April 10, 2017

Meet Christian Pitre of ChristianJavaun in West Hollywood

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Christian Pitre.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Christian. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I started cosmetology school in 2010 after I was I given the run around trying to switch universities. After much frustration, my uncle suggested that I go into hair. I thought “I don’t think hair is my thing.” He reminded me that I’ve always had a knack for it and convinced me by saying things like “editorial, fashion and celebrity hair”. Needless to say, I got excited and my mom, sister and uncle started helping me look into the best hair schools Los Angeles had to offer. I toured and settled on Toni & Guy Hairdressing Academy in Santa Monica, CA and finished the 10 1/2-month long program ready to work.

I worked at about 5-8 different salons within my first 2 years before I finally started settling into some of my better experiences. Looking for a good salon is like looking for an amazing apartment. It takes a few apartments before you find your dream house; you get to learn what works and what doesn’t. Almost two years at the last salon I worked at with my sister (she’s a hair stylist also) we decided to move on after dealing with unorganized and frustrating ownership. We ventured out and opened up our own space in the heart of West Hollywood at the Phenix Salon Suites. We have currently been in business for 1 1/2 yrs. and are doing very well. Within our time at Phenix we have upgraded from a small 110 sq. ft. space to now occupy a comfortable and cozy window suite. I currently also have my own all natural hair care line which is retailed in our salon and online. This line was created about 2 1/2 years ago and about 1 year ago I added a FOR HIM line.

Things are looking up for the business and despite all the good and bad salon experiences I’ve had, I’m grateful for everything I’ve learned along the way. Those experiences have truly helped me become a successful business owner and allowed me to customize the business and services to what appeals to my clients.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It has defiantly NOT been a smooth road. When I started this business, there were so many things that went right and wrong and unfortunately, I found more of the wrongs first before I started seeing things go right. My biggest challenge was 1st, the money. I am a startup company so everything I earned I had to budget between my personal expenses and saving for a business. It wasn’t easy and of course if I had big money I would have been able to get started a lot sooner and probably without so many business losses. 2nd, I would say just all the things in between. Filing paper work and trying to make sure all the T’s are crossed and I’s are dotted. Takes a lot of patience. Lastly, people! People are not always as easy as you’d like them to be. I’ve had to endure so many different personalities and with that it can be hard to work in a comfortable environment. But like everything else this was something I learned to adapt to.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about ChristianJavaun – what should we know?
ChristianJavaun is natural hair care at its finest. We specialize in organic steam treatments and shots for the hair. These treatments are made fresh in the salon based off the client’s hair needs and applied to the hair for a 30-minute sauna experience. Each steam treatment opens up the pores on the scalp and every cuticle of hair to allow the natural ingredients to penetrate the hair from the inside out opposed to coating the hair like traditional hair dryers. We do offer protective styles such as extensions and natural up-do’s and also give clients options of playing with color.

I am most proud of the brand. ChristianJavaun is still growing and has a long way to go but for me to be able to find “my thing” in the hair world when styling and the health of the hair is often compromised, I am so exciting that I’ve been able to establish a strong foundation for my business and with my clients. Promoting healthy hair is “my thing” and allowing clients to experience this and being about to take my hair care system home allows for the best and most positive results.

Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
My greatest support system is by far my FAMILY! They have always supported me through any venture I wanted to do so hair was nothing different. My mom and uncle (the one who suggested hair to me) are the researchers for the start-up. They tag teamed schools and career opportunities that would be possible with hair. My sister is the cheerleader. Although we both attended cosmetology school at the same time and often worked at the same salons, she has been my cheerleader when I’ve felt defeated. My boyfriend is often my voice to reason. I’m very impulsive on things and when I get excited I tend to pull the trigger, FAST. In most cases this had worked in my favor but in others; not so much. He is often the person who hears my bizarre and what seems to be unrealistic ideas first and will often hit me with the “well if you think it’s a good idea” or “I don’t know much about hair but maybe you should try it” and the famous “Good luck”. Everyone in my family has played a part in my success as you can always do it alone but it’s so much easier and rewarding when you have people to share it with.

My clients are total ROCK STARS! They are the main reason I am successful today. Without them I would not be able to stay afloat. I’ve gained many clients and lost a few along the way but most of my clients have followed me from salon to salon because they believe in what I’m doing and see results in their hair. My clients have become friends and extended family as we have gone through deaths, births, birthdays, holidays and everything else in between. We’ve cried together, laughed together and have built a relationship that surpasses the business and art of hair. They have amazing!

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