Never about hair

Two of Waseca’s many hair stylists feel they’re speaking for the whole profession when they suggest it does no good to ask any of them when they’ll be finished with work.

 

Stacey Schroeder and Hilary Johnson work out of Kroeger’s Koncept salon near the Waseca Bomgaars, but both have worked in other locations in their respective 31 and 22 years as stylists. While the two acknowledge there are differences in the pace, workload and atmosphere of various salons, they say everyone with staying power in the field needs one indispensable personality trait.

 

Compassion.

 

“It’s never about the hair,” said Johnson during a recent conversation. “It’s about connecting.”

 

The two go on to share that, yes, in order to be licensed as a cosmetologist in the state of Minnesota, individuals must complete a rigorous training program, spending 1,550 hours–the equivalent of nearly 40 forty-hour work weeks–learning about health, safety, tools and techniques. Along with that, they must have the business savvy to attract and keep customers and manage their own finances: Nearly all stylists are actually independent contractors who must provide their own tools, equipment and supplies.

 

More importantly, however, “We become part of people’s lives,” says Schroeder. She offers the example of one long-term client. “I gave her her very first haircut when she was a child,” Schroeder relates. “We would talk and catch up when she would come in.

 

“The next thing I knew, she was asking me to be part of her wedding.” Not that Schroeder dressed up and walked down the aisle, but that she helped with hair and make-up for members of the wedding party. Schroeder names the bride, the bridesmaids, the flower girl, and even the mothers of the bride and groom.

 

“It makes me feel really good that I was there for them on that special day,” she finishes.

 

That desire to “be there” for people, Schroeder and Johnson explain, is why their work days are so unpredictable.

 

“If someone asks when I’ll be finished,” says Johnson, “I might answer something like ‘My last appointment is at 4, so I should be done around 5–unless there are any problems, or someone comes in needing a last-minute haircut.’”

 

And yes, the two proclaim with a laugh, there is such a thing as an “emergency” haircut. They say it happens about once a month a man will walk into the shop near closing time on a Friday afternoon and ask for “a trim” since he’s scheduled to be in a wedding the next day. 

 

Other “emergencies” they have encountered are when children have decided to try their hands at hairstyling, either on their own heads or a friend or sibling’s. Sometimes it’s not a child, but an adult whose efforts have gone awry–including, for example, in the use of a home hair coloring kit or a self-administered trim.

 

Not all the emergencies are negative ones, though.

 

“A surprise date. A job interview. Deciding they want to look especially good for a person or an event.”

 

Different clients connect at different levels, the two go on. Some–a few, really–just want their hair cut without much conversation.

 

Others, especially those who come in regularly or who have lengthier processes like  hair coloring or a manicure, seem to appreciate the conversation and connection at least as much as the services they’re paying for.

 

“We’re a safe space,” declares Schroeder. “People know we’ll give them the service they’re here for while they can just be themselves and share their stories, knowing they are being truly heard without being judged.

 

“We’re good listeners. We’re compassionate, and we want the best for you.”

 

Johnson mentions she has observed over time that a fair number of people who move away from the cosmetology profession go on to become nurses.

 

“No one who works in a salon was wired to work in a cubicle,” says Johnson. “We want to interact with people and help them get what they want.”

 

She mentions that it haunts her when she’s concerned a client was not happy with a haircut or style. “And when someone tells me it’s exactly what they wanted and it makes them feel pretty, that makes my day.”

 

“We want people to walk out of here feeling good about themselves,” says Schroeder, emphasizing she believes every stylist has that goal. “It’s what we’re all about.”

 

Both Johnson and Schroeder admit there have been times they either cried, or struggled to keep from crying. They share the story of individuals undergoing chemotherapy. “Their hair starts coming out in clumps,” says Johnson sadly. “They really don’t have any choice but to shave their heads. We’re glad to help them, even though it’s hard for us, too.

 

One heartbreaking moment Johnson recalls is a time when, during a haircut, a man shared with her that he had just been diagnosed with cancer. “He asked me how he should go about telling his wife and children,” she recalls. She says she suggested that he begin by telling his wife, who could advise him from there. “I just did my best,” she says. “It was a moment I’ll never forget.”

 

Schroeder shares the somewhat surprising news that she finds it rewarding to style the hair of people whose bodies are being prepared for their funeral.

 

“It’s a real honor to be able to do that for them,” says Schroeder, meaning both the deceased and his or her family members. “I feel like I’ve done something truly important when people say something like ‘You made Grandma look like herself.’

 

“It’s an event people might remember for the rest of their lives, and it feels good to know I helped make it better in some way.”