Meet The Valley Hairstylist: Lashanda L’oreal

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lashanda L’oreal.

Lashanda, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
It all started at the tender age of 5 years old. I remember playing with my barbie dolls. I would style each of their hair and then put on a fashion show for my family. At a young age I was always intrigued by different hairstyles and fashion. As I became a little older around middle/high school age, I started practicing with my family and friends. My passion for hair grew even stronger. However, I knew that to be truly successful in this business I needed more then just a high school diploma. I enrolled at Florida Community College of Jacksonville. Shortly after, I got pregnant with my daughter and I decided to put college on hold to focus on work, so that I could prepare for my unborn child.

I worked for Medical Services Company, where I worked in Customer Services & Inside Sales & Marketing for 10 years. After being laid off, I decided that I needed to pursue my passion as a Cosmetologist; so, I enrolled at Paul Mitchell The School of Jacksonville. The best decision ever! This school completely changed my life! I finished school in 8 short months. Right away I started work in the salon as a commission stylist and then exactly 6 months later I found a salon where I could rent a station. This decision was definitely a leap of faith being that I didn’t have a ton of clients. However, my client base grew very rapidly by word of mouth. I was beginning to see the fruits of my labor. In 2012, I relocated to Southern California with my husbands job. An exciting but nerve wracking transition, yet again another life changing decision. Moving cross country with my husband and daughter without family nor friends was quite scary, but I knew that I would fit in just fine. I’m a people person and I’m very passionate about hair.

Shortly after settling in, I started working at a salon in Thousand Oaks mall. After Working there for a year. I decided I wanted to work in the valley. I applied at The Bar Hair Studio, which is where I’m currently working. After working photo shoots, behind the scenes on set, LA fashion week, celebrity house calls. I started meeting other talented people. Networking is a great wait to get acclimated when starting fresh somewhere new, and this was just what I needed to make a name for myself. I begin to focus on my brand, my logo, and building my portfolio. Here I am almost 3 years in August, in California and I’ve had the opportunity of working with so many amazing an talented people. I’m so glad that we took a risk and moved cross country, had we not I would have never had the opportunties that I have experienced thus far. Truly a dream come true! I still have a ton to accomplish, but I’m striving everyday towards reaching my goals in this industry.

Has it been a smooth road?
Absolutley not! Moving cross country not knowing anyone was a struggle in itself. I really just had to market myself on social media, pass out business cards, attend social events and vlounteer in order to meet potential clients. I’m still building my clientele. It hasn’t been easy, but my passion and love for hair keeps me motivated. As a seasoned hairstylist I realize that it takes time to build a solid client base and I’m willing to do what it takes.

So, what should we be on the lookout for, what’s next in store for you?
My future plans are to join the 706 union. I would love to work on set of some of the major networks doing hair. I am looking forward to continuing my journey as a hairstylist and enlarging my Clientele world wide.

Let’s go backward a bit – can you tell us about the most trying time in your career?
The hardest time in my career was during cosmetology school . It was hard b/c I had just got laid off from my job of 10 years. My family went from having two incomes to having only my husband income. My faith helped me get through it. I knew that God hadn’t brought us this far to leave us. Although we only had one income our bills were paid on time, we had a beautiful home and everything we needed.

Do you ever feel like “Wow, I’ve arrived” or “I’ve made it” or do you feel like the bulk of the story is still unwritten?
I feel like there is still so much to be accomplished in my career. I’m just grateful that the hard working, passionate and creative person I’ve always known myself to be now is be recognized by others. I realized my career was working in my favor when I made myself more available to the social world and volunteered my time more.

Contact Info:

• Website:www.styleseat.com/LashandaLoreal
• Email:[email protected]
• Instagram:www.instagram.com/Loreal_laidmyhair
• Facebook:www.facebook.com/Loreallaidmyhair
• Other:www.twitter.com/LashandaLoreal