Fairy Flair

Fairies aren’t just fantastical figures from fiction for KATHERINE GREENE – they’re what her work emulates every day.  

Greene’s work as a fairy hair artist started as a fun hobby to add some sparkle to her and her friends’ lives. The hair accessory involves tiny tied-in pieces of sparkly tinsel, added directly to an individual’s hair. They last as long as the hair stays on your head and fall out naturally. For some, fairy hair adds a subtle shine, for others, a vibrant rainbow of colorful self-expression. “I see the colors or amount of strands people choose as an expression of people’s personalities,” Greene says. “It’s the perfect pick-me-up for anyone who (loves) something sparkly.” 

As a Wrightsville Beach native and later an anthropology student, Greene has built a life around building connections and understanding community, which has taken her around the globe. On a personal level, her love for hair, accessorizing, and sparkles eventually culminated into a business. “I have always loved doing my friends’ hair, and I love jewelry. Then I discovered fairy hair; it’s like jewelry for your hair,” Greene says. 

In 2017, Fairy Hair for All began with early mornings at markets and bouncing around local shops, setting up her station at each stop. In 2024, Greene’s business was growing, but roadblocks began to present themselves. When she was told her business didn’t meet certain standards of operation, she didn’t back down. Instead, she enrolled herself and one of her employees in a natural hair care specialist program, obtaining proper licenses on her own dime to continue their work. 

Now, Greene has her own salon location at Sola Salon near Independence Mall with a team of ten “fairies,” which is what Greene calls her employees. “Most of our fairies were clientele previously – they already loved fairy hair, so I brought them on board,” she says. 

Overcoming challenges and rising as a business owner wasn’t where Greene stopped. She has now taken her skills and imparted them on other “fairies” with pop-up shops in South Carolina and now, Costa Rica. “My dream was to make this international, and it’s happening,” Greene says. She says she is particularly excited about her recent Costa Rica hire: “She’s crushing it. She’s booking three to four events a week there already.” 

Greene attributes a lot of her success to her inner circle. Her employees aren’t just her friends, but her family – literally. Greene’s mother is currently one of her Wilmington “fairies.”  

“She used to craft with us a lot growing up,” she says of her mom. “It’s cool to see how that has culminated into this business and dynamic. I’m so lucky to have her.” 

In the future, Greene intends to keep expanding Fairy Hair for All, with plans to bring fairy hair to an event in Montreal and potentially training fairies in other areas of the globe.  

Ultimately, Greene’s passion is built around spreading positivity. “I do it because it spreads joy,” she says. “If customers are having a bad day, they get fairy hair. If they’re having a good day, they get fairy hair. Every day is fun.” 

To view more of photographer Madeline Gray’s work, go to madelinegrayphoto.com.

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