People always ask me why I chose to become a hair stylist. I simply reply that I chose a career I thought I might like and stuck with it. The fact that my father is a hair stylist did influence my decision of course. However, he is not only a hair stylist – he’s a musician, a businessman and a writer. That being said why didn’t I choose from these other career options? The thing is – indirectly – I did.
I am much more that a hair stylist. Let me explain.
By choosing to be a hair stylist, you are choosing a career that requires you to have many talents. To be truly successful in any career, you must be a professional. To be a professional it takes education and a special attitude towards that profession. For example if you choose to be a doctor, you get the best education. That education gets you a job at a top notch hospital. One day you might have to tell a patient that they face a serious health condition and their life is at risk. This is the kind of pressure that certain doctors must endure. I would think that this would be harder to do than any operation or surgery. This is when it takes more than an education to be a doctor. It takes compassion and a well-rounded person. It takes a professional.
Being a hair stylist requires knowledge and many diverse skills.
I have to be up to speed on the latest trends in hair/fashion and follow all the popular celebrities/models. I also need to stay on top of the industry itself – new color techniques, chemical straighteners and hair tools like the latest flat irons and curling irons. There is also the world of hair products like oils, shampoos/conditioners and styling products. Being a hair stylist, means that I am a person that my guests come to for advice on hair issues. However it doesn’t end there.
The greatest responsibility that I have to my guests is trust.
First guests start by trusting me with their hair and fashion needs. This might not sound like a big deal, but it’s bigger than you think. How we look, as I’ve said in the past, is a big part of how we want the world to perceive us. Trusting your hair stylist with this is a big deal. Once that trust is established, it grows from there. I’m not only a hair stylist but also a friend and confidante. Trust has been given to me. It starts with hair/fashion and grows from there.
This is where this my profession takes on twist – separating hair stylists from the other professionals.
To truly be at the top of the hair styling industry, you must be able to do more than just style hair. You must be able to earn your clients trust and listen to them. This is what hair stylists are not always prepared for when they sign on to do this as a profession. We have to be hair stylist, fashion gurus, customer service oriented, business oriented, actors and professionals. We must provide an experience not only a haircut.
Being a professional is not taught through education only, but through experience. I now feel that after over 23 years of being all these things, I am a professional in my industry, with still so much more to learn. These are not the reasons I chose a hair styling as a career at the beginning. How could I know what was involved. However, this is why I chose to stay with hair styling as a career and a lifestyle. It’s all these things that kept my interest and challenged me along the way. I am so happy that I do something that I love. I am truly blessed. It’s the only way I could live and remember…
You only get one life. Live it.
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