growth.

I’ve worked in the beauty industry for over 12 years, and with my own growth in this industry as an artist, I’ve also witnessed how hair can be used as a form of self expression, whether bold or subtle. A hairstyle, hair color, or a haircut can change your entire day, week, or month. Have you ever had a bad haircut or color? It can feel like the most devastating thing in the world. On the other hand, if your hair is the best it has ever been, you are on fire! No one can, or will, get in the way of your achievements! Snaps for you.

I have been in the industry for over a decade and in that time held a cosmetologist license for 11 years, been a salon manager for 7 years, a Dermalogica Certified Expert since 2014, as well as underwent the grueling path of becoming a Redken Certified Haircolorist in 2016. I have taken more classes than I can count, and have attended conferences such as The Gathering for Paul Mitchell and The Congress for Dermalogica. I have learned so much in my time in this industry. I have also grown as a person, and gained so much self-discovery while working with so many amazing clients and beauty professionals.. So, naturally, it makes sense to take you along that journey. My hair voyage and my own creative outlet through this time. Buckle up, you’re in for a ride.

Let me start off with, my natural hair is almost black. Us cosmetologists call that a level two. In other words, it’s really dark. My father is Hispanic and my mother is Norwegian and German. So I have a mixture of attributes that made me, me. Some people assume I’m “white” which technically I am, and some assume I’m Mexican, especially after seeing the last name Gonzalez. (And no I don’t speak Spanish, but I’m working on it.) I remember starting cosmetology school and thinking, “what did I get myself into?” I began when I was a senior in high school through a ROP program. This meant my tuition was paid for, which also taught me at a young age that free education should never be passed up and that knowledge is POWER. At the age of 18 I was going to high school from 8am to 1pm, and cosmetology school from 2pm to 8pm. Almost 12 hours of schooling 5 days a week, and I worked two jobs on the weekend. You could say I was ambitious.

I really didn’t do much to my hair till after I graduated from cosmetology school and started working in a salon. From there I slowly transitioned from dark brown, to dark red, and eventually bright ass red. Yes, I had a lot of people call me Ariel. The first salon I worked at was in our local mall, and I chose the station right in front of the window. From the very beginning I wanted to showcase my work. I was full of bold creativity, and I wanted everyone to see what I could do. It got to the point where potential clients would come into the salon asking, “for the girl in the window with the red hair,” to be their stylist. Being out of the ordinary drew people to me. Friends, clients, even dates. Growing up, I was always confident about who I was as a person. I had strict parents and I constantly tested the boundaries. They instilled strong morals, values and an amazing work ethic that I still credit to them. Did you know that the average stylist only stays in the industry for 5 years? It’s not an easy career, but it’s a rewarding one. I still look up to and thank my parents for instilling my ability to face this incredibly challenging and rewarding career.

Eventually I got bored of the red. Not to say that I hated it, I loved it. This bright red was developing into such a defining feature. I would go to bars or parties, and I would have people yell out “Hey Red!” It was a definitely a conversation starter, along with the peace sign scissor tattoo I have on my back. This stage was fun but at this point in my life, I needed to reinvent myself. I had finally gotten out of a toxic relationship, and was dating someone new and nice and not my typical type. I was also working out and taking care of myself for the first time in a long time. My career was taking off. I wanted and needed that to be reflected. So one day I decided, what the hell, I’m going to put lightener on my head and see what happens. It wasn’t awful, but it wasn’t great either. Creativity combined with pure spontaneity at its finest. The color was similar to a salmon. I had the confidence at 22 to rock any color. Today I’m a little more simple. My hair is long, brown, mixed with blonde highlights. We’ll get to that later. Eventually I discovered what toner was and created some amazing shades of blonde, even the ever famous silver hair that everyone wants.         

Now we’ve come to one of my favorite colors. PINK. Light pink. Rose gold. Highlighter pink. Magenta. There are SO many shades of pink. Every year in October the current company I work for, does a fundraising campaign for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. So every October, I make sure my hair is pink. I love creating the ability to connect with people, and my hair is a canvas for me to be able to do this. I find this is heightened even more with this amazing hair color, and I really enjoy connecting with other women. It is so rewarding to hear stories when I tell them my decision for my haircolor. It might sound weird, but hair connects people in a way we don’t even realize. One of the things I’ve learned through this life, is how great it is to give back. Volunteer. Do something. Change something. In 2018 I became a certified Crisis Counselor for the Crisis Text Line. Pick a cause, a foundation, something to give back. It honestly changes your life.

In December 2016 I was suffering from major stress, anxiety, and depression. This resulted in me pulling out my hair. This is known as Trichotillomania. Although I now have a much better hold on my mental health (most days), I was really struggling at the time and my hair suffered as a consequence. I still pull out my eyebrow hairs in my sleep. I’m a work in progress. Aren’t we all? At that time I had pulled about one third of my hair out, and already having thin hair I knew I had to make a change. I cut my hair into a long version of a pixie  (I’m no stranger to short hair). It was empowering to take control of myself again, something that had been lost. Since then, I have been riding the wave of growing my hair back out. Patience really is a virtue. That meant using less lightener and more natural colors. I have to admit I love this stage. With a decade of short haircuts, and fun color I was ready for something easy, less maintenance. Also it makes getting dressed easier. I love wearing various shades of green, but it doesn’t go with red hair. It’s too much Christmas.

To this day, I still love every time my guests come in to see me, they say, “your hair is different, again.” Most the times I get “I like it” or “can you do that to my hair?” Having long standing clients, I have  not only been on their individual and lovely hair journeys, but they’ve also been on mine. I cannot describe the  incredible feeling I get in getting to create something. The process of hair transformation is not just making someone blonde or chopping someone’s hair off for liberation. Doing hair is also about connecting with people, hearing their stories, getting advice, watching people move through life, and watching their kids grow up. It’s been an amazing journey so far. I love being able to connect with people in a creative way, and most of all, making people look and feel beautiful. Ultimately, that is what life is all about; self-expression and enjoying the journey, and hair has been my way of co-creating that with others. Telling their hair story, as well as my own.