What Is a Master Stylist?
Titles in the beauty industry are largely unregulated and untested. Stylists are independent contractors. It’s truly a trust relationship built on years of experience and proven results. It may help to understand how GS HAIR defines a ‘Master Stylist’. Here is our simple, 2-part criteria for using the title ‘Master Stylist’
1. 10-years+, full-time, uninterrupted experience behind the chair. If a stylist has dedicated a decade of full-time, uninterrupted service behind the chair, they are truly making a living at it and probably have an excellent grasp of the skills necessary to build a happy clientele. They have experienced color corrections, resolved communication problems, and streamlined their workflow. They are what Anthony Robbins calls a ‘Conscious Unconscious Competent’. They have the discipline and dedication to be a professional.
2. The ‘Cut Test’. GS HAIR had the toughest entrance requirements in the salon industry. We provided the training, education and support to help stylists reach those goals. We knew just because you had a Cosmetology License, didn’t mean you know how to cut hair. To put a new stylist on the floor with a new licence and no support was both terrifying to them and unfair to your clients. We developed simple criteria to work from. Stylists were tested on each of the 5 basic haircuts; the bob, the graduated bob, the short layer, the long layer and the firefly. Every haircut, no matter the age of the client, current fashion or the stylist’s education begins from the same 5 haircuts.
Our ‘Master Stylist’ designation was fair, consistent and trustworthy. We knew from experience, you can embellish your skills, but you can’t lie about results.
Interview Your Stylist
Don’t be afraid to do a little chair interview with your stylist. Ask questions. If your stylist uses designations on their media or business cards, ask them about their experience.
Vidal Sassoon Credentials
We see stylists use the ‘Vidal Sassoon’ titles frequently. We’re proud to be a Vidal Sassoon Graduate. Hard work and dedication that went behind that education. You can read more about what it means to be a Vidal Sassoon Graduate VS. Vidal Sassoon Trained here: Vidal Sassoon Graduate VS. Training
About Greg
Greg Saumure of GS HAIR is a graduate of The Vidal Sassoon Academy in Santa Monica, CA, class of 1984. Greg trained hundreds of Sacramento area hair stylists. He is a Master Stylist and has earned his loyal following of clients through a life-long commitment to exemplary service. We hope that you’ll be one of them. We moved to Raleigh, NC in 2021 and opened a small studio in our home in 2022. We are happy and grateful to be here. Read more about Greg Saumure.
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