What Vidal Sassoon Means to Me and Why I Dedicate my FMP to Hair

     

     Growing up I was not the top of the class to say the least. To say I struggled in school and in childhood is an understatement. I was sick a lot as a child, to be exact  30 days a year. I had 105 degree fever, which left me hearing impaired (due to a sinus infection) until I was four. Although my hearing was fixed, I remained sick every 6 weeks for 5-7 days with extremely high fever. This left me with significant learning disabilities. In an american school system I was difficult, absent, and unteachable. Teachers gave me C, D, F and tried to put me in special classes. I had tudors and always had to work harder than any student. My father told me as long as you try 105 percent we don't care, but the disappointment and embarrassment of my failing grades was a hard pill to swallow. 

At the age of sixteen I started to work in a salon. The salon wasn't busy, but the hairdressers were passionate. They went to the Vidal Sassoon school and gave me every book and video the acquired. I watch my boss teach me Vidal Sassoon cutting and it was art, every hair had a place and a movement. I read the Vidal Sassoon book and it was my epiphany. 

Geometry the way you hold the hair and a particular angle. From where you were position in front of the client to where your fingers tilted was an angle and had a purpose. I found my drive, I understood what was going on, finally I got something. I went to cosmetology school and Aced the course. Chemistry became clear with colour, carefully placing on the client and waiting for the change to happen. Seeing the molecules move inside the hair and change the persons colour was fascinating. I was so nervous and thrilled on tiptoes waiting for the colour to process. I would wonder if my formulations would be correct, if it was to yellow how and what amount of depth of purple would I need to counter act. 

Have you ever been doing something so engaging that others did not exist that words left your mouth and the only voice was your own? My eyes became focused on every hair, formula, placement, and weave. I blow dry in silence and get very upset at anyone who puts their hair behind their ear after I am done. I was in the zone and hair was my creative medium.  

I started working at Tribeca one of the top 200 hair salons in the United States. I apprenticed during my bachelors (I went to uni upon an agreement with my parents if they paid for hair school) during which at work I had classes and models to bring in each week. My boss taught me about advanced colour theory, constructs of the head, and horizontal graduation. Although, I excelled he was worried about putting me "on the floor" because of my lack of communication skills (learning disabilities+ extreme focus= bad communication). I had to correct my speech and the way I would address clients, he told me if they say these key phrases I give them this hair cut and or colour. I made flash cards and memorized every word.

I had an 82% clientele retention rate at the end of my first year. Before any cut I would give a thorough consultation. I found that people are intelligent (for the most part) and care what you are doing. As I got better, I explained what and why I was doing and what the in the future we could do. I told each client the chemistry behind each product, no fluff just fact. "We used bleach, now we have to put proteins with a deep conditioner into your hair because, bleach destroys the composition of your hair." I did 25 percent sales. Clients said things like, "I like that you are so focused, you know what your doing, and I trust you."

After 5 years my back started hurting, people stopped listening, and they wanted the same thing. Now Regis owns Vidal Sassoon, corporations own the hair industry and my body couldn't take it any more. I moved to london never giving up why I came here, to be near change and inspiration. 

My research is 25. 25 years of disabilities to overcome. 18 clients that hated what I did because, they didn't understand what I was saying. The 2 people that yelled and cried in my chair, and the 5 that said they couldn't go to anyone else. Mostly for the 82% that stayed, that got me and liked my work. I wish the industry was different, that a rhinestone shirt and a corporate name wasn't the person on stage teaching. I want to make a difference by designing an educational set to explain the art of hairdressing to give an understanding to clients, future students and uninspired hair dressers. So that they can feel pride in the craft and see hair as art on the head.