Do you enjoy splitting your time between working in the salon and doing session work? I really need both! I can’t be in one place for too long, so I can’t be in the salon every day. I’d love to move more into education for the salon when we get to that point, and also continue doing session. Session work is amazing because I get to forget about whatever I created. I like that the look only lives for a day or two, that it has an expiration date.

How did you get into the world of hair? What first drew you to this profession? I always cut and bleached everyone’s hair in high school. I’d cut hair with anything I could find (lighters, X-Acto knives…). I tried to go to college for a bit but ended up dropping out and going to hair school. I really love doing hair because I can still be an artist without the focus being directly on me, it’s on the person who is getting the haircut, or the image I’m creating.

Do you have a signature approach to hair? I think I approach hair quite aggressively. I like to get to know someone first and feel it out before I decide what I’m going to do. There’s nothing worse than a hairstyle that looks cool but the person’s energy has no follow through with it. I don’t think there’s a right face shape for anything. It’s all about the person’s frequency and attitude. Even with session work I can always tell when the model’s energy suits a look.

And the most challenging? For haircuts, I think the most challenging aspect of it is people’s hang ups about themselves. I’m always blown away when someone hates the way they look or hates their hair texture. There’s only so much I can do to help and I really try to instil in the person that there is nothing wrong with them. I don’t believe in standards like the “right” face shape for a certain cut, or any rules on textures and cuts. I feel like if you’re confident you can do whatever the hell you want and it’ll look incredible.

How does Los Angeles inform your work? I’m really inspired by the people I grew up around. I grew up in Silverlake which was predominantly Chicanx at the time. Whether it was lots of mousse, slicked ponytails, glass straight hair, or braids, I always loved the way the girls I grew up around looked. Their hair was always clean and styled. LA punks have a very special and specific aesthetic that I gravitated towards too, I think a combination of these things influences my work greatly. I try my best to stay away from stereotypical West Hollywood hair. I feel like I’m doing myself and Los Angeles a disservice by entertaining that aesthetic at all.

What does your hair mean to you? My hair is unruly, long and thick. I hated it my whole life, all I wanted was straight and silky hair. I saved up all of my weekend job money and got it permanently straightened at 14. I cut all of it off in my bathroom and I was so happy to have short and straight hair. It wasn’t until I shaved it at 21 that I accepted its natural texture as it grew in. My hair’s existence is my own weird reminder that I’ve accepted who I am and I’m just going to be a freak until the day I die.