For Presley Poe, it’s not enough to be known internationally as a cutting educator, platform artist, and salon owner.
“My goal for 23 years," Poe says, "has been to revolutionize the industry. To blur the lines between cutting and color. But that has since broadened to all aspects of hairdressing."
Poe, who is headlining an impressive education roster at the upcoming International Beauty Show-Las Vegas from June 22-24, chatted with American Salon about starting out as a stylist and the things cosmetology students ought to know as they enter the often ruthless beauty industry.
AS: When did you first decide to become a hair stylist?
PP: I was 4 years old when I went into a salon for the first time. I watched them whipping the capes on and off people. I saw the tools they were using and the smiles. I thought this was some sort of sorcery I needed to be part of.
This was the coolest thing I’d ever seen, and my little brain was like, there it is. That’s what I’m supposed to do. I felt like hairdressers were superheroes and I wanted to be one.
I knew what I wanted to do at four years old and I never wavered from that plan.
I learned you could take cosmetology classes as a vocation in high school. But I did not grow up in a supportive household, and was told no, I would not be allowed to do that.
At the age of 16 I became emancipated and I moved out so I could go to cosmetology school. I have been doing hair ever since.
What do you wish you’d known before you started your career?
I wish I’d known how difficult this industry truly can be, from managing client expectations to juggling the many tasks it takes to be a good hairstylist.
Little did I know that we as hairstylists are, in fact, not just hair stylists at all. We are business people, social media managers, and communications specialists, as well as technically trained artists.
Now, with the dawn of social media and expectation versus reality, we’re dealing with people’s inability to be an imperfect human. That kind of pressure can be difficult as well, but it is the reality of our industry.
I wish I’d known the road ahead would require my ultimate dedication, consistency in my passion, and choosing my battles wisely.
In this industry you have to be self-driven and self-motivated, and you have to develop a thick skin. You have to get used to hearing your vision is not acceptable to another person. Moving forward from that requires grit, determination, and willpower.
What would you go back and tell a younger version of yourself?
I would say: throughout your journey there will be those who believe in you and will be massively important, and many who don’t who will fall by the wayside. You are exactly where you’re supposed to be.
All the difficulties you experience are meant as an endurance challenge. Everything you’re doing is in your way for a purpose, and you will funnel it and turn it into drive.
Hearing that at the time? I probably would have nodded and been like, cool. I was already in that mindset; I think I came out of the womb like that. When you have a natural hustle you have an innate ability to turn strife into a profound tool for growth.
What’s a piece of advice every young stylist should heed?
Get with your community! Shows like the International Beauty Show are extremely important, if not imperative to our industry — they unite hairstylists with community and education.
They bring us together under one roof so we can gather in support of one another. Plus they’re a great place to get a ton off free education.
Every time I hold a class at an event like that, we have a great room of people. I take every opportunity to genuinely connect with people there and have conversations that matter. Then we all follow each other on social, so we can stay connected beyond that space.
What can stylists expect from your upcoming class in Las Vegas?
I’ve worked for the last 10 years to consolidate my information and deliver it in a way that seems extremely simple when the foundations can be a little bit complex, so I’ll be showing easy ways to do haircuts that work on both curly and straight hair.
I’ll also be touching on my newest invention of the cutting wheel. I worked for 10 years to create this tool for hairstylists to reference, which works exactly like the color wheel. It helps us to formulate haircuts like you would formulate a hair color.
I believe it’s the first universal tool we have for haircutting. It doesn’t matter what style you cut, it will work.
It is trademarked and copyrighted and I’m working on a patent for it, though I offer it to everyone for free. I want it to be in every salon right next to the color wheel, because it helps us all to have a universal language that will never fail. Just like the color wheel will never fail you.
This tool debunks the myth that “you have to know the rules to break the rules” — because that’s wrong. For someone like me who loves to break rules but has to follow them, it’s a tough one. The truth is, there is no wiggle room when it comes to cutting hair.
Presley Poe will be teaching "Interactive Cutting" and "Signature 3-Section Curly Cut" at the International Beauty Show-Las Vegas on June 23 & 24.