Curly Hair Journey

Once upon a time, Tom Zappala was a musician in Hollywood. That’s him in the 1980s, natural curls and no filter. Back then, he was a drummer with a hair routine that involved leave-in conditioner, spray gel, and a diffuser. Apart from the frequent shampooing, a rookie mistake, everything else he did then mirrors the advice he now gives clients. Once hair is cut well, adding moisture and a touch of hold is usually all it takes. Some may disagree, but much of what he practised then still holds true today.

When revisiting that photo, a few things stand out: the haircut has shape, volume, and definition. No triangle, no flat crown, and no forced frizz. That outcome wasn’t magic. It was structure, technique, and an understanding of how to work with natural texture, long before the Curly Girl Method came along. Contrary to current myths, curly hair expertise didn’t begin in 2001. Zappala’s journey started decades earlier. That experience underpins why he offers more curly hair history than most hairdressers in Melbourne.

Curly Hair Was Always Here

There’s a common misconception that before CGM, no one wore their hair curly and hairdressers only ever straightened it. That’s simply not true. In 1980s Hollywood, long curly hair was everywhere. Yes, there were perms, but much of what people saw was natural. Zappala knew how to care for it, and so did many of the hairdressers he saw at the time. Some salons were clueless and pushed straightening, but the idea that natural curls only emerged recently is historically false.

So where did he learn to cut curly hair? Not in a high-end boutique salon catering to straight-haired blondes. Early on, he deliberately avoided those environments because they stifled skill development and wouldn’t have known what to do with someone like him anyway. Instead, he worked in a low-end multicultural salon in Los Angeles, where nearly every client had what most hairdressers call “challenging” hair. That’s where the foundation was built.

His first curly haircut was a co-worker with fine, ringleted, shoulder-length hair. He cut it dry, over 35 years ago. Dry-cutting isn’t a trend. He did it back then on his own curls and still does today. When the term curly hair specialist is used here, it’s not marketing fluff. It’s fact, grounded in decades of lived experience and integrity.

Experience That Lasts

Many years and several countries later, that same multicultural foundation is now seen as rare and highly sought-after, particularly by those searching for a curly hairdresser in Melbourne. It’s ironic, but also fitting. His success here suggests others value the depth of that experience, especially those who grew up in straight-hair suburbs or came of age during the flat-iron era.

Much is owed to those early clients who trusted the process. Their patience and feedback shaped the career that exists today. From the beginning, the priority has been communication, structure, and a genuine desire to help. That hasn’t changed. Every week in the studio, the same intention is carried forward: to provide clarity, support, and structure for people whose hair has been misunderstood.

Beyond Trends, Toward Trust

Across Australia, many hairdressers only began offering curly services after CGM took over social media. While it’s encouraging that more are embracing curls, too often their version of curly hair care is product-driven and filtered through unrealistic beauty standards designed to sell. What’s offered here is a different path. This studio isn’t about hype or haircare evangelism. It’s about individual support, longevity, and structure.

There are many ways to live with curly hair. The role of this work is to help people find the one that works for them. As one of the few hairdressers in Melbourne with genuine curly hair expertise, Zappala remains committed to being a trustworthy, honest professional, for those still searching and for those who’ve finally found what they’ve always needed.