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The STRAND Network

@thestrandnetwork

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Stylists Training, Researching, & Networking w/Dermatologists
📚Fighting hair loss with science-backed edu & collaboration

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Imagine spending 20 years guessing about your scalp.

It can start with a tender, itchy spot, then a new shampoo, then a new oil, then another year of waiting. Many scalp conditions have names, and some can look alike, so the guessing can go on for a long time. The sooner a scalp concern gets a name, the sooner answers can start. That is the idea behind Time = Follicles™.

S.T.R.A.N.D.™ stands for Stylists,Training, Researching And Networking w/ Dermatologists.
It was started by Master Cosmetologist Susan L. Peterkin and board-certified dermatologist Dr. Chesahna Kindred, and it teaches hair care professionals hair biology, scalp conditions, and hair loss straight from dermatologists.

S.T.R.A.N.D.™ Certified hair care professionals use the Check Your Center Part™ method. They ask about tenderness, itching, burning, bumps, and a widening part, and they know when it is time to bring in a dermatologist. You can find them in the S.T.R.A.N.D.™ Directory at thestrandnetwork.org/stranddirectory

Send this to someone who you just had a hair loss conversation with! taken in Kindred Hair & Skin Center by @thestrandnetwork

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These photos were taken at the AFRICAN AMERICAN HEALTH COALITION
SKIN DEEP MELANIN MATTERS SCREENING INITIATIVE- SPONSORED BY @elilillyco , DESIGNED TO BRING FREE SKIN HEALTH SERVICES DIRECTLY INTO UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES🙏🏾 Whenever I’m conducting a scalp analysis my first line of defense is to listen & hear. I take notes, I ask follow up questions…… I document all of my notes & then I began to assess their scalp and hair….I take photos & add detail notes to what I’m observing…. These photos and notes are valuable for my Trichology practice because we can evaluate what’s happening over time. Once we are done I give my recommendations of dermatologist and health care providers & then inform them of holistic care practices that we will be conducting throughout their service….. THERE IS VALUE IN THIS ✔️ by @thestrandnetwork

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Meet the instructors joining us in San Francisco for the S.T.R.A.N.D.™ Hair Loss Workshop, October 17–18, 2026. This workshop brings hair care professionals and dermatology together for education centered on hair and scalp concerns, early recognition, responsible referral, and professional collaboration.

We’re starting with Dr. Chesahna Kindred, a board-certified dermatologist, researcher, and founder of Kindred Hair & Skin Center. Her focus on hair loss developed during her residency and fellowship at Howard University.

Dr. Kindred will present “The Relationship That Started STRAND” on Saturday at 12:45 PM and return Sunday at 5:00 PM for Hair Transplantation.

Swipe to read the bios and meet the dermatologists, researchers, and other instructors joining us to teach.

The Producer’s Loft Studio
2773 Folsom St, San Francisco, California
Learn more at thestrandnetwork.org.

Research is part of the conversation at the S.T.R.A.N.D.™ Hair Loss Workshop.

Meet Dr. Kala Hurst, an assistant professor in UAB’s Department of Dermatology whose clinical interests include hair loss, hidradenitis suppurativa, and general dermatology. She completed her dermatology residency at Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland Medical Center.

Dr. Hurst will teach “The Importance of Research” on Saturday, October 17, at 1:30 PM.

Join us at The Producer’s Loft Studio in San Francisco, California. Learn more at thestrandnetwork.org.

The emotional aspects of hair loss deserve space in professional education.

Dr. Adrianna Browne joins the S.T.R.A.N.D.™ Hair Loss Workshop to teach “The Emotional Aspects of Hair Loss.” A board-certified dermatologist at Illustra Dermatology, she completed medical school and dermatology residency at Johns Hopkins, followed by a Clinical Hair Research Fellowship at UCSF.

Hear from Dr. Browne on Saturday, October 17, at 2:00 PM at The Producer’s Loft Studio in San Francisco, California.

Learn more at thestrandnetwork.org.

Meet Dr. Becky Li, a Bay Area native and board-certified dermatologist at AllSkin Dermatology. She earned her medical degree at Howard University and returned to Howard for her dermatology residency, where she served as Chief Residen taken in San Francisco, California by @thestrandnetwork

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A vitamin D post can’t see anyone’s scalp, but it can still convince a client she knows why her hair is shedding. Before and after videos credit vitamin D for stopping shedding and bringing hair back. The research is more careful. Low vitamin D is associated with alopecia areata, telogen effluvium, and female pattern hair loss, yet taking vitamin D by mouth, on its own, has not been shown to promote hair growth. Patients with alopecia areata or telogen effluvium should be evaluated for vitamin D deficiency, since a post cannot tell who is deficient.
Hair care professionals who document shedding and know this research can answer a client’s vitamin D question with facts, not a guess.

S.T.R.A.N.D.™ is a hair loss education network where cosmetologists learn hair loss and scalp health from board-certified dermatologists. It was co-founded by master cosmetologist Susan L. Peterkin and Dr. Chesahna Kindred, a board-certified dermatologist.

Sources: Adelman et al., Int J Dermatol, 2021; Cerman et al., Br J Dermatol, 2014; Hay et al., Skin Pharmacol Physiol, 2013.

Follow @thestrandnetwork for science-backed hair loss education from hair care professionals who believe cosmetologists and dermatologists are stronger together. taken in Kindred Hair & Skin Center by @thestrandnetwork

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S.T.R.A.N.D.™ Certified hair care professional Candice is helping us get ready for our Dermatologic Pop-Up Salon at Shea Locs Natural Hair Studio in McDonough, Georgia, on November 1.

Join us for free styling sessions, free non-diagnostic scalp screenings with board-certified dermatologists, and education to help you better understand your scalp and hair care. All hair textures are welcome.

Comment ATL for the appointment link. taken in Shea Locs Natural Hair Studio by @thestrandnetwork

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S.T.R.A.N.D.™ (Stylists Training, Researching, and Networking with Dermatologists™) heads to metro Atlanta to offer FREE styling sessions and scalp consultations to help you better understand how to care for your hair.

Experience how dermatologists and cosmetologists working together can help protect your scalp health.

Enjoy FREE styling sessions, hair care consultations with cosmetologists and scalp assessments with board-certified dermatologists. All textures welcome.

Comment ATL for most recent appointments!! If you signed up for the waitlist, check your emails!! taken in Atlanta, GA by @thestrandnetwork

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When you think healthy hair, who comes to mind? Tag a hair care professional who values client education, early recognition of scalp and hair concerns, and responsible referral. Recognition is not diagnosis, and every professional has a role within their scope. Cosmetologists, your observation is your super power! by @thestrandnetwork

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Biotin is all over hair growth ads. Many hair supplement ingredients have not been tested in clinical trials, and there is no proof biotin helps hair grow if you are not deficient. It can also make some lab tests read falsely high or low, including troponin (a heart attack test), thyroid tests, and some pregnancy tests. That is why doctors and labs need to know about any biotin, including what is in multivitamins and hair, skin and nails gummies, before blood work. They can decide if pausing it makes sense.

Save this for someone who needs it. Follow @thestrandnetwork for science-backed hair loss education. Cosmetologists and dermatologists are stronger together. taken in Kindred Hair & Skin Center by @thestrandnetwork

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Molly Love was a Paul Mitchell student when she joined us at the Denver Dermatologic Pop-Up Salon, where one of the moments that stood out to her was seeing people experience their natural curls, some for the first time.

Experiences like this give future hair care professionals an opportunity to learn, observe, and see firsthand how hair care, education, and community can come together.

Since then, Molly has officially graduated! Congratulations, Molly! 🎓 We’re excited to see where your career takes you and hope you carry what you experienced at the Pop-Up Salon with you behind the chair.

From all of us at S.T.R.A.N.D.™, congratulations on this next chapter! 💛 To learn more about our upcoming S.T.R.A.N.D.™ Activations, visit www.thestrandnetwork.org by @thestrandnetwork

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Community access starts with working together. Guy from the National Psoriasis Foundation shares why partnering with S.T.R.A.N.D.™ and organizations like ours matters: making education about hair loss, scalp, and skin concerns more accessible and helping communities connect with appropriate care. Bringing hair care professionals, dermatology, and communities together is work we can keep building on, together.
Learn more visit www.thestrandnetwork.org
Learn more about psoriasis and how you can help at www.psoriasis.org by @thestrandnetwork

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Hair loss is not always a hair problem.
When hair looks thinner, the scalp has a story too. Scalp condition, buildup, heat, tight styles, and harsh products can all play a part. That is why one product rarely answers it.
Here is what we share with stylists: observe what is on the scalp, document it, then decide on a next step. Your observation is your superpower.

Noticing a change in your hair? Start with a hair care professional who looks at the scalp. They can point you to a dermatologist when you need one.

Save this for someone who needs it, and follow @thestrandnetwork for hair loss education.

#hairlosseducation #scalphealth by @thestrandnetwork

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Cosmetologists see changes in hair and scalp up close, every visit.

S.T.R.A.N.D.™ is a network where licensed cosmetologists train with dermatologists to learn about hair loss and scalp health, so what gets noticed behind the chair is backed by science.

Send this to the cosmetologist who has a client asking about shedding, breakage, or other symptoms.

Follow @thestrandnetwork for science-backed hair loss education from hair care professionals who believe cosmetologists and dermatologists are stronger together. taken in Kindred Hair & Skin Center by @thestrandnetwork

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