AS a child, Joan Kamach McCalman admired her mother’s friend who often went to visit the home. This was a well-dressed woman whose red lipstick, red nail polish, long nails, and the rest of the works, often captivated little Joan.
In fact, she admired the woman so much that she thought to herself that when she gets older, she definitely will dress up like her! And so Joan’s interest in the beauty industry goes as far back as she can remember. She always knew that she would end up there eventually.

Today a trained cosmetologist/Trichologist, Joan, 55 (and not looking it for one bit!), is the proud owner of the popular Hair Tech International, along with her husband Joseph who has been trained in the same way as her.
Joan met Joseph in Barbados just after she finished her two-year study of cosmetology in England at Maxine’s International. Together, they joined forces and have been able to realise their dreams in the beauty industry.

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Joan attended Rama Krishna Primary and then pressed on to Singh’s Commercial School. She later got a go at Ram’s Variety, on Regent Street, where she spent a couple of months, before moving to work with Francis DeCaries at Frandec.

Moving on in the world of work, Joan then went to work for Progress Cinemas Limited where she managed two cinemas. After three years of this, though, she decided that she had enough of working for people.

“I always had the love for the beauty industry. I knew I wanted to study in the field but I didn’t want to do so in Guyana so I opted and got through to do it in England.”

In 1990, she graduated from Maxine’s International with a certificate in Cosmetology and then went to live in Barbados. She also participated in other hair care programmes, workshops and hair shows.
“I got a job at a salon and worked for six months. We then branched off to Hair Tec International and left after four years for home. So that is where Hair Tech Int. was born,” Joan recalled.
The intention was not to come home and open up business but when Joan came to Guyana on vacation and saw the response she got if she were to open up a beauty school, she thought it was definitely something to consider.

“I came home on a vacation and just tried running an ad in the paper to see what kind of response I would have gotten if we came home and opened up a beauty school. Within two weeks, we had about 25 students registered. So I called my husband and told him I wanted to come home and that Guyana was ripe for our kind of business. From there when we came home, the sky was the limit.”
When the couple closed shop in Barbados and came home, they began teaching theory as well as practical. In 1998, they opened up Hair Tech Int. at America and Longden Streets and then moved to Lot 9 North Road, where they have remained to date. Just recently, Joan opened up another branch at Lot 10 Garnett Street, Campbellville.
“At Garnett Street, we work here by appointments. I didn’t want to have that pack out business anymore cause we’ve been there, done that. I didn’t want to have the excitement with the school. Joseph is handling that at North Road. He is fully in charge of that side and I have my thing here.”
After studying cosmetology, they branched off into the study of trichology, which involves the study of the hair and its different disorders. “We deal with hair loss, internal problems and so on. We haven’t gone into dermatology as yet but we are still furthering our experience and knowledge in the business. It’s something you have to keep going at and topping up. Every year something new comes up.”

DOLLY HOUSE

Joan had an interest in the beauty industry for as long as she can remember. “I was always fascinated by it. Mom had a girlfriend who used to visit her and she used to dress up real nice with her red lipstick and nail polish. She was a well-dressed woman and I thought to myself that when I get big, I would dress up just like her. As soon as mom wasn’t around, I took her make-up and dressed up. When my little friends came over, we played ‘dolly house’ but this was a dress up thing. I always looked at the celebrities like Joan Collins; she was my favourite. I knew, eventually, I would end up here.”

In Joan’s days, theory was a must before any student could have done the practical. “It is a serious business that if you didn’t know what you are doing on someone’s head or their skin, you were never allowed to do anything practical. Now, you have people offering practical courses only.”
Joan said she feels fantastic about all of the plans she had made and the fact that she managed to accomplish all that she had set out to do. “We have students we have trained all over the world. The feedback we get is that the training they got here was just what they needed. We know we have achieved what we set out to do. My dreams have come through and I am quite happy with no regrets.”
Joan and Joseph have been married for 25 years and have two daughters, Keina and Kelisa.

By Telesha Vidya Ramnarine