My name is Hannah Lessard and I specialize in Bridal/Event Hair and Makeup! I have been a hairstylist for almost four years now and it's taught me more about myself and human connection than I ever thought it would.
I went into cosmetology school with dreams of entrepreneurship, a creative career and flexible hours. Although finding a salon that I fit in proved to be more difficult than I expected. I found there were so many different environments and vibes, and I experienced my fair share of them. I've worked in big salons with twenty chairs and small salons with only four chairs. I felt most at home in a small town business nestled on the border of Loudoun County, VA. The salon was quaint and the decor had a woodland fairy vibe with natural tones, textured wood accents, and plants in every corner. I've always found peace being in nature, and with the wooden framed sliding glass door open in the months we wouldn't freeze, I felt that same peace.
I worked behind the chair at this salon for about two years. I had woven myself into the fabric of my environment, happy to do tasks such as cleaning, color organization, and even inventory. (Inventory?? You know that means I loved my job.) Since the salon was in a small town, the community was a huge part of the environment. I grew close with my clients and most of them knew each other too. The 'Burg was a social town with cobblestone sidewalks and well-preserved houses. You were sure to run into someone you knew walking down the street or waiting in line for coffee. Everyone started to feel like family. I saw myself working at this salon for the long run, and had even discussed opening my own location with the owner. Then 2020 hit.
This year has changed the way we live and the way we run our businesses. The salon shut down for a few months and the environment I came back into was strange. I left a place of human connection, greetings of smiles and hugs, and vibrant Saturdays with clients back-to-back! I returned to a space that portrayed fear of human connection and contact, the simplified base of my career. One of the things I enjoyed most was connecting with my clients through sharing stories of joy and hardships, but also physical touch. Being able to relax my clients at the shampoo bowl with a good head scrub and neck massage, or bringing their inner beauty to physical form with a fresh haircut and blow dry. These experiences were now blanketed with stress and worry of contact.
Salons are one of the cleanest places you can be, as a stylist you're constantly washing your hands, wiping down product bottles, wiping counters, most of our tools are one use, and not to mention all the chemicals we handle kill germs on contact. We now had separations between coworkers, multiple air purifiers, new cleaning procedures, and mandates. I watched as peoples faces disappeared behind masks, friendly greetings were replaced with a sense of uncertainty and hesitance. Conversations were dominated by the circumstance.
Tension was on the rise and the opportunity to step back from the salon came. I was presented with more rules and restrictions, I had to pause ask myself what I care about most in life. Was I willing to function in a space where no one had the knowledge or time to conduct business in a sensible way? Where no one considered alternatives or facts and just acted out of fear? Im not saying the restrictions were out of line, there are certain rules we legally had to follow to stay open and provide safe service, which I understand. I couldn't help but think, how far will this line be pushed? We as a society have been adapting constantly for almost an entire year now. At what point do we stop hiding from our neighbors and seeing each other as potential enemies?
I came to the conclusion that I valued human connection and making sure my clients feel comfortable and safe when they're with me. Unfortunately that was no longer the reality of my formerly beloved salon, which inspired me to create my own environment. One where everyone feels safe and no one is excluded. So now I am here, and I leap forward with a strong belief that everything happens for a reason. I hope one day I can return to that salon but for now I have ventured out on my own.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading my introduction! I hope this gave you some insight on why I decided to take my career mobile and launch this website. I am going to write another post about what I intend to do and services I offer, so if you're interested, stick around!
With Love,
HBL