Okay so I know what you’re thinking.... hairdressing. long hours, feeling like a therapist and everyone is talking about it online on how much we do behind the chair. not only do we have to create an amazing hairdo and make sure it's on point to suit our client in the chair, know what products to use and what their limitations are. we actually are a therapist/ councillor too! yep I agree, its true. but no one talks about the best part of hairdressing. no one talks about the empowerment, the thrill, the confidence, the everything about fashion behind the chair. How YOU are the one that is so approachable that YOU could change or save someone from making the worst decision of their life.
I truly feel as hairdressers we need to be
trained in some sort of mental health assisting category as we are the ones our
clients lean on. we have the power because the person in our chair doesn’t give us eye contact majority of the appointment and so they blurt out everything they can imagine to let it off their chest and off their shoulders yet they know the trust with you is so strong that you will hold their secret or thoughts close and respond in a friendly yet professional way.
It's just magic to them in the hair salon in YOUR chair. now that’s heavy. yes, I agree. but when you sit down and process your day after a big crazy day in the salon you begin to realise that your path is to help or listen while someone is in need, especially their hair. so let’s talk about how I handle this.... I love to chat ha-ha! my clients know it and so do I. (I even lose my voice sometimes because when I'm busy, I forget to sip on water and boom my voice goes husky! yep, I’m in the right job, ha-ha).
so when I go into the salon, I leave my worries and concerns at the salon door. I enter my creative space and my world of Zen where I can create, process and CHAT. It's one of my loves of life. but what I also do is leave everything at the door when I leave. I don’t repeat conversations and I don’t think of them again, even if they enter my mind, I think of a solution as to what I would do to fix it and I move on. now not all things can be fixed, I have in the past lost clients through cancer and the only thing we could do is set up a fundraiser for them personally to help with bills etc. life is hard and that understandable. but we can’t fix everything. and this is why I started my own method of "The Door". the door to my salon where I hear the light and heavy converstaions, the space i can create and have the hairdressing fun, and then the door back out into MY LIFE, with my family, friends and my own problems.
now let's talk about the fun behind the chair. what is it that’s so captivating about being a hairdresser? why do I do it? what makes me motivated to get behind the chair, only to be tired by the end of the day? let's break it down.
The feeling : I love the feeling of my client loving their look, feeling good and ready to slay another day.
The Challenge: I love the challenge of defeat, if a client wants something new or even a refresh, I love the process we choose, the reason behind it and why it worked. what to mix, knowing what my products will do and how my clients think I’m a magician doing it although it’s all in the knowledge and power of knowing the foundations and learning how to bend the rules without breaking them!
The social: being able to socialise with my clients like they are on a friend basis and chat about everything but knowing what path to go down to avoid any weirdness in the chair and not upsetting my client.
Being the shoulder to lean on: sometimes I wonder why I didn’t go into counselling but to be honest being a hairdresser is such a powerful part. you can make the person who feels so depressed sitting in front of you feel beautiful and empowered again, you have the choice to turn the negative into the positive, have a laugh, make them laugh and create an energy that’s so powerful they are gravitating towards a new feeling.
The choice: being a hairdresser isn’t just about being behind the chair in a salon. It’s about being in your element, on YOUR path. you can go into a salon, into film and television, theatre or just into special occasions like weddings and celebrations. the power is in your hands.
so you can have someone stand there and say to you that hairdressing is a dead-end job. You can have someone say to you that hairdressing is long hours, tiring and gives you back problems etc. but when someone gives me those negatives and stands there thinking their life is full of positives because a company gave them a title in a mainstream job, I stand here and process those words and reflect a positivity towards myself. because I am a creative. I am a loyal person and I am always up for a challenge. so I suppose in life I feel that you are your only brick wall. you either allow someone to advise your path for you and create that brick wall.... or you make yourself unstoppable and gain as much knowledge from as many talented professionals in the industry you choose and you smash it. you prove it, you win.
any job has its lows, its just how you are willing to manage them rather then run away from them.
that’s all from me today but I hope this helps you make your mind up on what path awaits you!
love Katie x