Richard Sherman is a lockdown corner with some of the best locks in the league. His trademark style is the work of Candace Smiley, aka MzTwist.
Candace said the nickname came from a close friend who was a barber. He passed away a couple of years ago but was always impressed by her fast hands.
Her speed, twisting and turning hair, along with an infectious personality have made Candace a team favorite with the Seahawks going back to the mid-1990s.
“It actually started with someone seeing one of my clients and it just took off from there,” said Candace. “One of my clients said, ‘Oh my goodness, Brian Blades from the Seahawks is asking about my hair’ and I’m like, ‘well give him the number!’”
It was that word-of-mouth marketing that helped Candace build her business — and it hasn't stopped. Aside from Sherman, her current roster includes Sheldon Richardson, Eddie Lacy and J.D. McKissic.
Even though she’s a huge football fan, Candace said she doesn’t treat her Seahawk clients any different from anyone else.
“I mean, my daddy raised a football girl,” she said, “so the thing is, I treat everyone the same.”
It seems nothing can slow down MzTwist — not even cancer.
“In 2007, I was diagnosed with breast cancer,” Candace said. “I remember I was kind of scared wondering if my clients are going to stay with me? All my clients waited for me! And a lot of them are still with me to this very day.”
Candace feels blessed and wants to pay it forward. She recently finished classes to become an instructor and added a barber to her salon.
Now, MzTwist is thinking big.
“I want an empire. I really want to really get a lot of the stylists into really working with natural hair,” she said. “They will know my brand, how I do things and work more on my product line.”
“I just love doing hair. I eat, sleep and dream about hair.”
