And how every bleaching and impulse cut led to founding Create Space Hair Co.
Once upon a time there was a young girl, about 8 years old, that had frizzy short hair that could become as wide as it was long on any given day if it wasn’t cooperating. Though she was a total tomboy, she would spend hours theatrically playing with her Barbies, dreaming about hair as long and smooth as the perfect blonde doll in her hand.
But, that wouldn’t happen for a long time as she was too busy playing hard and getting her knotty hair even further tangled. She would grow up to damage her hair with bleach, be diagnosed with alopecia, cover her hair with a lot of hoodies, wear a lot of bad wigs, heat style her hair an unhealthy amount and dye her locks every colour imaginable. And eventually, that little girl would learn she has Type 2C hair, grow it out and finally embrace her natural hair’s innate beauty.
Allow me to introduce myself. I am a hair artist, winner of ‘Best Bridal Hair’ for the 2023 International Beauty Awards, wife, mom, friend and founder of Create Space Hair Co, voted Chilliwack’s best hair salon for the second year in a row. And yes, you’ve guessed it—I am that little 8-year-old girl and this is my (hair) journey.
Hair as a means.
Let’s go way back to a time when my relationship with my natural hair was non-existent and it wasn’t unusual to find me flat ironing my hair with a clothing iron on the floor to get it as straight as possible (do NOT do this at home). In the late nineties and early two thousands, straight hair was in and the frizzy hair of my childhood wasn’t going to see the light of day.
And though I’ve always been interested in hair (thank you Barbie), it was never my intended career path. For those who know me, I don’t think it’ll come to much of a surprise that my young theatrical self was going to school for acting. In my senior year of high school that all shifted when I found out I was pregnant. I needed to figure out a way to take care of us both and hair school came into my life for more logistical reasons than passion.
Everything that I had lined myself up for in high school towards acting, theater and script writing became a moot point just two months before I graduated from high school when I found out I was pregnant. I wasn’t in a good relationship and knew I didn’t have the support I needed in place. Hair school felt a lot safer of an option—more reliable.
I started motherhood single and at seventeen years old. And just because I had a lot riding me doing well in the industry, did not mean I was automatically going to succeed in hair school. I still remember that accidental mullet of my first service in the program. I had meant to grab my thinning sheers and instead grabbed my regular shears. The first huge chunk of their hair fell to the floor and set the tone for the entire service. I remember thinking “Why am I doing this? This is the worst idea I have ever had.” Now can I just say, if you ever do go to a hair school for a service, please give the stylist so much grace. It would have been so easy to get discouraged early on but these early experiences are so necessary for growth.
I am a big believer that hair school is not a place for someone to come in and get an affordable service. Hair school is FOR the students and intended to be the safe place for mistakes to happen. Now that I am more established in my career, I hope I can provide the mentorship I desperately craved early on in my career—but more on that later.
Hair as an insecurity.
After my first was born, I started a new hair journey. My struggle with alopecia led to a whole new hair era—one that involved a lot of hoods and some terrible wigs. It was a really hard couple of years as a new, young, single mom in school and it’s safe to say that the stress really took over my body. I would be in the shower and patches of my hair would just fall out into my hands. The more hair I lost, the more I did to make it “look nice.” I bleached it, went blonde, cut it and eventually, ended up having to buzz it all off entirely. I had used my hair as a way to express myself for years (in hindsight, an unhealthy amount) and at this point of my life, the only thing it represented was a keepest insecurity. I had no idea how my hair was going to grow back after all the damage it had been through and bad wigs and very visible extensions became an everyday accessory. But it was this part of my journey back that shifted how I approached hair. I began to respect that hairhealth has to come over aesthetic.
If you’ve been to Create Hair Space Co., you’ve likely noticed we are extremely passionate about hair education and health. Well, this moment in my life is where that passion first stemmed from. I realized I needed to start truly CARING for my hair, not just its appearance. At this point, I still hadn’t let my natural Type 2C curls shine, but I started to understand the focus of my hair services needed to go beyond cosmetics.
This went against every hair belief I had thus far in my life. I had always approached my hair with “I want to look like this.” *Insert unrealistic Pinterest photo* I was convinced I would have super long and healthy blonde hair (again, thanks Barbie), which now I understand is only possible with extensions. My mindset shift was very much cosmetic surface level to a deep scientistic understanding of individual hair health. Spoiler: Hair health requires you to embrace the hair you have, not the hair you wish you had.
Hair as an art form.
After a few years, hairstyling stopped being a necessity and shifted into a true passion in its own right. My longtime love for the beauty industry became a lot more personal as I began to build up my education and a loyal clientele in the Fraser Valley area. I found my niche in blondes, brides, balayage, extensions, curls and precision cutting. Over my decade in the industry my philosophy of “Dry hair tells no lies” and solidified my approach of not hiding bad cuts and colours with good styling. I learned so much over this period of my life but above it all, I learned to love hair more than I ever thought possible. The job that was once going to allow me to provide and parent until my son was old enough for me to figure out “what I actually want to do,” became what I really want to do. That being said, the flexibility that first attracted me to the industry started to fade. With two kids and a husband, I constantly felt the job was limiting my ability to show up in the other areas of my life.
Hair as an opportunity.
When the doors to Create Space Hair Co. opened in 2021, I don’t know who was more surprised: Me or everyone else around me. Hair was always going to be a temporary way to provide and even once I fell in love with the industry, becoming a business owner did not cross my mind. I am an artist and very content creating behind the chair to help my clients feel renewed and transformed. However, I began to feel an unsettling shift in the industry. Along with the flexibility that drew me in being non-existent, I felt my individual artistry being stripped away with recognition given to the businesses rather than the stylists.
After one too many times of bringing in my kids to work because I just “had to go in” and feeling the effects of business decisions made out of scarcity instead of the best interests of me as the stylist or my client, it was time. I need to make a change that made it possible for me to be in the workforce and motherhood simultaneously. I needed a space where I could be an individual artist and provide for my family. And not just provide, but THRIVE. I wanted to create somewhere where stylists were encouraged to grow something for themselves that didn’t take away their responsibilities of being a partner and being a parent and just being an individual themselves.
We celebrate, respect, and CREATE SPACE for the beauty of identity and diversity through the power of art, expression and the individual experience.
Now is a really good time to introduce you to the perhaps lesser known faces behind Create Space Hair Co., my family. These three humans are the reason I am able to do all the things I need to do on a daily basis and the main reason I can do so with the biggest smile on my face. Beyond that, they were my inspiration for creating a space where artists could maintain the flexibility to be more than a hairstylist or employee. As dynamic humans, we are constantly in a juggling act to “balance” family, friends, work and life in general. My goal has always been to create a salon where artists have the autonomy to do so in a way that best suits their needs in any given season of life. Essentially, I wanted to create the salon that I want to work at. And believe me, I particularly skip my way to Create Space Hair Co. each morning.
Over the years, I learned the complexities of individualism that makes each person unique. What it means to be ready to hold the responsibility of physically changing someone’s appearance and sending them off into the world as a new physical identity that they were now displaying themselves as.
Hair as a business.
In 2020, I was at a point in my career that being behind the chair was second nature to me. I was comfortable and confident with whatever the day threw at me. I was not prepared however, for the moment I opened the doors to my own salon. I felt there was an expectation to run like a well-oiled machine on day one—which seems to be an expectation across the board in this industry.
I learned very quickly that being a salon owner was very different from being a hairstylist and sacrificing some time behind the chair was necessary. Taking care of my people, the artists crazy enough to trust me with this vision, was vital for success. If I take care of my people, they will take care of their clients and therefore, take care of the business. It sounds so simple in hindsight but a lot of businesses (specifically salons) get these things wrong. From my experience as a stylist, I knew what I had looked for. It was a risk as a salon owner but if I encouraged each stylist to set up their own business for success, the salon would be successful. If I have the backs of my people, they will have my back. And what surprised me the most is that our clients took notice of that energy. They could quickly recognize that we all wanted to be here—no hierarchy, no competition, just a genuine desire for everyone to collectively succeed
I’m going to try not to get emotional writing this next bit. Being a business owner is not always easier (actually it can be pretty freaking hard), but I had a moment recently where it became abundantly clear that I made the right decision opening Create Space Hair Co. One of my stylists came to me for an employment letter to help them secure a mortgage for buying a home for her family. There has been so much growth over the last two years for me personally, but also for the salon and stylists. I am proud that I now am in the position to offer my stylists health and dental coverage and the opportunity to create something for themselves. It’s difficult to figure out where we will all be in five years, but I know my focus is on investing in education and investing in my people. Now I hope I look back on this list in a year’s time and laugh because of how far I’ve come BUT here’s what I learned about being a business owner so far:
- People’s emotions must be acknowledged, respected, and heard.
- Clarity and vulnerability are essential for leadership.
- I am doing my best with what I know now. When I learn more, I will do better.
- I cannot be where I am without the team that I have working alongside me day to day. I am so thankful to each of you.
Hair as self expression.
Lately, I’ve been thinking about what my younger self would say about where we are today and DAMN, she’d be proud. We’ve been through a lot (and a lot of hairstyles) to get to this authentic place.
My hair has been bleached platinum blonde, dyed every colour from black to red, had some choppy bob cuts, explored every heat styling tool, navigated alopecia and has been the home to some terrible wigs. So, when I tell a client that I understand their hair concerns, I am usually speaking from my personal experience.
It’s only now, 13+ years into this industry, I can finally say that I feel I have truly embraced my natural Type 2C hair. While it’s only been a couple years since doing so and it would be easy to say “I wish I did this sooner,” I am truly thankful for every phase of my (hair) journey because it means I can better understand what our clients really need in the chair. It’s not just a root touched up, but a touch up on confidence. It’s not just trimming split ends, but embracing a new season.
I think it’s safe to say that your hair tells a story, often reflecting the season of your life. That’s why I am beyond grateful that so many of you have welcomed myself and the Create Space team into your story helping you navigate and express your identity through hair. And my story is just ONE of the many perspectives in our salon. Each stylist has their own unique hair story and diverse background that they bring behind the chair—and that’s by design. The goal has always been to create a space where you can be matched up with a stylist (a hair partner) that just gets it.
Thank you for being here, this is just the beginning.