We were lucky to catch up with SAL Salcedo recently and have shared our conversation below.

SAL, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

It was early on in my life, I had moved to America from Mexico when I was 13, I was set on becoming Mexico’s next president, my idea was to go to school, achieve outstanding grades, and make my way to the presidency. I thought it would be easy. When I came to America I was unhappy, I didn’t like it here. It was time to give up the Mexican dream and chase after the American dream. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do from now on, where to focus my energy, but I did tell myself, “I want creative freedom.” I want to be able to do it. I’m not sure what exactly – yet I do want the freedom and boldness to do it and chase after whatever that may be.

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

My name is Salvador Salcedo, “Sal” or Salsalhair. I am a hairstylist located in LA and travel to different cities to do hair as well as educate. I teach my “Hairlosophy,” which is a mixture between hair cutting/styling techniques as well as philosophical, psychological & intuitive awareness of self and clients & students. I coach and mentor professionals and people to bring out their inner artist & overtake themselves from their mental limitations to achieve a fulfilled, thriving & accomplished sense of self.

I started cutting hair at 13 years old. I came from Mexico at the time without knowing English, felt a lack of confidence & wanted to feel good about myself so I started cutting my own hair, saving my parents some money on the way as well.

I started cutting my hair and working on fixing it every 2-3 weeks. By age 15, I was really good! I started cutting family members’ hair. Other kids at school wanted me to do their hair, yet I kept saying no.

They started offering me more and more money as a bribe. At the time I was regularly drawing a diverse array of things in my hair and other kids wanted it!

So I said screw it, this is a business opportunity, and so I did!

I accepted and started seeing clients in my garage, soon it became an everyday after school hours thing.

Started making some good money.

The lovely barbershop heard about me (Lancaster, CA) and so they offered me a job.

I graduated high school in 2007 and got a job as a high school tutor as well as a soccer coach at the same school I had graduated from. I also was involved at the local church as a youth minister.

So I was always around other teens slightly younger than me, I loved motivating them and pushing them to excel.

One time one of my students/trainees was suicidal, and I wanted to help him. It didn’t happen as a coach, or as a tutor. Where the magic happened was in my salon chair. I was about 20 when this happened, I was then certain I wanted to pursue a career as not just a hairstylist, but the best!!!

I left everything I was doing: coaching, tutoring, youth ministry as well as my fashion major (that’s right, I went to community college to pursue fashion).

And I signed up for a hair academy (Toni & Guy) in Santa Monica at the time.

I Graduated January 20th, 2012 exactly on my 22nd birthday with honors and letters of recommendation.

Days after, I went to the top salons in LA in search of an apprenticeship. The rest is history. I worked at 3 top salons in the course of 6 years and in January 2018, I opened my own salon: Nova Arts Salon.

The idea was to create a space that focused on good artistry as well as care and kindness as we welcomed everyone into our space.

To become masters of our craft & to creatively help people design a better image for themselves.

As time has evolved, not only am I helping clients with their image, but I go a bit deeper. Every person in my chair comes in looking for a transformation and I pride myself in being the best at it.

My goal is to help my people feel the best they’ve ever felt. To feel empowered and ready to take over the world.

The hair is external yet the transformations go deeply inward.

I like to say that it’s important to find a hairstyle/image that represents who we are currently and that serves as a tool of empowerment of self.

As of lately, I’ve been traveling not only the country but the world taking my Hairlosophy with me, knowledge of self, development of imagination and intuition is at the core as well as understanding of self as an artist.

I’m currently working on a few projects: a photography book called “HAIR AND I – the relationship with ourselves” which is a coffee table type, with beautiful powerful portraits as well as a blurb on everyone about what their hair means to them.

I’m working on a scent, ELE. It is made as a tool to bring people close to themselves; the person can charge their scent with their own intention and be brought to the present moment. I’m also working on getting my own podcast going, “Hairlosopher,” in which I’ll be interviewing all kinds of individuals and we will get to dive a little deeper into their mind as I am cutting their hair in the chair.

I am also working on running art exhibits at my salon where we push my team and others to bring out the artist within.

We are all capable of expressing and bringing out the artist within; it’s just a matter of being brave and pushing forward one step at a time.

To play like a child, and be free like one.

I take pride in being a father to my 5-year-old son Luz, who is one of my greatest teachers.

I continue to push myself into profound self-actualization as I help empower others along the way.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

Motivation; we all have that fire within us, and our job/duty has to be to maintain that little flame on and alive. We are all children that come from creation; our very own lives are miraculous. We must see and continue to have wonder for everything in life; it is truly a gift. But we get discouraged along the way at times, that’s why we must do everything in our capacity to connect deeper with our essence, the same way we take out our significant other on a date, spend time with our pets during a walk, or the same way we visit our best friend – we must give ourselves time, to cultivate the relationship with ourselves so that we may know ourselves, know how to get out of the dull clouds, as well as know how to celebrate our wins. This creates motivation and keeps our inner flame alive. This is passion; this is the human experience. We are true warriors; our heart pumps, our veins fill them with blood. We must never forget about this inner connection to everything that there is to continue to be grateful for the gift of life. If I help awaken you then you help awaken me.

Art has the power to awaken us into our humanity.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

After two years of being an assistant at one of LA’s top salons, I had been asking to meet up with my salon manager as well as my main mentor. It took months before they gave me some time to listen to me.

All the assistants wore black strictly; we were all young and the stylists a bit older than us 20-year-olds. They really treated us like second-class citizens.

It was definitely a power-mind trip, but I would shake it off; I only wanted to be given the opportunity to have my own chair; the politics didn’t add up. There was favoritism and cynicism as well.

I was doing creative photo shoots on my time off, working full days assisting close to 5 different hair stylists every day, I was hungrier than anybody!

No partying while all my peers were doing so. I wanted to be the best so I had to act and do like the best!

I finally got my meeting, and during it, the salon manager started by telling me that she loves me at the salon but that if I am to stay here I need to take it easy… that sometimes I am a bit “too passionate.” The moment they said that I tuned everything else out, I started plotting my exit, as I walked away from the meeting extremely charged and upset. One of my old hair school peers calls me, and she says, “hey babes what are you doing? Come work at my salon. It opened up 8 months ago and it’s gonna be the best in LA!”

I came in the next day to my current salon wearing full-on white, and everyone looked at me in disbelief; they knew I was going to quit and so I did. The day after I was working at this new salon, which changed the course of my career.

Never give up, and be true to your conviction, if you know you’re meant for greatness pursue greatness and leave everything else that isn’t there to match that energy behind.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.salsalcedo.com/
• Instagram: Salsalhair
• Youtube: Salsalhair
• Yelp: Nova Arts Salon

Image Credits
Sean Yang