the beginning...

I have loved haircolor for as long as I can remember. When I was a teenager, I used take my family members hostage one by one so I could try out a new haircolor or haircut. I remember once when I used one of those awful highlighting kits from the drugstore on my mom. You know the ones with a plastic bag and designated holes to pull the hair through. I pulled almost all of her hair through so at the end of the bleaching process she looked like Blondie, blond in the front and brown in the back. I was sick with guilt and panic. I had taken my willing and adorable mother and made her look like she was in a punk rock band. Here it is, 1am, no more haircolor and we couldn't stop laughing. I made her stay her home from work the next day just so we could buy more color to bring my "real" mother back. Well that was the first of just a few more disasters in the beginning of my experimental years. The next step was beauty school, a very bizarre experience.  Beauty school is a place for creative types that want to get into the world of beauty. They don't tell you that you will not learn anything but what not to do when you get in a salon! School takes your money, give you a place to go everyday for 8 months and at the end of it you have to take a state board exam. This gives you a state license and then the fun begins! Anyone who really wants to be good at haircolor or haircutting must apprentice at a good salon. This is when you learn what you need to learn to be ready for the world of clients. I was anxious to learn all of it right away. I became a colorist after 2 years apprentice. Then I started a training program for future colorists. I think it's important to teach for many reasons. It is always good to keep learning. I still do every day.