Tahni Daniels Hair is a boutique, texture-focused curl studio in Lyall Bay, Wellington, led by Tahni Daniels — a cutting specialist with twenty years in the industry. Her mission is to empower women to embrace their natural hair texture with confidence, creating cuts that complement both a unique curl pattern and the lifestyle it lives in.
Tahni's journey began in childhood in her father's salon, followed by an apprenticeship with Toni and Guy and early-career work on prestigious fashion weeks and editorial shoots. She went on to work in renowned salons around the world, trained in London, Sydney and New Zealand, and today is a 2025 winner of Best Textured Cut at the International Digital Hair Awards, a certified CADO specialist, an educator, and the founder of Curl Academy, her own curl training programme.
In the chair, clients get an intimate one-on-one experience in a private studio. Every cut is tailored to face shape, lifestyle and, most importantly, hair type — with all textures welcome, from wavy through to kinky coily curls. The studio also offers texture-focused styling, dedicated Curly Kids cuts and a wide range of curl-friendly products for at-home care.
Practicalities: the studio is open Monday to Friday, 9.30am to 4.15pm, with bookings running through an online waitlist. Payment is by Eftpos only, there is free parking outside on the street, and cancellations within 48 hours of an appointment carry a 50% charge.
Anyone with curly hair knows the feeling of leaving a salon with a cut that only worked when it was straight. Tahni Daniels Hair, a private curl studio at 7/70 Kingsford Smith Street in Lyall Bay, Wellington, exists to end that search. The studio is entirely texture-focused, led by Tahni Daniels, a cutting specialist whose mission is to empower women to embrace their natural hair texture with confidence — with cuts that complement both their unique curl pattern and their lifestyle.
Tahni's journey in hair began in childhood, in her father's salon. She went on to complete an apprenticeship with Toni and Guy, then spent her early career working on prestigious fashion weeks and editorial shoots, refining the technical precision that would become her hallmark. A love of the art of hair cutting then took her overseas, working in renowned salons around the world and training in London, Sydney and New Zealand along the way.
Now, with twenty years of experience behind her, Tahni operates her own private studio in Wellington. She describes herself as the only stylist in the city devoted to this niche, and her credentials back the claim: she is a 2025 winner of Best Textured Cut at the International Digital Hair Awards, a certified CADO specialist, an educator, and the founder of Curl Academy, her own curl training programme.
This is a boutique salon built around an intimate one-on-one experience. Each appointment belongs to one person, and every haircut is tailored to suit their face shape, lifestyle and, most importantly, hair type. Tahni works with all curl types, from loose waves through to kinky coily curls, using bespoke curl-cutting techniques designed to enhance the beauty of every pattern rather than flatten it.
The care continues after the cut, with texture-focused styling and a wide range of curl-friendly products so clients can keep their curls at their best at home. A gallery of recent work on the website and Instagram gives a clear sense of the results: defined, healthy, genuinely well-cut curls.
Tahni's knowledge isn't kept behind the salon door. Through Curl Academy she teaches the secrets of curly hair — a training programme born of her own experience as a curly client who once struggled to find someone who could manage, cut and explain her curls. And because curls start young, dedicated Curly Kids cuts give children a positive, texture-aware introduction to the salon chair.
The studio is open Monday to Friday, 9.30am to 4.15pm. Bookings run through a waitlist on the website, and Tahni can be reached on 027 957 7300 or at [email protected]. There is free parking outside on the street, and payment is by Eftpos. Two practical notes: cancellations within 48 hours of an appointment carry a 50% charge, so give as much notice as possible, and clients are asked to stay home if they are unwell.
For Wellington's wavy, curly and coily community, Tahni Daniels Hair offers something rare — a specialist who has lived the curl journey herself, working one-on-one in a calm private studio, cutting for the texture you actually have.