We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ashley Edwards a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Ashley , thanks for joining us today. Do you feel you or your work has ever been misunderstood or mischaracterized? If so, tell us the story and how/why it happened and if there are any interesting learnings or insights you took from the experience?

Absolutely. I grew up in a small town where you never saw alternative hair or tattoos. People often thought that hair color that wasn’t natural was trashy or uncouth, and I think because of that it made it more difficult to build my clientele. I still love doing natural colors, but I had to start out advertising with mannequin heads for my creative colors and projects. As far as insights I’ve taken away from being a creative color artist, I’d say that you have to just do what you want anyways because people are always going to talk about you no matter what you do. Just go for it. The hair industry is like anything else: you get out of it what you put in. Don’t listen to the negativity, just do you.

Ashley , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Hi! My name is Ashley Edwards (@dropdeadheadz) and I am a creative color and correction specialist, as well as an educator. I’ve been an artist for almost a decade and enjoy working behind the chair as well as educating newer and seasoned stylists on how to build their brand, color techniques, and trends. I’ve always been obsessed with all things cosmetology. I styled Barbie doll heads as a kid. My grandmother taught me how to braid on one of them and I fell in love with it. I did all of my friends’ hair and makeup for proms, weddings, or even just a night out in college. It’s always been my thing.
Once I graduated cosmetology school, I worked in a few commission salons so I could build my clientele. From there I practiced booth renting where I began to delve into the world of education in the beauty industry. I eventually came to open my private salon studio. I absolutely love being able to give my clients a private and more personalized experience. I’m also able to train students yearly one on one, and soon I will be traveling and teaching all over the world. That has always been my dream and after almost a decade, I’m making it happen!
One thing that I’m most proud of is my ability to persevere. I’ve overcome so many obstacles, both personally and professionally, and I’ve never let any of them stop me from chasing my dreams. I believe being authentic and true to yourself along with hard work, determination, and discipline will get you where you want to be. I’m excited to announce that I am now part of the HanzoNation and Duomo education team. I’m looking forward to spreading my knowledge and techniques to help stylists all over the world add to their creative arsenal! My ultimate goal is to use my passion for my craft to ignite the fire in others.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I’m about to get really vulnerable here so hang with me. I have Endometriosis and have really struggled since my early teens with it, but the absolute worst of it has been the last 10 years or so. If you’ve never heard of it, it’s basically where the lining of your uterus that typically sheds every month outside of your body, sheds inside of your body, causing a world of issues including adhesions, endometriomas, hernias, the list goes on. It causes debilitating pain and flare ups, and makes it nearly impossible to function sometimes. I’ve had over 10 surgeries to control the spread of the disease as well as the pain. My last surgery was in 2017 and it has been the most successful thus far. Since then, I’ve been mostly pain free with the exception of an occasional flare up from time to time, but will eventually need a hysterectomy due to also having adenomyosis (endometriosis within the uterine wall).
Many don’t know this, but I would sometimes teach classes in excruciating pain during a flare up. I got so used to the pain that I was able to fake it even though I was swollen and miserable. It might sound ridiculous, but I love my job THAT much and I didn’t want this stupid disease to run my life so I would push myself, sometimes to extreme limits.
There was about a 6 month period before my last surgery where the pain got so bad that I could barely work or even get out of bed most days. Sometimes I needed help just doing normal routine activities around the house because I was truly not capable of doing it. When I would work, I’d wear a heating pad on my stomach and a tens unit on my back. I always needed medication and would have to take frequent breaks. It was embarrassing and miserable if I’m being honest. I am still so very thankful for my clients and their patience as I navigated such a difficult time in my life. Many of them are still with me today and it means the world.
Ever since my final surgery I have advocated for women’s health and shared my story as well as resources to help women receive proper treatment and education on the disease. Unfortunately there is so much misinformation out there and many women go over 10 years without proper diagnoses.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

A few things. First and foremost, the people and experiences. There are so many amazing opportunities in this industry and it would be absolutely insane to not take advantage of them!
It’s rewarding because you build connections and relationships with people and you end up spending years with them. As an artist you have the power to help your clients feel like their best selves. There’s a saying, “hair stylists touch more hearts than hair” and I don’t think that could be more true!
I also don’t know anyone that wouldn’t want to do what they love AND get to be their own boss. It doesn’t get better than that.

Contact Info:

• Website: dropdeadheadz.com
• Instagram: @dropdeadheadz
• Facebook: Drop Dead Headz Salon
• Other: Tiktok: @dropdeadheadz