We were lucky to catch up with Alex Naylor recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Alex thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Naming anything – including a business – is so hard. Right? What’s the story behind how you came up with the name of your brand?

I came up with the name Salon Arcana by way of multiple reasons.

I am a huge lover of astrology and tarot. In a traditional tarot card deck there are 78 cards comprising both the major and minor arcana.

Arcana in Latin means Secrets, and I found that also telling because of the trust and rapport I develop with my clients.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

In 2016, I started my journey in the beauty industry at Avalon School of Cosmetology in Mesa, AZ at 28 years old. I completed my 13 month program in less than 10 months, and graduated top of my class, and received every academic and service award the school offered. I was became licensed within a year of starting Cosmetology school. I always tease that I’m an alpha female, that’s why my name starts with A.

After graduating and becoming licensed I began assisting at Toni & Guy. While the education was helpful, it overall was not a good fit and I left after six months.

Being in my late twenties and already having my own bills to pay for, I paused my hair career until 2020 when I moved back to CO.

2020 was ironically really great for my business. I worked part time at SalonCentric to supplement myself, and would attend color classes to enhance and broaden my skillset. Through attending these classes I networked with the Educators and was able to get free education by volunteering to assist them during their classes. This was a huge advantage for me, not just for my skillset, but for getting to know so many others in my industry.

Between going to classes, and working at the hair supply house, I was able to build a clientele fairly quickly. I would post in Facebook groups and advertise for models, or solicit my services when someone was looking for a hairstylist in the area. I also become regimented on how often I posted on Instagram, and ensured I was also posting quality photos + captions..

My social media grew a ton from 2020 to 2022. It went from 221 to over 5,000.followers. Now I stand proud at 28.5k followers and I attribute a lot of that to my reels going viral and having huge brands re-share my work on their pages.

The best and fastest way to grow social media is consistency.

I have also found that my more bold transformations are the ones that seem to generate the most interest. I LOVE a good color correction. If you can make my brain hurt, you’re speaking my love language 😅. I love empowering my guests by helping them create a customized look that matches their individual authenticity. This sets me apart from the other stylists in my industry because I ensure that I remain current with continued education to efficiently execute the current trends/styles they’re requesting, and customize them so each guest receives a one-of-a-kind experience.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Facebook groups!!!! I can’t emphasize that enough. Social Media amd word of mouth are HUGE assets when you’re just starting out in this industry. I joined so many Facebook networking groups, buy /sell/trade groups, neighborhood groups, etc… to solicit for hair models to create content for the hair/client I wanted in my chair, and to build clientele overall.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding part of being a hairstylist is the moment I finish styling them—after the color and cut are complete, and you see their eyes light up in the mirror. with pure happiness and excitement. Seeing someone truly love and appreciate your art, your craft, your skill, and proudly walk out wearing it, is the most gratifying part of this job.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @alexnaylorhair
• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/alexnaylorhair

Image Credits
Amanda Miller Danielle D’Alessio