Today we’d like to introduce you to Jenn Montoya Palmore
Hi Jenn, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I have been a hairstylist now for 27 years! I knew at 8 years old I wanted to do this. I was fortunate to do a 2 year apprenticeship rather than go to traditional cosmetology school. That meant I had to do double the hours vs. what a traditional school provided at the time. I apprenticed in a top salon and my mentor was not only a successful in-salon hairstylist but he was also a platform artist and celebrity stylist. I mention that because how he ran his own career was how he ran his salon and our apprenticeship, strict and very structured. It was very hard to get into. I had to shadow multiple times, have several interviews, and I literally called every single week to see if they made a decision. When I got the call I received the apprenticeship I was so excited! I looked at my apprenticeship as a two year marriage. I was so young but didn’t care about what I missed out on socially because I knew what kind of opportunity this was. I was learning from the best and going out would still be there when I was done.
Because being an apprentice was on-the-job training in the type of environment, I learned very quickly what it meant to be a professional. Not much room for error. It was not an easy two years but the structure and discipline I learned is still with me today and I am so grateful I had that experience so young.
I fell in love with color right away. Once I was able to start taking my own clients I worked hard to master color so I could become a color specialist. I wanted to know every single detail I could. From formulating, color chemistry and truly know the why behind what I was doing. I wanted to make educated choices for clients rather than winging it. I had an amazing color mentor. Her name was Toni and she really taught me all I needed to know.
As I grew in my career I felt the need to give back and perhaps become a mentor to future or fellow hairstylists. I wanted to become a color trainer. I received an opportunity to do that with Paul Mitchell schools and became a trainer and color specialist for the schools. That grew into me becoming part of the John Paul Mitchell Systems corporate team. I wore many hats but all of them color related. I traveled domestically and internationally as a colorist, and color trainer. We did shows, trainings, photo shoots, product development, etc. I did that for 13 years and the experiences were incredible. As I was doing that I always remained in a salon taking care of my clients.
I began working full time as a hairstylist again in 2022. I am still a color trainer but do private classes for hairstylists or I am contracted for events. I missed being in the salon full time and now work at Bomane Salon in Beverly Hills, CA.
My focus with clients is mainly color although I still do cuts + extensions. A large part of my color business is corrective work or color transformations. I also focus a lot on hair and color chemistry because it is such an important part of coloring hair. My goal with each client is to make sure their hair remains healthy no matter what we do. If it means we need to do session work to ultimately get to the goal then we do it. I love teaching clients about hair health and how to properly care for their hair. I have really learned to lean on social media to help spread the word to clients and stylists on how to achieve various hair goals. Healthy hair is the priority and it goes hand-in- hand with color.
Now being in this industry for so long I really rely on my experience to solve challenges for clients with viable solutions so we can get to their goals together!
I love what I do and also love working with clients and being surrounded by my talented friends every day. I feel very grateful that I listened to my 8 year old self. The experiences this industry has given me are priceless.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Of course with any business or career path there will be struggles. I look at them as learning opportunities because you cannot become experienced without them. I think the main struggle was juggling my travel schedule and my salon business. Making sure I was creating time for my clients in the salon and my life on the road didn’t interfere with their appointments. It was tough because I was spread really thin and working sometimes 7 days a week. One time I worked a month straight, no days off!!
I had to learn how to say no to certain things and to prioritize travel and only do certain trips. My salon business was always a priority because I love my clients and as much as I love training others I always knew I would someday need to re-focus on my salon business 100%.
I am grateful for all of the travel and experiences but so glad I still see my clients on a regular basis because they truly become family.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a color specialist and I specialize in color correction and color transformations. It’s usually the tough color projects that are sent my way. It may be someone who has had a color application not turn out as expected or someone who is looking to completely change what they currently have. The most common is someone going from dark to light. I also do everyday color work like gray coverage to highlights/balayage techniques. I am proud of the years I have as a hairstylist because this allows me the expertise to be able to help clients with their toughest color moments.
My favorite part of color is the chemistry. I think that’s why I love the corrective work because it’s the most challenging and I love seeing clients happy because we were able to achieve their goal. Hair health is number one with me and I will do corrective work in sessions to maintain the integrity of the hair. I think that’s what sets me apart from others. I will say no if I feel the hair will be compromised in any way and I will come up with an additional solution or option so they can still feel like they can do something.
I also offer non-toxic Cezanne keratin treatments. I am able to customize each treatment for my clients’ needs and can provide different types of treatments for them. Everyone can benefit from this type of treatment and there are zero toxic chemicals. As a colorist, these treatments not only make the hair feel and look its healthiest, it enhances the color and the hair’s shine. It’s important to me that clients not only leave happy but with healthy hair!
What do you like and dislike about the city?
I love LA for the options and how every neighborhood has such a different vibe. We have everything at our fingertips and it makes it very convenient! I also enjoy the various places to enjoy good food. I feel very spoiled now living here for almost 10 years. I think what I like least is almost everyone’s answer: the traffic. My one wish would be to have a great alternative to driving like NYC.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: Jenn_starr12
