We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Wallace Wallace. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Wallace below.
Wallace, appreciate you joining us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?
I learned my craft by watching other stylists and reflecting on what I could have done differently to achieve a certain outlook, taking each moment as a learning opportunity. I enjoy taking continuing hair education each month and taking notes on what “Ah ha!” moments I have while taking a class. While I’ve taken a ton of continuing education, majority has been Look and Learn classes. I think working on more mannequin heads would have sped up my learning process having that hands on training. The skill I find the most essential is to always be a student. No matter how long you’ve been doing something, there’s always something new to learn and we cannot simply know it all. Art, hair, makeup; it’s all ever evolving. So having that open mind to always be growing in your craft is so important.
I had a few different obstacles when it came to learning based on where I was in life at the time. Some hands on classes were way more than what I could afford working for minimum wage. Some salons only want you to learn their way of doing hair and no other way. You weren’t allowed to learn anything outside of their brand because you could only use their way behind the chair. I’ve definitely gotten in my own way. during the beginning and lost my passion a few times with working in some not so great salons. Once I found that confidence that I could be really good at what I do, it lit a fire back under me and I got to work.
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?
I’m a hairstylist, MUA, and artist based out of Chicago, IL. I got into the beauty industry right after high school in 2015 and started my craft in St. Louis, MO the first few years. I made a spontaneous move to Chicago in 2018 to broaden my horizons and education in the beauty industry. After building up for my clientele a couple of years, the pandemic hit and woke me up to what I really dreamt of in my career. I decided it was time to open up my own business in 2021 and have been growing rapidly since. My specialty includes precision haircutting on all hair lengths/textures and customized hair color. I’m well versed in my styles such as edgy haircuts, natural blonding, soft layers, fades, and bold colors. My brand, Neato Hair, mission is to provide a comforting space to come as you are and have you feeling like the best version of yourself. I enjoy bouncing off ideas with my guests on what they like/dislike to give them exactly what they’re looking for, plus exceeding their expectations during their experience in my chair.
I love being able to educate my guests while doing their hair to help them achieve the same look at home. Evo is my product choice behind the chair because even though their brand is smaller compared to others, it has everything for my guests and professional needs. It’s a straight forward brand where you only need one or two products to achieve your designed look. They hit every mark I look for in a brand, such as being vegan, cruelty free, clean ingredients not harmful to the environment, recyclable packaging, zero waste, and they give back by donating their products to homeless shelters.
My proudest moments are when I can deliver gender-affirming services to my LGBTQA+ guests. Hair is a huge way of expression in our community and can make or break how we feel about ourselves. Being queer and finding a hairstylist that best fits is a vulnerable process and I’m honored that my clients trust me along their gender journey. Building community and making others feel good is what I strive for anyone I have the pleasure of working with in my chair.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
My goal and belief is that everyone deserves to look and feel their best. Fresh hair and/or a new makeup look can make a world of a difference to someone. Hair holds trauma, so being able to cut out that pain, sickness, etc is a big deal and a restart. I think we like to think that everyone has access to these things, but unfortunately that is not the case. I enjoying giving back by giving free haircuts to people who are homeless and those in need. That’s another reason why I enjoy using Evo products, it goes with my beliefs that everyone is deserving of quality beauty care.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
The first salon I ever worked at is a great example of my resilience. While I was in beauty school, I had my heart set on a specific salon that I knew would be the best fit for what I was looking for. I went there once a month while in beauty school so everyone would recognize my eagerness to work there, even when they weren’t hiring. I graduated beauty school and I kept showing up, repeatedly submitted my resume, yet they still weren’t hiring. I tried working at other salons in the meantime, but I couldn’t stop thinking about that one salon. I decided to work at a beauty supply store for six months after graduating to finally see a post on social media advertising they were hiring new stylists. I called immediately on my lunch break at work and I came in to sit down with the owner a few days later. I was asked if I could find two hair models by 10am the next morning and got to work, asking everyone I knew. I was able to find models and brought them in for a working interview the next day. At first I didn’t hear from them for a week after the interview, so I reached out to the owner personally to check in. She offered my the job right then and there! And she became my mentor and still is to this day.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://neatohair.com
- Instagram: @wallacesquared_