Hello Friends & Neighbors, I’m Jessica, (she/they)
I am an independent, zero waste, semi-mobile hair artist, based in Soho, NYC.
My superpower, helping even the most salon shy feel at ease, with genuine “Minnesotan Nice,” and my nurturing nature. I’m approachable, accessible, and wear every hat in this business. I love taking the time to really get to know my guests, and collaborating with them to create easy to wear, low maintenance haircuts and colors, that grow out beautifully over time.
My guests tend to be slightly, or completely, allergic to social media, and I fiercely guard their privacy. I have an uneasy relationship with social media myself, I use it for work, since it’s pretty much required. I appreciate the visibility, and inspiration, but at what cost? As a mom of a teen, I see the effects of social media on my kid’s, and frankly, my own mental health. I rarely post my work, my guests prefer not to endure post cut/color photoshoots for my feed, and I need to get home to my kid.
I use social media to amplify voices across the social justice spectrum, and draw attention to good small sustainable brands I actually love. I’d rather use that time, other stylists set aside for pictures, to send you a tutorial I made showing you how to recreate your style at home. Or trouble shoot your itchy scalp and find that perfect product for your sensitive skin.
One of the coolest things I get to do as a stylist, gender affirming haircuts, particularly on adolescents. My child, and hair muse, is TransMasc, their transformation was not my first experience, but it was the most enlightening experiences I’ve been through as a stylist, parent, and human. To witness the relief, and joy, my child felt when they could BE the person they’ve felt, but didn’t know how to share, is incredibly humbling. Euphoria, says it all.
Yes, those are the Golden Girls, thank you for noticing.
I’ve been an advocate for clean sustainable products, gender-free hair, time-based pricing, and realistic beauty standards, since I began my training in Minneapolis, as a feisty 17 yr old punk/goth at the original Aveda Institute, 35 years ago. Me with my bright red Annie Lennox cropped cut, perming & teasing all those metal head dudes, protesting because they got cheaper prices than my punk babes, just because they had asymmetrical chromosomes. Annoyed that my student, then employee, contracts would require women to wear a full face of make-up, which always felt like day drag on me, not to mention extremely sexist. My full face is strictly an evening affair.
I tried the employee thing, got some training out of it, but commission salons weren’t a good fit for me. I didn’t realize until menopause and pandemic anxiety, that I had severe undiagnosed ADHD. All the little things I couldn’t control as an employee, sexist comments, pleading to take time off to care for my child or my body, sitting around not getting paid on slow days, positively made me nuts!
As an independent stylist, I love being able to control what products I use, how I set my timing and pricing structures, and that there are no gate keepers between me, and my guests.
My ADHD also explains why I can sink to the bottom of a historical hair, or sustainable product, rabbit hole faster that you can say, “I’m sorry I’m late!” And why I actually enjoy wearing all the hats in my business. It also explains my empathetic, people pleasing nature. My desire to keep learning and growing, and my ability to digest all that input and share it with my guests.
At the end of the day, I hope I bring a little more beauty, ease, and joy into this world. And if we can have a good laugh, and do some cool hair, while we’re at it, I’m a happy human.
I love meeting new neighbors, and adding to the hair family.
PS. I am huge music, comedy, mystery and horror fan, and a hardcore physical book reader. If it’s my day off and the weather is warmish, you’ll probably find me camping under the stars, dog by my side, kid hogging the hammock. Inclement weather I’ll be at the museum or walking the quieter streets looking for inspiration or something new to read.
Hair Nerd in Residence.
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