Meet Andrea Skelton of West Hollywood

Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrea Skelton.

Hi Andrea, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
From a young age I discovered I had natural ability for creating with my hands and was very drawn to business. As a teenager, I worked at a beauty supply. The hairdresser that rented the booth in the back inspired and encouraged me to try a career in the beauty industry. At the beginning of 2009, I enrolled at Bellus Academy in San Diego. While in school, I consistently excelled in my training and became one of the most requested stylists until I graduated. The Artistic Director, Diego Raviglione, took notice of this and had me apply to work at The Doves Studio in Santa Monica as soon as I graduated. This was very exciting because Sonya and Christopher Dove were the creative directors for Wella and very respected educators in the industry. I spent nearly eight years working with them until the salon sadly closed at the end of 2017. In those years, I not only learned how to be a great stylist on a technical level, but also how to really provide a stellar client experience. They taught me how to really be a well-rounded stylist and understand how the disciplines of cut, color, and even extensions have to work cohesively together. After the Doves, I spent four wonderful years at Juan Juan where I enjoyed working under a name that had a legacy behind it. As much as I loved working on the westside of LA, I got sober late 2021 and that change inspired an even bigger change: moving out of my comfort zone of the west side. I was drawn to The Harlot Salon which is lead by the iconic Marylle Koken. The two years I spent there provided me with so much growth and excitement, but the itch for change came again. Bolstered by my success, I followed the urge to open my own studio. This was the biggest leap I had taken since moving to LA from San Diego. I already was savvy in business and my technical skills remained strong, but as intimidating as it seemed, going independent was my next move. Having my own space allows me to really curate an experience for clients, but also to grow what I already have, especially in the realm of hair extensions. It has now been two years and I’m really happy with how it’s going.

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?
It has not been the smoothest road. Sobriety helped a lot. Hairstylists like to drink, but for me it just doesn’t work anymore. As it turns out, putting a stop to it was the first step to breaking the glass ceiling I had created for myself. My biggest struggle really is my own imposter syndrome. My own brain like to tell me that I’m just “regular good” in my own voice when that simply isn’t true. There are still times when I feel surprised that I put out good work when rationally, I’ve been doing this well and consistently better and better since I even touched the tools of this trade.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I have a very holistic approach to hairdressing. The three disciplines of cut, color, and extensions have to work together seamlessly. With color, I am best known for my blonde clients having beautiful grow outs that never look harsh. A haircut with me is designed to style easily. These two skills marry especially well when extensions come into the picture because they are the reason the additional hair becomes undetectable. On their own, my extension application methods cause no pain, hair loss, or breakage.

Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
Mentorship in this field is crucial. The first step was deciding what kind of hairstylist I wanted to be. I crave excellence so I wanted to learn from artists who really had what I wanted. Being teachable is on the other end of that because an ego would have gotten me nowhere. Every salon I have chosen to work in had something special about it that I also wanted to absorb. As a veteran in this field, I am happy to attend any class I can. More than learning or reviewing different skills, continued education maintains my inspiration to not stagnate.

Pricing:

• Extension consultation $100
• Color consultation $50
• Haircut $200

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Www.andreaskelton.com
• Instagram: https://Www.instagram.com/andreaskeleton