Any hairstylist on social media knows that dramatic hair transformations can get crazy feedback, but colorist and salon owner Jack Martin’s before and after posts tell a unique story. With the help of social media, Martin has become the go-to colorist for women looking to go naturally grey, proving to the world that age is beautiful. American Salon sat down with Martin to get his perspective.
How did you become the go-to for natural grey transformations?
I never intended to be in this category, but I always accept very challenging tasks and projects in my salon. About a year ago I got a client who came to me and she said that her roots were totally grey and she was tired of coloring, so she asked me what I could do. She had dark, box color hair, and I told her if she gave me a full day I would work with her—she could just come in and let me experiment. So, I used my thirty years of experience on her head and the results were phenomenal. Allure found it on my Instagram and they posted an article this past December. That article opened up all the doors for me.
Where do your clients usually hear about you from?
Either they follow me on Instagram or they get a referral from a local stylist who couldn’t do it. I do get lots of referrals from stylists who don’t feel comfortable doing it yet because it’s a big task to take on. Most of my transformations aren’t even local, they’re from different states.
What kind of feedback have you gotten from the salon industry in general?
The feedback has been really great. I think people appreciate that I share formulas. When I was a junior stylist, about 30 years ago, I always needed some push and some help from other stylists who had been in the industry way longer than me, but I never found that. So, I promised myself when I got there that I would help as many people as I could.
A lot of people don’t like to share their formulas. Why do you think it’s important to share your formulas and process with your followers?
If you give two people a recipe for a dish, they will still come out different from one another. They have my formula, but they don’t have my hands, my mind or my technique. It’s also just a matter of what you love, and I love to see people succeeding. I don’t look it as a competition and they’re going to take business from me. I look at it as helping people, and it’s all about karma in life. When you help people, you get help in return.