Meet Isabella Brown | hair stylist, educator, traveling bridal stylist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Isabella Brown and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Isabella, we’d love for you to start things off by telling us something about your industry that we and others not in the industry might be unaware of?
Industry outsiders are very unaware of what it takes to be profitable in this field. Many people think our pricing is just a money grab, but at the end of the day we have to evaluate our own worth based off our talent and passion. We also don’t get paid time off, health benefits, medical leaves, retirement, insurance, etc. We have to pay into all those things for ourselves, which is fine and is just part of the job, but it is something that is so overlooked by outsiders. If we are not standing behind the chair, we are not earning anything. We invest so much time into continued education to be able to have more value as a stylist behind the chair so our clients can get the best of the industry, but also feel like their hair is worth what they pay for it.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I grew up in a very creative household with my mom being an artist and art teacher. We would always do fun art projects and crafts at home, and she always encouraged us to use our creative side. I always knew that I wanted a career where I could work with my hands and use my artistic side, and I always loved playing with hair. I started out doing prom hair for fellow students in high school in my parents’ bathroom with a rusty old curling iron and bobby pins that would stab your scalp so bad. I went to look at a few hair schools in the surrounding areas, and the second I walked in to the school I ended up attending I just knew that was where I belonged.

Nothing about this industry is easy. School was very challenging, and I almost quit and went back to school after my first salon job. I would go home crying every day and I didn’t feel confident or feel like I belonged where I was. I ended up giving myself six months to find a new salon and give it one more try, and if it didn’t work out then I would know it wasn’t meant to be. I ended up in a better environment and I blossomed over the next three years at this new salon and really found myself, found my talent and drive, and figured out the kind of stylist I wanted to be.

The lessons I’ve learned along the way are definitely building a thick skin when working with the general public. I look very young for my age so it was hard to be taken seriously as a newer stylist and even now after almost a decade, I find that people still ask if I’m in school or if this is my only job and not my career. Being taken seriously is all in how you carry yourself and how you talk about your business which is a big lesson I learned.

People often think of hairdressing as just cutting hair but it’s so much more than that. I’ve been part of some people’s most vulnerable and intimate times in their lives. I’ve been part of numerous wedding days for brides and have made them feel like the beautiful princess they always dreamed of. I have done client’s hair who have unfortunately lost their loved ones and were preparing for their funeral services. I’ve seen clients struggle with fertility and finally get their rainbow babies. I’ve shared in so much joy and sadness and anger with my clients. It’s a relationship, it is far from ‘just cutting hair’.

I want the world to know that I am driven, passionate, and determined. I love what I do so much and I can’t imagine doing anything else with my life. I am who I am because of my clients and the amazing people that sit in my chair. I feel that it is an honor to do their hair, and I feel so blessed for each and every person that I get to know, whether it’s for a few years or just a season, I’m so grateful to them.

I’m most excited to see what the future brings me. I now educate other hair stylists and work for an amazing international hair company, and I now travel across my state and do weddings with awesome makeup artist friends. I can’t wait to see what else this career has in store for me.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I would definitely show my best friend the beaches. I always feel at peace when I’m on the beach and I feel the sand in between my toes and listen to the waves crashing on the shore. It’s my happy place and I want everyone to find a place that brings them the same kind of happiness. My bestie and I would rent a beach house and just drink, eat, laugh, watch movies, and go for lots of long walks along the shore. I think the most interesting places to check out are the simpler ones. It doesn’t always have to be the hottest bar or restaurant, it doesn’t have to be in a big crowd or a concert; great times happen with the people we love and making memories happen everywhere.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I have to shout out my husband, Jeff, who is always my biggest cheerleader. From the time we met and first started dating, he would share my posts of my work all over social media, he would tell everyone he knew to come see me and get their hair done, and he would scold his family if they didn’t visit me at least once or twice and have me do their hair. When I wanted to become an educator and branch out from behind the chair, he was so supportive of the new journey I wanted to embark on. He’s helped with various handy work around the salon, he’s been my hair model and let me bleach his hair platinum blonde and blue, and he’s been a hair model for classes we’ve hosted. He stood on a stage with me as my hair model at an artist showcase I participated in, and he’s just always there to support me and my passion. He never fails to encourage me and help me with anything I need.

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Image Credits
Misa Uvalic, Kaitlyn Casso