Meet Trailblazer Sylvia Essa

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sylvia Essa.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I was born in the former Yugoslavia, where I became infatuated with hair and beauty at an early age and knew I had to follow my passion, which led me to enroll in a four-year Hair Academy. After graduation, I attended the Wella Professional Hair Color training program in Munich, Germany. Upon returning, I furthered my knowledge of cutting, styling, and coloring with some of the region’s leading stylists. With this foundation, I set about my career as a budding professional stylist, and have spent the past 15+ years developing my style and honing my skills while working in salons, photo and TV shoots, and fashion shows throughout Europe.

My insatiable drive to perfect the art form kept me traveling throughout Europe to attend numerous hair shows from industry leaders such as Vidal Sassoon and Toni & Guy, each time gaining valuable knowledge and inspiration. To further my craft, I was eventually drawn to the global fashion destination of Los Angeles, where I have spent several years working on hair for TV, movies, modeling shoots, and discerning clientele, alongside some of the industry’s most well known and respected stylists.

Has it been a smooth road?
Working as a stylist in Bosnia, Serbia and Croatia had a distinct set of pros and cons – I could always count on clients wanting to look unique, edgy and fashion-forward, which allowed me to flex my creative muscle each and every day; however, the economic situation meant that the financial rewards were less than satisfactory. In time, this necessitated me to look for opportunities beyond the region, and ultimately spurred my move to Los Angeles. The process was long and far from easy, but I knew that it was my path, and stopped at nothing to make it a reality.

Still, even after finally making the move to LA, I was faced with the issue of licensing. Having completed over four years of education in another country, and then being told I would need to attend a beauty school in California after having already been a professional stylist for a decade, I was extremely disheartened and for a brief time wondered if this was a stopping point. However, my love for the art and the impact it has on people’s lives lead me through this difficult time. I kept digging into the requirements and eventually found that there was a process to get my foreign credentials certified as valid in California. It was a laborious process to gather all the documentation and complete all the paperwork to prove that my training was equivalent to the local requirements, but it all worked out in the end.

This reinforced to me that anything I really wanted to achieve was possible, but anything substantial does not come easily. We must have faith in ourselves, along with dedication and passion for our craft, in order to overcome the obstacles that will most certainly arise. This is the message I would hope to impart to young women who are at the beginning of a career – whatever you are passionate about, follow that with everything you have – do not settle for “no.” Believe that you are good enough, but always work to improve yourself. Each obstacle will only serve as an opportunity to grow stronger and more resilient.

We’d love to hear more about your work.
I specialize in a unique method of cutting hair known as “DryCut” – this is where a stylist works with hair in its dry, natural state, rather than beginning with shampoo and cutting “wet.” Cutting and styling hair while wet causes it to be stretched/reshaped out of its natural state, thus creating a false starting point which ultimately results in the client not being able to recreate the look they leave the salon with once they return home to their normal routine. With DryCut, the stylist is forced to tackle all of the same challenges the client faces when they are at home getting themselves ready – cowlicks, hair patterns, etc must all be taken into consideration and addressed during the cut, rather than being masked by combing and styling in a wet state. This is especially important and impactful when working with curly or fine hair, as they are most impacted by cutting in a wet state. By cutting dry, its like I am right there in their vanity working with their hair as they will be in future days.

In addition, I am an expert with Creative Color, Balayage, Color Corrections, Drastic Makeovers, and have an innate ability to understand and envision what will best complement each client’s unique features and personal style. I believe in pushing the natural look forward; even “unnatural” colors like pastels can be done in a way that “fits” with the client natural appearance.

Some of my proudest moments are the Drastic Makeovers, where a client may have been stuck in a rut with the same style for years or perhaps had not been able to really focus on themselves for so long that they had sort of lost sight of their style and unique personal beauty. Often times, I am able to give these individuals a fresh lease on life by sparking their confidence through a stunning new look, and that can carry over to so many areas of their lives. Moments like that are what keep me pushing forward and loving my work.

What’s the most important piece of advice you could give to a young woman just starting her career?
We must have faith in ourselves, along with dedication and passion for our craft, in order to overcome the obstacles that will most certainly arise. This is the message I would hope to impart to young women who are at the beginning of a career – whatever you are passionate about, follow that with everything you have – do not settle for “no.” Believe that you are good enough, but always work to improve yourself. Each obstacle will only serve as an opportunity to grow stronger and more resilient.

Contact Info:

• Address: Industry DTLA
  916 S. Olive St.
  Los Angeles, CA 90015
• Website: www.SylviaEssa.com
• Phone: 2137160410
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/sylviaessa
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/sylvia.essa.3

Image Credit:
Sylvia’s headshot: Brandon Finn, All clients: Sylvia Essa

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