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| Hair Color > Articles > From Behind The Chair To Behind The Bowl: Stylists Who Hit The Bottle And Never Looked Back |
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By showing their true colors, this group of defectors from haircutting say that their days are more creative, their incomes have skyrocketed and they're avoiding the repetitive motion problems that can come from 20 years of cutting. But, specializing isn't for everyone. Our inside stories help you decide if you belong BTC or over the rainbow.
ROOTS OF DISCONTENT
After a year-and-a-half of cutting hair, KIRSTEN KURAK of ADOLF BIECKER SALON AND SPA in Philadelphia, says that she began noticing how interesting the work coming out of the salon's color area was. "Clients are more willing to experiment with haircolor than with their cuts," says Kurak, adding that soon after realizing this, she told the salon's manger she wanted to switch departments.
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| Kirsten Kurak loves the creative freedom that color offers. | | |
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At DOLCE DIVINO in Corpus Christi, TX, it was a horse of a different color for HUMBERTO GONZALEZ, a college math professor who used his business degree to help his wife manage her salon. Fascinated by the geometric aspect of haircutting and intrigued by the notion of instantly transforming someone's look, he went to barber school (the flexible hours accommodated his day job) and cut hair for four years until one day he was asked to help out in the color department.
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| When it comes to haircolor, Humberto Gonzalez feels "the chemistry." | | |
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"I'd been an engineering student in college, so I had a strong background in math and chemistry," says Gonzalez. "When a colorist started having problems with unwanted undertones, I checked out the MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheets) and realized that coloring tapped my chemistry background perfectly." With the zeal of the newly converted, Kurak and Gonzalez began building their color education. As an employee of a large company, Kurak learned from other colorists and the company's in-house classes with RICHARD HUDAVONI . She also took advanced classes at the RIZZIERI INSTITUTE . Gonzalez relied on GOLDWELL and REDKEN, becoming a Goldwell educator in a short amount of time. Recently, he became an International Haircolor Exchange member.
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