We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Adam Zuñiga-Blain . We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Adam below.

Adam , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

As a hair color specialist I have the opportunity to make meaningful impacts in other’s lives. What sticks out as the most meaningful project I have worked on would have to be the one that was the most challenging, the one that was the most uncomfortable, and the one that made me the most proud of myself.

In the summer of 2022 I was invited by a leading hair color manufacturer to train and interview to become an Academy of Skills and Knowledge Expert which would see me educating other professionals in the industry. Training, educating, and helping others has always been something that comes natural to me and is a role I’ve occupied before. As someone who has been in the industry for 10 years the idea of being able to share my knowledge while also diversifying my experience was exciting. After about a year of training and tons of preparation the final step was being invited to LA to essentially do a 4 day working interview at corporate with the top trainers. These 4 days were spent evaluating my public speaking abilities, knowledge of hair color theory and products, technical ability, and character.

This is the moment I am most proud of and the moment that currently is the most meaningful to me in my 10 years of hair. The experience was incredibly rewarding, full of challenges, rife with growth and punctuated with moments of self doubt. I had never been as proud of myself as I was at the end of this experience. The fact that I was able to push myself out of my comfort zone is why it is the most meaningful moment that sticks out to me amongst the many other meaningful moments.

Adam , 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?

I made my decision to attend hair school at 22 years old after attempting two separate unrelated degrees. Had I been honest with myself from the beginning hair school would have been my first option. I like to think what sparked my interest in hair was growing up watching my mom do her hair in the morning. I had a permanent spot sitting on a stool or leaning against the door jam of my mom’s bathroom watching her curl, fluff, and hairspray her hair. With that inspiration I moved to Dallas on my own and put myself through the Aveda Institute.

Flash forward to present day and you will find me working behind the chair as an independent Color Specialist at Nikki Lay Atelier in Frisco, TX. My specialties include custom dimensional brunettes, natural lived in color, as well as grey coverage/blending and enhancement all using premium hair color products from Schwarzkopf Professional. Something I focus on behind my chair is an elevated level of service. My clients can expect their appointment to start on time and to be my sole focus as I care for one guest at a time, pampering them as best I can. Gorgeous hair is the outcome but the journey is important to me so I strive to make my clients feel like they have had an experience that they enjoyed rather than a means to an end.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I would say amongst my peers I have a reputation of being knowledgeable and of always striving to continue learning. In the cosmetology industry there is a lot of emphasis on how long you’ve been doing hair in order to determine your value to the industry. To me time is one of the easiest validating factors to obtain. Time is not something you have control over but rather something that happens to you even without added effort. I have taken my place in the industry in my own hands by continually advancing my education, studying, trying new techniques, and evolving with the times. My drive and desire to keep learning have landed me titles, positions and a reputation that my years of experience would lead some to believe I was under qualified for. I will never be done learning no matter how much time happens to me.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding aspect of working with clients is having the ability to truly affect others. It is becoming less frequent to have the ability to connect with people face to face with physical touch and limited technological interference. Being able to foster interpersonal connection while positively impacting the confidence of people is invaluable. You never know what others are going through until they sit in your chair and you break down barriers through physical touch. Pampering others has an ability to impact far more than appearances show.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.nikkilayatelier.com/about-us/staff-adam-blain/
• Instagram: adamthehair
• Other: [email protected]

Image Credits
@jade.photography7