Anyway, so the big question I always get asked is, "What made you decide to be a hair stylist?" So I thought I'd answer that here.
I never wanted to do hair. There. I said it. However, I did always want to be in the beauty industry, since I was about 7, but I was much more interested in make up, nails and skin. Now known to me as aesthetics. It was fun to me and I heard too many people complaining about how much they hated work and wanted to be over. I figured if you're gonna spend almost half your week somewhere, you might as well like it!
As I grew older and started going to the hair salon, regularly, I got tired of having my hair cut too short, not having my opinions listened to, and being told crazy myths like "if you cut you're hair it'll grow faster". (I'm planning on doing a blog about old wives' tales pertaining to hair.)
My defining moment was at 12 years old when I went in the salon with straight hair (I have naturally curly hair)and had it washed, cut and styled. My hair was a frizzy mess when she finished. My explanation was my hair was too curly and couldn't be straightened. I’m pretty sure I went in there with nicer hair than what I came out with.
I worked at a hair salon in Gibraltar (one of the places we've lived, pastoring....that's another blog) when I was 16, a couple hours after college every day and that's where my love for hair began. I realized it was pretty easy for me to catch on and I didn't mind standing all day or the idea of long hours, because time passed very quickly. According to the old saying- time flies when you're having fun. I worked here for 2 years until I finished college and then moved on to a higher paying job but no job I had after the salon felt permanent for me. I was a supervisor at Safeway, moved to Arizona and worked at an auto auction and then over to CitiMortgage.
Citi was great money, great benefits, lots of time off; I got promoted 3 times in the space of a year buuuut....I still felt like I was waiting for my life to start. There was always a little nagging voice that made me feel unsettled, like I was in limbo.
Then one day I thought, I had a dream growing up and my dream wouldn't be hard to achieve. It's not like I had always wanted to be a surgeon or a pilot! Beauty school is only about a year (full time). So, like the experienced researcher I am, I Googled "accredited beauty schools in Tucson" and clicked the first thing that came up. I looked around on several beauty school sights but Tucson College of Beauty was the only one that really impressed me. One school even text me to give me information. Text!!!! Okay, so maybe they were trying to appeal to the younger audience, but really?! I'm not 13! I know how to act professional and personable!
Anyhow, Tucson College of Beauty it was. I spent 13 months there and after taking the written and practical exams, became officially licensed. My dream has been accomplished, I am a hair stylist and I love it. There's not a whole lot of money in the business right now, but sometimes, it's not all about money. I don't wake up and dread going to work. I genuinely have a passion for what I do and if I don't say so myself, I'm pretty good at what I do!
