Today we’d like to introduce you to Natalie Hue.
Hi Natalie, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’ll start with the back story of where I’m from and what molded me into who I am today. I grew up in the Midwest just outside St. Louis, MO, and lived in Chicago for 5 years before booking a one-way ticket to take a chance in Austin, Texas. Growing up near the STL area, I always knew I wanted more. I never saw myself settling down in my hometown like many friends did. I knew what my hometown had to offer, which motivated me to take chances on the unknown. Sometimes, you have to get away from the things that have defined you for so long to take a leap of faith in creating the life you envision. I moved out on my own when I turned 18, went to community college twice, and dropped out each time due to the stress of working to pay bills and balance school work. I then worked in the food and beverage industry in my early 20s and even tried to join the Air Force when I felt lost and unsure of what was next for me. I wasn’t accepted due to having small tattoos behind my ears, and this was when tattoo removal was new and expensive, so I ruled out that direction completely. I remember being in my car crying to God to help me find a way out of the bar scene as it was becoming a negative and toxic environment in my life. Little did I know my hairstylist and high school friend would speak life into me by saying I should consider going to Cosmetology School. So I researched, toured a couple of schools, and then moved to live in the city and go to Paul Mitchell The School St, Louis. The rest was history. Even though it was hard work, I’d go to school from 9-5 and work 5:30-1 a.m. 5 days a week, I showed up and gave it my all. Even when trials would come my way, like my car getting towed the day my school had a career fair, I walked the 30 minutes to school to show up for it. I didn’t let my circumstances dictate my future. I’m glad I didn’t stay home and sulk because showing up landed me getting an email the last day of my program from a salon I interviewed with to work there. I call putting faith into works and trusting in God’s timing. From there, I worked at that salon and built up my social media (This was 2012, so Instagram had only been around for 2 years), and my positive demeanor with my online presence landed me a job offer to work in Downtown Chicago. I spent 5 years learning and refining my craft before being ready to change up the Windy City’s cold winters for Austin’s eternal summer. I’ve learned a lot about myself in the 5 years I’ve been here, and I’m only getting started on the plans I have for my future.
Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned? Looking back, has it been easy or smooth in retrospect?
You got to glean a bit from my back story with this, but presently, I’m in a place of self-reflecting, pruning, healing, growth, and taking calculated risks again. In the last few years, I’ve faced success and failures, but all in all, they are nothing but learning experiences, so one doesn’t outweigh the other. In 2020, I started a mobile hair business, which took off and sustained me for 2 years. Then, as the world returned to normalcy, I found I needed to get back into a salon setting to support me financially. Finding the right fit with working for other people can be challenging in this industry because the lines of personal and professional are layered very close together. I started to find myself wanting more besides being behind the chair in 2012 and took an opportunity to be an educator at a cosmetology school. Teaching opened up a whole new dimension for me. I’m good at it, and the feedback from my students with my patience and communication skills to help them understand and improve their craft is a fulfillment I had never experienced. Unfortunately, like a lot of us who work in corporate companies, I couldn’t keep teaching at the school due to work/life boundaries being tested continually and getting more work outside of my job description put on me without the pay to reflect it or the solutions to rectify it. However, the experience reinspired me to redirect what I wanted out of my career. I would teach young adults how this industry can be anything you make it, and I want to show them and myself that it’s attainable and true. Struggles don’t last forever, though, and I’m happy to say that life is perfect right now. I’m in love and in a healthy relationship that’s added so much to my life and supported me in ways I’ve never experienced. I’ve opened my own business doing hair at Bex+Co salon at their Domain location. I get to speak life into people and help them feel good about who they see in the mirror, and I’m working on building my education platform for new hairstylists. I’m happy that the road that’s been challenging at times has led me here.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m a specialty hairstylist and colorist who pays high attention to detail when providing hair services. I’m grateful to have spent so much time early in my career in Chicago because I learned and have so much experience when it comes to working with different hair types. I’ve loved the chemistry and magic of hair color ever since I first started cosmetology school. Blonding brunettes for that perfect lived-in tone, blending natural grey hair for a softer grow out, playing with artistic vivid tones keeps me creative, and personalizing haircuts that enhance my clients’ qualities and that grow out beautifully until I see them next are a few services I pride myself on. People know when they sit in my chair that I give them my undivided attention and co-create with them to reach their hair goals and feel rejuvenated and refreshed when they go back out into their worlds.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
Outside of being a hairstylist, I love to roller skate since I was a preteen. I love to go to the outdoor skate parks or the adult night skate sessions in Austin. I also have a few songs on Spotify and streaming platforms under the artist name Natalie Hue. I’m a woman with many talents, ambitions, and creative outlets that I can’t wait to get back into pursuing again.
Contact Info:
- Website: untetheredhaircare.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/untetheredhaircare/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCX7EgSmyIakJt20GESeSjdw
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/untethered-haircare-austin
- Other: https://untetheredhaircare.glossgenius.com
Image Credits
Geo Mcphatter Instagram: fiori_visuals_atx
