Behind the Chair with Mandy: A Journey from Passion to Profession

Featured Stylist Introduction:

Meet Mandy (@mandyandyhair), a Master Stylist with over a decade of experience (Est. 2009). She is a @joicopro Educator and a passionate @colorcanvassystems affiliate who relies on the CCS system to enhance her artistry and protect her well-being.

Professional Tip: Use code MANDYCCS10 for a special offer on the CCS system.

Mandy's career began with a spark of artistic curiosity in high school and evolved into a profound passion for beauty, science, and human connection. In this interview, she shares what fuels her craft, the daily realities of salon life, and how the right tools support both her artistry and her well-being.

The Interview

1. What made you become a stylist? What was your spark?  

Honestly, at the time when I was 16 going into cosmetology school while I was in high school, I entered into it with the mindset of ‘this could be a fun art to dive into’—not knowing it would uncover this passion I had for beauty, fashion, and self-expression. I was always the kind of kid who lived in her own individual self-expression, whether it was how I put my clothes together, did my makeup, or styled my hair, always merging styles, looks, and ideas.

2. What's the most fulfilling part of being a professional stylist?  

Helping others love the way their hair looks. I love the look in a person’s eyes when they are brought back to life for themselves.

3. What's your favorite service to perform in your salon?  

This is always a tough question for me! I love all of it! Cutting, conditioning treatments, subtle & dramatic colors, simple & extravagant styles—it’s all the perfect merge of science & beauty for me. It’s truly a personalized & unique spiritual experience, curated uniquely for each person.

4. How do you typically utilize your CCS system on a daily basis?  

So far, my favorite way to utilize this is for coloring long hair and having additional counter space.

5. Has the CCS system increased efficiency and time savings?  

It has made painting long hair not just efficient, but ergonomically beneficial. As a human that is extremely hypermobile, having a lot of limberness about my joints makes it challenging to focus on body posture 100% of the entire process. It’s wonderful to know I’m keeping my back straight while working, and it has greatly minimized pain in my back, neck, and arms.

6. What first drew you to becoming a hairstylist?  

The art of hair & beauty!

7. Did you always see this as a career, or did it evolve over time?  

It absolutely blew my own mind that I came into choosing to become a hairstylist. I knew I wanted to help people, whether it was to be a heart surgeon, a therapist, or a web page designer, and I honestly went into cosmetology randomly & blindly, not realizing that it would be my biggest passion for myself as a career. Within the first semester, I knew: this is it.

8. What was your training like, and what surprised you most early on?  

My training was amazing! I know I am very lucky. I took cosmetology through the technical school offered while I was in high school. My instructor, Mrs. Pratt, was an amazing woman, someone I highly looked up to. She was thorough in setting us up for success after graduating, passing state boards, and being able to start working in the field immediately after graduating high school—which I did just that.

I think what surprised me most early on was how much goes into doing hair; it’s so much deeper than the surface of hair that looks cool or pretty. The science & math in it is something I’ve always loved.

9. Can you remember your very first client? How did it go?  

I actually do not remember my first client at all, but I worked at a chain salon, and I’m pretty sure it was a man’s haircut. I jumped straight into a salon at 18 years old, six days after graduating high school, and I was right on the floor. Definitely made some mistakes in the beginning, but that’s what it takes to learn. I learned fast that way, about hair & the business side behind it.

Learning inventory and how to track your earnings was something that I was grateful to learn so fast just starting out—I know it can take time for many people to learn over time. I was so grateful to jump into hair the way I did. I’ve always said it felt like I did ‘bootcamp for hairstylists’ by the way my process went.

10. What does a typical day look like for you?  

My days these days are really smooth & easy. I’ve always been organized & clean when it comes to my workspace. Consultations are so key, and I invite my clients to always be free to be real in who they are and what they are in my chair to have done. We are all very human, and I bring this approach to each client’s appointment.

11. What's something people assume about your job that isn't true?  

I think clients may assume that my job is ‘easy’ because I make it look easy. But it’s so true that behind making it look easy, it’s been many years of practice to be able to make it look as easy as it is. The science & math that I have to do on the daily truly makes every day.

12. How do you stay inspired and keep up with trends?  

Life inspires me in my craft. Nature is a huge inspiration as well, but everything in life.

13. What's your favorite type of transformation to do?  

I love any type of major transformation—whether that’s taking someone from bold extreme hair color or cuts into something softer, or drastic changes or huge leaps from one extreme to the next.

14. How do you handle difficult or unrealistic client expectations?  

I break it down, bit by bit. I explain what it comes with to have, say, a certain color or style: the maintenance required, the risk, and also keeping it realistic & personalized for a client. I will absolutely be honest in telling someone if something may not be best for them, and then give options of alternatives to what is possible or would be better or safer.

15. Do you ever feel like a therapist behind the chair?  

Absolutely. I personally have had a lot of extremely traumatic things I have been through. I’ve been in therapy myself off & on for the majority of my life since I was 3 years old, and so I totally understand that life isn’t easy—and harder for some. I feel grateful to be able to be in a place with myself that I can be there for others, to give them the space & comfort to share. No judgment here.

If I don’t have any advice to offer, I’ll be here to listen, and we will give you the best hair you have ever had & need in that moment. A lot of clients have said they have felt comforted or relieved in just being able to talk to someone about things. I will always suggest things I know have helped me, or point you in a direction for support & how to keep hope alive. We have this moment, and I’m all for making the best of it while we are here!