Kelsey and Kendra Murrell (Provided)
Twins Kelsey and Kendra Murrell are the duo behind the ultra-successful GlamTwinz334 brand. The pair has amassed a big following on YouTube through their hundreds of natural hair tutorials and fashion clips – more than 500,000 subscribers. They have more than 300,000 followers on Instagram and now they’re embarking on a new endeavor: a how-to hair guide called, The GlamTwinz Guide to Longer, Healthier Hair.
“Writing a book is something we’ve always wanted to do,” the duo told Atlanta Black Star in an email. “So to help our followers with our most requested question we decided to put it in writing! Our book has more details than any of our hair related videos on YouTube, as well as things we’ve never mentioned on YouTube.”
The book was inspired by one of the highest viewed videos on the top 10 tips to grow long, healthy hair. After four years and 1,700,000 views, it’s still their most requested topic.
“We wanted to write a book that would not only teach but that would also motivate and inspire,” the Murrells said. “What better way to do this than by sharing our own personal stories? We also wanted to capture that girlfriend-to-girlfriend tone allowing readers to feel that we were speaking directly to them.”
Currently available digitally, The GlamTwinz Guide will be released in paperback Aug. 9. The twins say the book is different from other hair care guides released by African-American vloggers because it’s not a “science book.”
“We wanted to make it informative but entertaining as well by including some of our personal hair encounters,” they explained. “We also want to stress that these are not the [ultimate] tips but they are our [personal] tips. We talked about everything that we did to grow out our hair longer and healthier.”
Kelsey and Kendra knew they were reaching success when brands were reaching out at an alarming rate.
(Kelsey and Kendra Murrell/Mango Publishing Group)
“Companies started reaching out to us for endorsements,” they said. “The endorsements kept coming and we couldn’t keep up with the demand!”
Their success online has led them to team up with many beauty labels. They’ve had partnerships with companies like Carol’s Daughter, Pantene, CoverGirl, Hairfinity and numerous others. One included serving as brand ambassadors for Curls, which they said they “developed a great partnership with” in addition to other brands.
“This is very important to us to develop and maintain good working relationships with brands we partner with,” they said.
But the road to success wasn’t easy. They’ve faced criticism along the way. When it comes to their hair care videos, the Murrells say “people’s perception of who they think we are in terms of ethnicity” plays a role in online judgement.
“Negativity has also been a big one for us,” they continued. “We’ve learned to develop [a] tough skin and take the good with the bad. We feel that we inspire others by continuing to be true to ourselves and not let what others say about us affect us.”
Trolls have not deterred the twins, who kept mum on other ventures they’re currently pursuing outside of YouTube. Both are looking to continue motivating others on a healthy hair journey.
“Our goal is to continue inspiring masses and to get our book into the hands of everyone who desires to have longer, healthier hair so they can try our step by step tips and see for themselves!”
To anyone else who wants to get into the beauty vlogging business, the twins say, “Have a true passion for it!”
