Meet Celebrity Groomer Kelly Henderson from Velvet's Edge

The stylist has found her own place in the spotlight and can often be seen in the Instagram stories of her clients or backstage with her trusty kit in hand.

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Celebrity groomer and stylist Kelly Henderson has found her own place in the spotlight.

If Kelly Henderson’s face looks familiar, it could be from one of many places. The celebrity groomer and stylist has her own blog (and a massive Instagram following) at Velvet’s Edge. She can often be seen in the Instagram stories of her clients or backstage with her trusty kit in hand. Oh, and there was that multi-season stint on an E! reality TV series called Very Cavallari. The Louisiana native didn’t grow up in the spotlight, but she did dream about what happened behind the scenes. “I was obsessed with red carpets,” she says. “Both of my parents worked very normal 9 to 5 jobs, and where I’m from I just didn’t have the option to do what I’m doing now.”

She channeled that passion for fashion into a different business idea:  “When people would ask me what I wanted to do when I grew up, I would tell them I wanted to create a jean line,” she says. “I was super tall and skinny — very much awkwardly so — and nothing fit me. I wanted to develop a line of jeans that worked for tall girls who couldn’t find anything cute to fit. I had it all mapped out — it was going to be called Lanky, and I was going to open a store.” And while she still loves the idea (“I don’t know why I’ve never done anything with that!”), the store didn’t come to fruition. Instead, she went to college to major in public relations. The PR career wasn’t a fit, but it did get her to Nashville. “I was lucky in that my uncle played guitar with Trace Adkins, so I got an internship in college with his publicist,” she says. “I had never even seen a celebrity, that was baffling to me, so I got up here and tried to do the job and I was excited about the music industry. The actual job? Not so much." But as with all happily ever afters, her career needed its once upon a time. That came in the form of an appearance in an Eric Church music video. Henderson, who was working as a promo model at the time, was getting tons of on-set experience.

“I had been in so many random music videos,” she laughs. “By that time, I’d met a couple makeup artists and I’d been training and realized this is what I want to do. This is the part I was always interested in. Way more the fashion than the makeup for me, but it was all part of the big picture. I was obsessed with how people could transform themselves.”

After sharing her dream with the director of the Eric Church video he offered her an opportunity, the chance to style a commercial he was working on. “He was a great mentor to me, and he keeps joking [now], ‘Where’s my 10 percent?’ But he was so gracious to do that for me. Nashville is such a word-of-mouth town. All you have to do is get your foot in the door and if you’re good it’ll happen fast. Before I knew it, the gigs were becoming way more consistent.” Working exclusively with men’s grooming and styling came later. Henderson worked various styling jobs and attended cosmetology and beauty school to further her craft. It was only then that she landed her first big male client — Dierks Bentley. “I had just moved into working with musicians, so I was still in the ‘Oh my gosh, what is my life?’ place. I would be working with someone like Hank Williams Jr. and I was just a little girl from Louisiana. I couldn’t process that I was in these places with these people.”

Another major client? Bobby Bones. Henderson started working with the DJ-turned-TV-star-and-best-selling-author prior to his superstardom, but she says she always knew he was destined for greatness. “I think somehow I knew from day one with him that he was going to do that. I knew how hard he worked, but also saw his talent and his drive and I believed in him, so it’s been fun to watch the baby steps,” she says. “I remember when he signed on for Dancing with the Stars and he was so busy and juggling so many different things but I said to him, ‘You’re going to win.’ There’s no chance he wasn’t going to do it. Just to watch him rise and feel like I’m a part of that process — because image matters — has been really awesome.” She says that their partnership has allowed her not only to help Bones evolve, it’s also been a creative boost for her own career.

“Working with Bobby has been very satisfying for me in that he openly came into our career together saying, ‘I know nothing about this stuff, so help me.’ He gives me so much creative freedom and that’s really exciting for my soul,” she says. “I feel like we’ve transformed him from where he was to where he is now — he’s a stud now! And he knows that. He knows where he’s come from and how far he’s gotten, and he gives me the credit.”

She says seeing a client gain that level of confidence is her greatest achievement. “The affirmation when they feel good, those are the moments when I feel satisfied,” she says. “Bobby owns himself differently now, which people sometimes discredit from people who do what I do. It’s not just about looking good on a red carpet, it’s about the confidence you feel when you know you look good and that you’re the best version of yourself.” Despite all of her wins, Henderson can still be her own biggest critic. “I’m so critical of myself that I rarely have moments where I’m completely satisfied with something. There’s always that one thing that drives me crazy, but that no one else will see. But that’s probably what makes me good at my job, too.”

Good at her job, indeed. Henderson has become one of Nashville (and beyond)’s most sought-after style and grooming experts with a growing list of incredible clients, though sometimes it takes a major moment for her to remember that. “I remember driving through New York in Times Square for an album release week and saying to Dierks, ‘That’s you! We did that!’ It’s exciting when you see it in a big version like that. Those are those moments you dream of when you were a kid and you feel a little bit proud for a split second,” she says before falling victim to her own perfectionist spirit. “And then I’m like, ‘Damn it, that hair’s out of place!’”

Expert Advice

We asked Henderson to share her must-haves for men this spring (and all year long). Here’s what she had to say. 

Clothing

These are three things every guy should have in his closet.

1. The Perfect Tee  

2. Good Jeans 

3. A Great Boot 

Grooming 

It's hard for me to give specifics on grooming products because every skin type and hair is so different. However, here are some things that I think all men need. Tip through and through: Less is more!

1. Solid Hair Product

2. Sunscreen