If you haven’t figured it out already, personal growth for Hairstylists and salons alike has changed with the options social media now provides. The ones who changed the game? Social media influencers. Salons now can gain an edge by partnering with, learning from, attending on-site workshops, and purchasing the online education of some of the greatest hairstylists and colorists to date.
What’s the catch?
Recently a tik-tok video created by Jacob Kahn went viral when this hair cutting guru pointed out that being a social media influencer doesn’t equate to being a great hairstylist, necessarily. He meant for this to encourage stylists with small followings to know their worth. But instead, there was a negative reaction that sent his peers into a frenzy. Some believed his words were meant to bring down or degrade the value of influencers at large.
But Jacob iterated he wanted people to stay on the topic of value. He wrote: “Influencers, does it mean you are great if you’re an influencer? If you’re not an influencer, does that mean you aren’t good?” These are great questions to think through whether you are an influencer or not.
What’s the point? In order to grow as a salon in today’s world, accessing what influencers have to offer is key to gaining momentum in your own growth trajectory. While this doesn’t dictate your value or skill level as an artist, it does mean marketing yourself and gaining the right kind of education are of the utmost importance in personal development. Social media influencers who exhibit marketing know-how, business development tactics, and cutting-edge color/cut techniques will be the ones to watch. This in no way degrades your own personal technique or worth, but rather adds to it when you utilize everything social media influencers have to offer in a way that benefits your own development. There is no “catch” if you are ready to learn from the best.
Social Media Influencers to Watch Out For
So how can you use what social media influencers have to offer in a way that maximizes personal growth? By engaging with two of the most important benefits social media hairstylists provide. The first is quality educational resources to sharpen techniques. The second is business-savvy know-how paired with up-to-date marketing education.
1) Quality Educational Resources from 7 of the Top Hair Stylist Influencers
Producing educational content has never been easier for Influencers than it is now. Likewise, we have ease of access to this education primarily through subscription-based packages. But in the sea of influencers, who should we be paying attention to for their educational content?
The following are 7 of the tops influencers to learn from who provide high quality education:
- Behind the Chair - Number 1 platform connecting hair stylists to quality education, each other, and celebrity hairstylists.
- Hairbrained_Official - Home of the craft hairdressers where cut and color are elevated beyond standardized practices to an artform enriched with precision, uniqueness, and meticulous detail.
- Jacob Kahn - A modern hair cut educator with a passion for using humor to educate.
- Wedding Hair Styles, Hair Extensions Accessories, Jewellery (ulyanaaster.com) - Talk about a luxury brand, Ulyana Aster has changed the game of the bridal industry by making the delicate aspects of design the focal point.
- Salt Hair - A special team of hairdressers lead by Jaime Sea who understand the deep principals of craft hairdressing require great skills and deep understanding of what it means to be human.
- Lo Wheeler Davis - A modern woman who takes hair from being something you do to an entire lifestyle full of luxury and meaningful aesthetic.
- Lisa Walker - A hairdresser who is like the encyclopedia of hair. If you want to know the scientific basis for why it’s happening, she’s the one to turn to.
2) Business-Savvy Know-how and Modern Marketing from Two Hair Gurus
The stylists who get this are like unicorns. We all want to be them, but most of us are horses. And that’s ok. Unicorns are meant to pave a new direction for others to experience. By working out the kinks ahead of us, we can benefit from their knowledge without all the blood, sweat and tears. In fact, we can applaud them for paving a smoother path for us on our own personal journeys and who knows, maybe we will grow our own magical horns too. So, who should we be paying attention to for marketing know-how?
- Kristen Lumiere - This amazing stylist worked from the ground up and built Lumiere House, a central educational hub in Bastrop, Texas. She offers the “Revive” course which provides an in-depth study for all things business and hair.
- Jen Atkins - Celebrity hair stylist, Founder of ManeAddicts, with an Instagram sporting a whopping 4.3 Million followers, what isn’t there to learn from her? But starting with her ManeAddict’s blog is key. Blogging for hairstylists is important and learning how to do this effectively requires reading blogs by the major players. ManeAddict’s is a great place to read up on current hair trends, while passively learning how to blog like the professionals.
The hairstylist world is incredibly fast-past, but it’s worth it to keep up. If you know who to pay attention to, your journey or your salon’s journey in personal growth can be expedited. You’ll never feel like you’ve fallen behind. Instead, you’ll catch onto advanced color and cut techniques, learn the best methods for marketing yourself, capitalize on business-savvy know-how, and grow in ways you didn’t think possible. Influencers like Jacob Kahn want this for you. Now it’s time to ask, what kind of growth do you want for yourself and who inspires you to get it?