawed Habib is Jawed Habib. Because I’ve never sold anything except real education which is required for your hair. You need to keep your scalp clean so it can breathe. Oiling blocks the pores, so you get dandruff, grey hair, itching… lots of problems come up. That’s mostly due to the lack of knowledge. That’s what I’m trying to change.

What would you say has been your most significant achievement over the past 20 years in Calcutta?

I have had only one major achievement, and that is the fact that people have realised that hair dressing can be a career. That it is a profession. It’s not just nai ka kaam but a science. People have started accepting it as a science and a profession. I run so many academies today where we actually train people. We grant employment to so many. That is my achievement. My achievement is not in finances, but in the fact that through my work, at least one person can feel good and confident about themselves. That’s the real achievement. Because achievement is not a balance sheet, right? If you are happy with your life, then that is an achievement in itself.

What are your future plans for your brand in the city?

I want people to be happy. And people will be happy when they are satisfied with their hair. I always say that the new name for people’s smile is their hair. People want to look good, and if they look good, they feel good, and that gives them a boost for the whole day. The same thing happens at night when we look in the mirror before we go to sleep. ‘Good hair, good smile, good day/night.’ That’s the logic.

What advice would you give to young stylists and entrepreneurs looking to enter the beauty industry?

Become hair doctors. Go to institutes, and learn the basic stuff. You can’t learn the tricks of the trade just by watching people at work, you have to train yourself and get trained by the right people. Hairdressing has changed now. It’s no longer like what was happening 40 years ago when people would walk into a salon and just stand around watching people. You need to learn.

It’s funny — nai ka kaam is a tradition that has existed for centuries. It’s a very old profession. Hairdressers have always been around. If you see the history of 200 years ago, it was the hairdresser who was doing everything. Fixing everything... from bones to hair. It is a profession that will withstand the test and passage of time.

What are some of the things you do when you are in the city?

Jawed: I eat….

Kohinoor Mondal (partner, West Bengal): Kochuri shobji!

Jawed: Yes, that’s the one! It makes a solid breakfast. Because I always arrive in the morning. And then I drink chai.

Kohinoor: But you meet lots of people, too….

Jawed: Yes, I talk to a lot of people. Real knowledge comes from the minds of the people around you. That’s not something Google can teach. And when I talk to the people I meet here, they teach me the Calcutta mindset. Like I’ll tell you — in Calcutta, people love long hair. In Calcutta, people have curly hair. And they want the best cut, right? So, styling your hair is very important. As is dyeing it. Everyone ought to dye their hair. Pujo is coming in a few months… make your hair an accessory. Why not?

And Covid has changed everything. Life is too uncertain, so enjoy whatever time you have. Who knows about tomorrow? Our minds have changed, and so should the way we present ourselves.