When I decided to get in to this industry, I had no idea what I was getting into. I was un-employed with no ambition. I knew I wanted to be famous but I didn’t know doing what. DeAnnalyn suggested I become a hairdresser, so the next day I signed up at the local Beauty School.
Man, I hated it. There were the stereotypical students with loads of drama but no drive. I used to sit outside for 6 hours a day smoking cigarettes and when Mr. Bob would clock me out I would say “F@#k you” and go and clock myself in. (I guess I was more intimidating back than I am now.) I just remember thinking “Wow, is this what I am going to do for the rest of my Life?”
About 3 months before I graduated I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to work with a Major Hair Product Manufacture. I remember sitting in trainings and watching Robert Cromeans, and Jeanne Bra, and thinking to myself, I could do that. Than by luck we were asked to work with John and Suzanne Chadwick, a husband and wife team from England.
They were great, John was strict and would yell and stomp off, and Suzanne would encourage and cheer. Even though they both had different methods of teaching you could see they had a deep foundation for their training. They planted a seed in me that has continued to grow, that seed was discipline. In time I came to meet many of the hairdressers that have achieved some level of success in this industry, and aside of a few they all carried that same discipline.
About 5 years ago I decided to start teaching at a beauty school, I wanted to pass along some of the training that I was fortunate to have. As I was at the school I noticed the discipline was not there. The teachers were washed up hairdressers with no training so how could they train our future. So I decided to do something about it.
I wanted to give the future hairdresser something to be proud of. I wanted to show them their rich past so they can shape a rich future. I looked to our history. I don’t know if you have ever tried to look up hairdresser history… there is nothing written down. Beauty School Text books focus on ancient Egyptians, which if you ask me is exceptionally boring. I wanted to focus on hairdressings immediate history. I wanted to trace a family tree from my students through time.
The study became a hobby for me, I would ask around and meet people that knew people, they would add to the story, or give me another name to research. After I quit the Beauty School I was afraid that my history class would go away, but some of my Hairdresser friends have encouraged me to set up a curriculum for hairdresser to come in and learn about their past as well.
Starting March 2010 I will be teaching Hairdresser History in 3 parts starting with as far back as I can trace which is Eugene Schuler moving through time all the way through to the present. We explore the different movements of hair starting with the Hairdressing Movement, into the Haircutting Movement, the Retail Movement, and finally the Hair Color Movement. We also discuss the future of hairdressing and where the industry is going, and how we can affect that outcome.
Join me in this quest to preserve this industry by researching our past and shaping the future.
TEAL Salon
-r.teal
‘09
