Kim Lake is a hair extension specialist. She has over 40 years experience in the hair industry. She has trained with top names in Beverly Hills, New York, and a well known factory in Italy for hair extensions. She is certified in the top brands Hair Dreams and Great Lengths hair extensions. That added to her raw natural talent, Kim produces the finest most natural looking hair extensions that you will find.
Kim started beauty school at 16, was a clear standout and by 18 she was teaching beauty school as a cadet instructor, invited by the school to do so.
After school, she chose not to become a beauty school instructor because she had no actual salon experience. She worked for a bit in salons around King County in the Great Northwest, but it was not long before she would run off to California in search of a career more suited to her talent.
In 1990, Kim left for California, and soon after landed the first job she applied for at a salon in Beverly Hills. She did her apprenticeship at Salon Giuseppe Franco , on Canon Drive, whose madness for perfection was met with Kim's ability. Giuseppe will always be Kim's home salon.
She also worked for Salon Cristophe , in Beverly Hills. It was a great opportunity to be able to learn from different stylist from around the world, and being on a team that creates looks for the most beautiful women in the world.
After a major earthquake in 1994, Kim comes back to Washington state to be with her family.
In Washington, Kim was recruited as an educator for Lanza International, and then eventually headhunted by L'Oreal to become a color educator and show stylists for L'Oreal Professionnel. L'Oreal stole her from Lanza. Kim ceased the opportunity to transition from salon educator to show stylist and was able to work with talents such as world renowned color specialist, Joe Blackwell, from Soho district in New York City's Dop Dop Salon.
For much of Kim's career, she has also been a college student, hoping to say goodbye to hair one day. She studied art, film, dance, wed design and Multimedia. She went to Santa Monica College, and she graduated from Green River Community College with High Honors in Multimedia Design
Kim is hair extensions specialist and does hair extensions exclusively with few exceptions of non extension clients. Kim is certified in the top name brands, Hair Dreams and Great Lengths hair extensions. Some companies require training in order to purchase their hair. Many don't. She also does SoCap, Balmain, Cinderella, Flash Point, and other taped methods, fitted pieces, and hair replacements.
Kim is also the developer of Custom Blends Hair Extensions, a method that goes steps above current brands to allow for more creative options for the hairdresser by customizing the product to their needs. Only top quality hair and materials are used, such as Indian Temple Hair for it's softness, Russian Virgin hair for it's fine silkiness, and top quality Chinese and Vietnamese hair for it's strength.
Kim first learned hair extensions in Beauty school. Then, a little in the salons, but greatest training in hair extensions for Kim has been in Italy, where she has gone on multiple occasions for continuing education on the latest European methods. This is where she learned top notch hair extension manufacturing, and the many processes it takes to create top quality extension hair. She is also a distributor for the hair extension factory near Palermo, Sicily.
Kim is a true artist, not just because she does hair either. She paints, draws, does woodworking, graphic media, and website design. Her training means very little if not for genuine talent. Her eye for color, design, and detail helps quite a bit when dealing with the integration of hair into hair with hair extensions.
Kim with Cristophe from Salon Cristophe in Beverly Hills, 1993. |
Kim, far left, with the Lanza International education team and founder, Robert DeLanza, middle, 2004 |
Kim Lake and Pierre Lampert, L'Oreal Professionnel's General Manager. Kim was an educator and show stylist for L'Oreal. 2005 |
