Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Hailey Nagel. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Hailey thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. To kick things off, we’d love to hear about things you or your brand do that diverge from the industry standard.

In my industry of beauty, specifically being a hairdresser I have always received gratuity as a norm until I moved to Australia. The practices there are different and I stopped receiving the gratuity but didn’t see a difference in my bank account because my service was at a higher cost. So I moved back to the states and questioned why ask for tips again if I could just charge the amount I am supposed to make. When I previously would ask my guest if they would like to leave gratuity it was like I was asking them if they thought I did my job which I knew I had done and done to the best of my extent. That totally took away the professionalism away from my career that I take very seriously. I decided to stop giving my guests the option of leaving a tip and started charging an hourly amount that I know I am worth. Now, when my guests ask why they didn’t get to tip me I say, would you tip your dermatologist?

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Hailey Nagel and I have been a licensed cosmetologist since 2005 but started specializing texture in 2016. After working in a curls only salon in Brisbane, Australia I now have a different appreciation and understanding of clean beauty which I have continued to learn about and understand. When I was in cosmetology school, curly hair was not a specific discipline and enough information behind the science of it was not taught. At this point, I am learning a lot more behind the science which helps with the understanding of what type of products to use on what kind of texture and when. I live in a very humid environment where most people have issues with dry hair and frizz so questions about that are constant and now understanding of the science behind humidity and hard water has helped me to be able to fix those problems for many people. I believe that this type of scientific education should be standard in cosmetology schools, and hope to encourage other stylists in that direction. When a guest comes into me and has issues with hair loss, because of the education that I am pursuing, I now have a better idea of how to help them. I think this type of advice should not be something hairdressers are incapable of giving because of a lack of reliable education. The thing that I am the most proud of is when a guest is finished with their appointment and says that they have literally never seen their hair look that good, but also that they have learned so much they can take with them for the rest of their life. They leave my chair knowing more than what they knew when they came in, but also knowing that they have me as a resource they can contact and trust when they do have questions.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

“Fake it till you make it” It’s a pretty common saying that people use in my industry but I came to realize it was toxic later in my career. What this saying means is to put on a strong front so that others understand you are in control and know what you’re doing. I came to the realization that it is more important to be honest about your deficits and to get more education if you want to improve not use guests as guinea pigs until you actually are as good as you portray yourself to be. People will appreciate your honesty and trust you more if you tell them the truth. Continuing to educate yourself is growth and that is so self empowering.

Have you ever had to pivot?

When I moved to Australia, I had been in my career field and working for myself for many years, but because of immigration and visas I had to work for another person which was some thing I hadn’t done in quite some time. Because I went to work for another person, I saw the way that that business could be specialized without taking a loss. I had never worked in a salon that only did curly hair, but this gave me the opportunity to see how an environment that is niche has a place as well. It also gave me the opportunity to understand why certain people would choose to be in that environment as opposed to, your run-of-the-mill salon because of traumas that they had previously gone through with their hair and why they would feel much more comfortable being around others, who were in a similar place, mentally and physically. I took that information back with me to the states, and saw the same outcome with people being very happy and comfortable in an environment that seems to be made for them. The truth is that 65% or more of the worlds population is textured so if you can have five hair salons within a city block, one of them can be specialized in curly hair for sure and make plenty. I say there’s enough room at the table for all of us.

Contact Info:

• Website: Www.CurlbyHaileyElizabeth.com
• Instagram: @praiseyourcurls @haileyelizabethstudio
• Facebook: Hailey Nagel
• Linkedin: Hailey Nagel
• Youtube: @haileynagel1009