Today we’d like to introduce you to Farrah Walz.
Hi Farrah, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I am a 33 years old hairstylist. I have been doing hair for 13 years and for the past two years, I have been a salon suite owner. I grew up with a huge fascination for Hair and makeup. As a little girl, I used to beg my mom to take me with her to the Hair Salon. Hairstylists to me were magicians. The way they styled hair, the magic they created with a blowdryer and a round brush always left me in awe. Naturally, after high school I started beauty school at the age of 19 in my home town Whittier, California. From the minute I picked up a pair of cutting shears and began to learn this craft, I knew I was in the right place. I finished school in nine months and immediately started my career as an assistant for a super talented, well-known hairstylist in West Hollywood. For a year and a half, I learned everything I needed to know about hair cutting and styling from him. I then decided that I had a real passion for hair color and wanted to learn from someone who was an expert in that. I stood In West Hollywood at a different salon and assisted another amazing hairstylist for about a year and a half as well. I learned so much for this stylist. She could do it all and she was so passionate. I truly admired her talent and one day wanted to be just like her.
While assisting, I got another part-time job at Drybar in Pacific Palisades. This type of salon was a new concept, it was wash and blowdries only. Not only did my love for styling hair develop even more here. I had many opportunities to work on celebrities and events like music festivals, fashion and tv events. At this time in my career, I was doing a lot of house calls. I would go to my client’s homes to color and cut their hair. After doing this for six years, I decided I wanted to make my way back to my hometown. The commute wore on me and I felt the need to bring everything I had learned and give to the people in my community. Once back in Whittier, my clientele took off! For those next three years, I dedicated myself to my craft. I kept learning from amazing stylists working with me, I kept up with my education and I wanted everyone to sit in my chair. I grew so much as a person at this time. And in June of 2020, I decided it was time for me to follow my dreams and become my own boss. I opened FreeStyles Salon Suite in Whittier. My journey has meant everything to me. I have worked very hard to get to this point. I am so grateful to everyone along the way. My family, my friends, my educators, my mentors, all the supporters and my amazing clients who put their trust in me daily.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It definitely isn’t always a smooth road when wanting to become a hairstylist. You do experience some negativity when wanting this to be taken seriously as a career choice. I knew I was going to have to work very hard if I was going to be successful at this. Becoming a hairstylist assistant isn’t easy either. I worked very long hours, sometimes 10-12hrs doing the not so fun stuff that makes a salon run well and the pay was low. Commuting from Whittier to West Hollywood meant my whole day was wrapped up in work. But I knew that everything I was learning was going to pay off big time for me. Not every stylist decides to assist after beauty school. However looking back, I think it is extremely important to do so. It completely shaped me into the stylist I am today and everything I went through was worth it.
Once a full-time stylist behind the chair, I experienced some challenges as far as knowing how to run my business. As a chair renter, I was now considered a self contractor and needed to learn how to handle my finances. Something very few stylists talk about. Also, at this time social media came into play. Before referrals came from word of mouth. But now, I had an opportunity to really brand myself and work on my own marketing. This in the beginning, was tough. Figuring out what to post, what would draw potential client’s attention. What hashtags and captions to use, it was a big learning curve for me. This was something I never had to do before. But on the flip side, once I got a hang of it and posted consistently. My following began to grow and so did my clientele!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a hairstylist and I specialize in haircutting and color transformations. My training started 13 years ago and I always wanted to do it all and do it well! The minute I picked up my first pair of cutting shears my hands naturally just knew what to do with them and I absolutely loved hair cutting. I realized the power of a great haircut is unmatched. Once I mastered the craft of cutting, I began to really focus on hair color transformations and would now consider myself a color specialist.
I am most proud of my determination and resilience to not quit when the journey got tough. I faced many challenges such as difficult work environments, strong-minded personalities (to put it nicely), and constant self-doubt. And more recently going through a pandemic where my industry specifically faced many difficulties in trying to keep our doors open.
I believe what sets me apart from others is my genuine desire to see us all win! I truly believe there is plenty of room and success for us all. I love to help others grow into the best professionals they can be.
How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
There are many ways to support myself and my business. Referring a friend, sharing and liking a post and/or simply expressing how much you love what I do are all ways to show love and support.
I am always willing and open to collab with other stylists. i.e.: events, special occasions, education, etc.…
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/free_styles_/
Image Credits
Photographed by Stephanie Portugal
