{"id":8149,"date":"2020-05-08T11:48:56","date_gmt":"2020-05-08T15:48:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/prose.com\/?p=8149"},"modified":"2025-06-19T08:14:45","modified_gmt":"2025-06-19T12:14:45","slug":"hairstylist-mom-lessons","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/prose.com\/blog\/hairstylist-mom-lessons","title":{"rendered":"5 Lessons About Hair (And Life) I Learned from My Hairstylist Mother"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Experiment often<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As I mentioned above, my hair rarely stayed the same from appointment to appointment. I\u2019ve lost count of all the times I\u2019ve cut and grown out bangs. I\u2019ll admit that now, as a busy mom of three, I\u2019ve grown a little complacent with my hair experiments. So, when I get that not-so-subtle 12-week reminder from my hair salon (whoops!), I\u2019ll start searching Instagram or Pinterest for new style inspiration to bring to my next appointment. The takeaway: Life is short; change up your hair. Cut the bangs. Make the chop. Add the layers. It all works. And if it doesn\u2019t, it all grows back.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Throwback to prom with my mom! <\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Don\u2019t color until you need to<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m probably going to catch some heat from my colorist and balayage-loving friends for saying this. Trust me; I get it. Hair color is fun. My mom, a natural redhead, colored her strands to keep them vibrant with age, but she always told me to hold off until I had a reason to hit the salon. Of course, I didn\u2019t heed her advice in high school and came home with stoplight red hair from a box. I also saved all my after school job money for a head full of bad cap highlights. But my mother had a point: Dyeing your hair can be damaging, and once you start, it\u2019s hard to stop. In my late 20s, despite having access to some of the top colorists in the world (thanks to my job as a beauty editor), I decided to embrace my natural hue (chestnut brown) until I had grays to cover. Considering I\u2019ve recently spied my first silver strand, it\u2019s game on real soon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Always have a side hustle<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

My mom eventually left the salon scene to be home with her family, but she continued to cut hair for neighbors and friends in my kitchen, earning herself some extra pocket money. And when my father passed away unexpectedly when I was just six (my brother, eight), her little side gig helped to keep us all afloat. The lesson that stuck with me: hustle. As a tween and teen, I delivered newspapers, babysat, and worked at a local bagel store and a doctor’s office. Now as a freelance writer, my goal is to always have multiple streams of income. If one dries up (and they always do), I have other means to rely on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Put your best hair forward<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I worked alongside my mom at a doctor\u2019s office for several summers. Every evening after we clocked out, she would comb her hair, spritz some hairspray, and put on lipstick. I was ready to throw my hair into a messy bun and call it a day, and she was getting coiffed all over again!? My mom still doesn\u2019t go anywhere without \u201cfreshening up.\u201d She\u2019s always polished whether she\u2019s going out to dinner or hitting the grocery store. When I\u2019m about to run errands looking like I\u2019ve crawled out of a cave, I can hear her voice in my head telling me to at least pull my hair into a chic ponytail and apply some lip gloss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Old-school hair tricks can be awesome<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A prom updo from my mom was truly a work of art. It took hours, and had multiple steps, including pin curls and a cool trick that involved pulling it all in tighter with a bandana. Those curly updos would\u2019ve lasted for days if I didn\u2019t take out all 857 hair pins as soon as I got home. Mom had some serious hair hacks. And while it\u2019s literally my job to find new beauty tips, there\u2019s something to be said about the retro tips I\u2019ve gleaned from her over the years, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n