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Daily Inspiration: Meet Ashley Meltcher

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Hi Ashley, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Growing up in Florida, I was always the “go where the wind blows” child, I am the middle of three girls, and the one everyone was concerned about in my teen years. Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t a bad kid, I just had no direction in comparison to my sisters. They were A+ students in Honor Societies and extracurriculars, and I was a B- student who was interested in art. When I was in my senior year of high school, I had decided on going to school to become a math teacher while also perusing my “dream career” as a makeup artist. I flew to Los Angeles for the International Makeup Artist Trade Show (IMATS) to put together a professional makeup kit. While walking around in absolute AWE, buying products I did not need, and would later realize not assembled upon a brand called Senna Cosmetics.

I ended up back at their booth numerous times over the course of the next two days, I met the Brand owner, Euginia Weston, and her daughter, Theda. They asked if I would want to help out with a show they were doing later that year in Orlando, OFCOURSE I said yes. Well fast forward a few years, I had worked several shows with Senna at this point and they kept telling me “Ashley, you need to get your license and move to California so you can work for us!.” In 2015, I worked on a show that would inspire my journey. My friend Nikki, who worked the shows as well, convinced me to go after my dream, after all I was only 22 and I knew what I wanted to do with my life, so why not chase it? That trip, I researched the closest school to my grandma’s house and went on a tour!

The school, Academy of Beauty, is charming. It’s an old building and the school has been there for decades, to tell you the truth I wasn’t SOLD on the idea of going there until I left my tour that day. I was walking home and “Shine on You Crazy Diamond” – Pink Floyd was playing, WHICH NEVER HAPPENS! It’s a 13-minute long song and the words don’t start until about 9 minutes in, so that was it, that was my sign. With a newfound strut in my stuff, I walked off and told myself “Thats right Ashley! SHINE ON YOU CRAZY DIAMOND! Move to LA and do the damn thing”. That night I asked my grandma if in 1 year I could live with her and start esthetician school. So for the next year, I put half of every single paycheck away. I packed my life up and at 23 years old hopped on a plane with two checked bags and my 60lb pit mix. I started school and loved it, my classmates made it super easy to get through school. Four months. 600 Hours. Only missed one day. As my journey in school came to an end I found myself helping the freshman students with work. Little did I know they went to the director of the school to praise the help I had offered up.

With that, the day I graduated, the director of the school asked if I wanted to be an Instructor there based on me passing my State Board Licensing Exams. Funny right? After giving up teaching to pursue a career in beauty, I was being asked to teach beauty! My test was October 7th, 2016, October 9th, 2016 I was teaching my first class. I was SO nervous, but here we are four years later and I have a 100% pass rate. While working at the school, I picked up a second job waxing with a popular waxing chain. About a year into working for that company, I moved to working for Kelley Baker Brows in Venice. Thats where WaxthatAsh was born. I needed a professional IG so they wouldn’t have to go through my 1400+ photos on my personal page and tell me what I could keep up. I started offering Body Waxing at their salon and very shortly after started helping with Lash lifts! Lash Lifts were becoming really popular and thats where I gained a lot of clientele, I was able to work on popular influencers, YouTubers, and celebrities. I worked at Kelley Baker for a little over a year before I ventured off on my own.

Now I have my own suite in the Phenix Suites on 7th & Broadway in Santa Monica. I was open for about four months before having to shut down due to coronavirus. Like everyone else, I was scared and unsure on what my future for WaxthatAsh looked like. So I pivoted. During this pandemic, I have come out with TWO products as aftercare for a couple of my most popular services. BROW Surge for after waxing and brow laminations, and LASH Surge for after Lash Lifts. I have also worked on manufacturing my own lifting rods and disposable tools to perform lash lifts. Covid-19 hit us all really hard but it really gave me the opportunity to expand my business which I am truly grateful!

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
When I first ventured off on my own, I did it with barely any money, with a business partner, and without a solid client base. I bought all my supplies as needed on Amazon, and I worried every week “will I be able to pay rent”. I don’t come from money, and I don’t have parents who could loan me any money. One of the hardest parts was working at my suite and then going to teaching. I was BURNT OUT. I’d wake up everyday at 5:30 am, go to the 6am Orange Theory class, go home shower and be at my suite at 9:00 am, work there till 3:00pm, drive home to love on and walk my dog, then go teach at the school from 5-10pm. Monday – Saturday. At the start of the pandemic, my partner and I decided to go separate ways, and I had believed that I would fail without her. It was two months into the shutdown where I really weighed my options on whether or not it was a good idea to stay in California. “Should I move back to Florida? If I closed my business, I could just work under someone again.” were the thoughts I fell asleep to.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
WHAT IS UP YOU GUYS? IT’S YOUR BOIIII WAX THAT A S H. For anyone who follows me, they will read that in my voice, guarantee it. But that isn’t the only thing I am known for! I specialize in Full Body Waxing and Lash Lifts. My bread and butter are Brazilian Waxing and Lash Lifting and training. For those reading who don’t know, a Lash Lift is a mild chemical perm for your lashes. So basically, it’s like using a lash curler only it last for 6-8 weeks instead of 15 minutes. I am most proud of my name, honestly. My name and what I have made it. WaxthatAsh started as a 0 follower waxing page, now it’s a brand, it’s a name that starts conversations and that people in the beauty industry know.

By continuing to educate professionals AND clients about lash lifts and waxing my clientele has grown, my following has grown, and I have been able to meet estheticians, waxers, lash lifters, brow specialist, etc. in several states (Florida, Texas, Colorado, Arizona, and here in California!) What sets me apart? What you see is what you get. I show up on social media, and when you come into my suite I am the same person, just as nice, and just as funny. I am also a teacher at heart, it really runs through my veins, and instead of gatekeeping “industry secrets” I teach them. There are enough clients for all of us and I want the person next to me to do just as good of a job for their clients.

Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
I want to expand. I am hoping to hire employees someday because I think I could be a really good boss/mentor to anyone who wants to be in this field. I am also going to continue expanding the products I offer so Lash Lifters around the world can achieve beautiful results using tools I’ve created with them in mind. I want to expand to virtual learning and workshop tours. Right now, WaxthatAsh is BARELY 1, all I see are doors to infinite possibilities.

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