Today we’d like to introduce you to Haley Simpson.
Hi Haley, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I originally went to school at UTA for nursing, which I quickly decided wasn’t for me. Having always been an artist I wanted a career that allowed for as much creativity in my day-to-day life as possible. I grew up playing around with makeup and had done some makeup for haunted houses in high school. Tapping back into that, I switched to a theater major to focus on special effects makeup. I stayed in the program for a year before leaving to attend cosmetology school to further pursue that dream. Cosmetology school is a mix of hair and makeup, and with getting to practice both, I instantly fell in love with doing hair. So much of it is similar to painting and color theory and it seemed to just click for me. I started my career with hair in 2015 as an assistant working at a salon on South Lamar. After spending a few years honing my craft and building a clientele, I decided it was time to take a leap and opened my own space called Mood Hair Studio in 2021. The beauty industry can be toxic for our bodies and the environment, so I really wanted to focus on having a space that used all-natural products. I work with small brands that are doing their part to eliminate plastic waste and formulate with all-natural ingredients. It feels good to be able to give people a look that makes them light up and to recommend beauty products that aren’t harmful.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
There is a lot of “hustle culture” within the hair world which unfortunately leaves room for abuse. As an assistant, I was trained to think there was no downtime. No lunch breaks, being worked overtime without pay, and little vacation time. I just thought that’s the way things were, and unfortunately a lot of salons still operate like this. Over time and with the help of Instagram I was opened up to a whole other side of hairdressing and to the way that employees should be treated. It gave me the motivation to leave and create a space for myself, and hopefully someday I can provide a healthy work environment for other people.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
My passion is hair color, specifically blonding. I specialize in platinum blonding and am known for taking on most any challenge when it comes to hair color. I prefer to do large platinum sessions, typically 6-8 hours where I really spend the time to get their hair as blonde as we can get it, as safely as we can. It’s a lot of tedious work that I know most stylists are not up for, but if my client is willing to sit for a lengthy amount of time, then I’m able to get a much more dramatic change out of one session. I like to try and make the experience of getting your hair done as stress-free as possible by really listening to what it is a client is looking for and working with them on budgets and goals. I love taking clients on a journey with their hair and being able to educate on products, styles, or really anything related to clean beauty.
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
Instagram! For both mentorship and networking. It’s such a large world and the hair community there are the best group of people. Finding salons local to your area and linking up with them, whether it be following and interacting with them online, or asking to grab a cup of coffee and chat. All of the stylists I know are so open and willing to share knowledge and resources and it’s so much easier online these days. It’s a great place to showcase your work for new clients to see, and the use of hashtags and location tags helps draw people to you that are in your area. But really, participating in community events is a great way to really get to know people. Everyone is a potential client and the easiest way to find them is at events that you’re also excited to be at. It’s so much fun having a mix of clientele that are interested in the same things you are.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.vagaro.com/moodhairstudio
- Instagram: @hbscreative
Image Credits
Kelli Ham – White Moth Photo
