The Side Hustle

2020 was the year we all wanted to leave behind never to see the light of any realm ever again. It was a nightmare out of the best-selling suspense writers’ imaginations. We learned about how one virus could change the lives of millions drastically from home to work life. Everywhere you turned, people’s work was the greatest impact.

Those who worked and still work in the healthcare industry sacrificed so much of themselves around the globe, sometimes being the only compassionate face that patients saw since other loved ones were not allowed. Delivery drivers who spent time providing food and other odds and ends to individuals who were on quarantine, like I was after being released from the hospital… all while trying to make enough to support the job that no longer could support them. Those in the service industry that were on the front lines making sure basic supplies were available like food, medicines and toilet paper.

That is an industry still impacted by these provisions, quarantines and mandates. Bars and other restaurants are facing another wave of closures due to the rising of SARS-CoV-2, B.1.617.2 best known as The Delta Variant.

In mid-March 2020, I and my coworkers were sent home due to stay home orders. On August 30th, 2020, I was temporarily released at my job of four years as a hair stylist for a large cosmetic, salon and fragrance retailer. I spent time at home with my full-time employer with the government and enjoying my first consecutive weekends off I had since November 2016. I watched television specials of people doing each other’s hair and let’s have a moment of silence for the at home hair fails. But that was a part of my industry that was disconnected from the populace.

Part of my love of being a hair stylist is colors. I love being given a chance to enhance someone’s natural beauty whether it be a bright fantasy color or a decadent mocha with raspberry highlights. I was temporarily disconnected from that world at large. I had my toe in the pond because of my mom and younger cousin who live with me but, not the variety that I needed to grow.

Let me unpack this. This is my weekend job. I work between six and fifteen hours most weekends. When I come into my job, I try to say “Hello” to my coworkers and various guests because it’s how I am. Once I sit my tote bag down, I look at the scheduling system to see what is on my schedule for the day and even the next.

This is where I look to see what each guest’s service is and see what I may need. For instance, if I’m doing a root color to hide pesky gray hairs, I may sit out in a clean area/ tray a tint brush and tint bowl with a pair of gloves, protective gear like capes and towels. I’ll get a comb for sectioning and clips to hold the hair out of my way. I won’t pull the color down yet, but I take note of what shades are available. I like to have an idea in mind for the off chance my guest wants to do something completely out of their normal. It gives me something to add in my professional opinion when I consult with them.

I can sometimes tell who my client is as they walk down the aisle ways. Some will have this look of determination to get past the other workers so they can get to the salon area undisturbed. If I see someone in my mirror, I try to make eye contact and approach them. I have gotten individuals that was looking for a recommendation for a good quality moisturizing shampoo. Something that doesn’t weigh the hair down and is affordable amongst other things. I am available for all sorts of questions while a guest is not in my chair. In other cases, I just smile and ask if they have an appointment. That usually works very well.

Once I have my salon guest checked in, I sit them in my chair and begin looking through their mane and crowning jewel, the hair. At this point, I’m looking for any abrasions, tender areas, scalp concerns like excessive dryness or dandruff and other things like lice or open lesions. But along with those unfun things, I’m taking in consideration my guest’s concerns such as:

What is something you want changed about your hair?

What is something you love about your hair?

How much of a change are you looking for in this service?

Some people think these may be easy questions, but communication is key as it is in most fields of employment.

What I may say is “golden” may be taken for meaning “brassy or yellow” or the best yet, the guest says “one inch” but really means only a quarter of an inch. Another thing I ask for is three pictures of what you like. What do you like about those styles or colors that drew your attention? It gives me a chance to see it and see where the good parts are and maybe the pieces my guest may not want to deal with. Think of pixie cuts that are so cute and chic but as they grow out, is this the maintenance you want to deal with if your hair grows fast? How likely are you wanting to spend in the salon getting it detailed or reshaped?

Let’s use the root color example:

Once we have discussed the end result, I can go mix our color. This is normally applied on dry hair, so I have already put protective coverings on the client to protect their skin and garments as well as section the hair for a clean application. Since the salon is in the back not too far from the storeroom and restrooms, we do see a lot of foot traffic which can be fun.

One weekend, our speaker/ music system was broken so there was NOTHING! I find listening to music will help me keep my pace better so silence can be stifling. One of my fellow stylists had a guest also and was playing a Disney playlist on her Spotify. This seems ok but here’s what made this awesome. My coworker, my guest and her friend all had been in show choir. I had been in choir most of school until high school, so I wasn’t incapable to carry a tune. The whole time, we were singing and laughing to the music. Seeing the little kids shopping with their families smiling and pointing at is unadulterated joy? Absolute magic.

After the color has sat according to brand directions, we rinse away the product, thoroughly cleanse and condition the hair. From here, drying and styling is in order whether it is only making a few passes with a hair straightener or working some loose, beach waves full of texture. This seems like a lot but this is only about an hour and half of my shift. I thank my client and clean up my area. Cleaning the dirty tint bowl and brush, sanitize and disinfect the used combs and clips and wipe down the chair for the next guest.

It doesn’t seem like a tremendously involved process, right? I’m sure you can read my laughter. It can be so involved and sometimes a reason to give a two-week notice. But there are nuggets of amazement that make each grueling hour on sore and broken-down feet, worth every ache and muscle cramp.

Have you ever been told “I’m open to whatever” or “Do what ever you feel like doing” and the person honestly, truly meant it? I was rehired in May of 2021, and I must be honest, I missed it. I missed some of my coworkers that I had spent many Saturdays and Sundays with. I missed the rush of talking to other people with face-to-face interaction even with the face condoms we politely call “masks”. I missed having the human touch aspect.

I had a guest with about four inches of grey hair from the scalp and brassy medium blonde from the middle of the hair strand to the ends. I asked her if she had any thoughts as to how she wanted her hair and she said, “Do whatever you want, it’s just hair.”

That was a moment that is big for most people. It’s the fact that I am someone you have never met, and you are trusting me to make you look as amazing as we know you can be. You see a box of color with numbers and vague words. I see a blonde, bombshell waiting to live her best life. You see a dull brown, wavy mess. I see a perfect canvas for caramel highlights to make those lovely olive undertones glow.

Some see it as an ego boost for the stylist, but I find it humbling. I’m calm and unwavering on the outside, but I am a flaming, ball of nerves inside. There is potential for things to go wrong but I am being given a chance to prove why you pay me for results. To see a young lady light up in excitement because you can give her blush pink hair ends, awesome. To make someone feel twenty years younger by using the simplest product to give the hair volume and lush movement, amazing.

To have a guest sit in your chair and tell you they are possibly facing a very traumatizing health diagnosis. The same guest telling you to try and keep the style feminine if it’s short, so she won’t be mistaken as a boy. To have that same guest get choked up because she loves how healthy and how much length you were able to keep after previous damage… It’s those reasons that I love my job.

It’s the coworkers who saw you having a long, unproductive day and gave you a marble. You both joke that it’s the last marble (brain cells, sanity) between us.

It’s the manager that sees you working six and seven days a week and says take the weekend off, your health is important.

It’s the educator that came in after surgery to ensure you got the refreshing or reminder courses upon your rehiring.

It’s the client who is surprised that you love anime like them and allow them to talk about it freely.

It’s the clients who are surprised that you can recommend a product that WORKS for their specific hair type.

It’s the coworker that you lovingly call a “bagel bum” after she got a bagel and didn’t tell anyone until after she came back! Especially since we all were craving bagels. We all laughed, and it was cute.

These are some of the things that make me love my job. I may fuss and complain because I don’t have a work-life balance, but I also love making people happy. It’s part of who I am.