Episode 7: Texture is so important | Candace Moore
Candace currently works at The Hair Room Bay st. in Jersey City, New Jersey where she loves teaching people about their natural texture and specializes in Color correction and balayage. Candace is a Hairstylist, a Mother and the owner of Kintsugi Coffee Co. She loves all things adventure, food and Coffee.
Transcript
Chantel (Host): It's nice to meet you and. you're a hair stylist out of Jersey City, New Jersey. owner of, Kintsugi Coffee.
Candace (Guest): Yes. Good job. Yeah. Kin Sui Coffee Company.
Chantel (Host): And you're a stylist right now at the Hair Room specializing in color correction
What did you wanna do as a profession when you were a kid?
Candace (Guest): You know, I honestly had no idea what I wanted to do, and I just knew that I loved to see people smile and I loved talking to people. So that was the only thing I had and. I actually initially thought I wanted to do dental hygiene because I was like, oh, I can make people have beautiful teeth. I attempted to do that and I decided that it was not like the blood and stuff like that. I was like, oh, this is not cute, so this isn't for me. So then one of my best friends is actually a hair stylist and she's a few years older than me, and I would go and hang out at her salon sometimes, and it just clicked.
I was like, oh, this is exactly what I want to do. So I just decided to go to beauty school from there.
Chantel (Host): You answered my next question, which was, when did cosmetology school become a decision and why? How old were you when that was?
Candace (Guest): I was 18.
Chantel (Host): so you, signed up for cosmetology school right then?
Candace (Guest): So I actually started at the community college to do dental hygiene because everyone's like, you'll never make money doing hair. Like it's, you know, maybe you could use do that on the side later on, but you should do something that's. More promising upfront. And I attempted that. And it's funny because in my introduction class at the college, the lady, I feel like she just was like speaking to me.
I forget her exact words, but pretty much it was you should really. Do something that really speaks to your heart, don't let people tell you that you're not gonna make money. If you have enough passion and drive to do something, you'll be successful in anything that you do.
And it just clicked for me in that moment. I still chickened out and I finished this semester, but then I never forgot that introduction class. And when the semester was over, I applied for beauty school and I was like, oh yeah, this is the right decision. So it even confirmed it that much more for me.
Chantel (Host): What was it like? I mean, we're going back a bit what was it like finding clients right after getting certified?
Candace (Guest): So I, I first got my license in 2011. And I was working at like a small salon and it was like a commission only salon, so there was no hourly pay at all. They knew I was fresh out of school and so they really were great with like saying, with having like a walk-in clientele.
But my first week, my paycheck was $27 and I, and that was after genuinely sitting there for 40 hours. I was at work for 40 hours that week, and my first paycheck was only $27. And it was like, Whoa. So it was a big eye-opener that I needed to, put myself out there a little bit more.
And this was before social media was a huge platform for advertising yourself. I really would go and hand my business cards out, like wherever I would go to the store or anything. If I seen anyone, any client that I think would be like a good fit for me, I would just hand them my business card.
And then that's kind of how I began to build. At that salon.
Chantel (Host): Cool. You transitioned at some point into renting a chair in that salon.
Candace (Guest): So it was strictly commission so you were only paid based off of the clients that came in and I was there for about a year.
Chantel (Host): Did you feel the business cards and handing out flyers, did you feel like that brought you the clients or did you feel it was more word of mouth that you started seeing clients come in?
Candace (Guest): It was definitely a combination. It was kind of just a chain reaction of both of them
Chantel (Host): do you have anybody right now that you're, you're following that you find their work inspiring? Or somebody you see that you're like, oh, they do classes? That might be somebody I might check out.
Candace (Guest): yeah. Yeah. So there's there's like a couple of like curly hair stylists that I follow because that's another passion of mine in this industry. I love to see other people, using their voice to support the curly girls.
Chantel (Host): Yeah. I definitely see that the average salon it's missed and I wish. There was more of a highlight on that. Like I have to go find it, you know, and coming outta school, educate myself on textured hair and wavy
hair.
Candace (Guest): It's so sad that we're not taught in school.
Chantel (Host): How important has it been for you to have a boss that makes you feel seen and heard, and one that's supportive of your growth as an artist and a person?
Candace (Guest): You know, it has really changed my outlook on this career. On being a hair stylist and my boss right now, her name's Natalie, she's freaking amazing. I've worked at so many salons and this is the first time that I feel she really gives us this place, the safe space to just be as creative as we want and our voice is always heard.
She's a small business owner and it's amazing to see that she is. capable of managing that many people, but also letting us have such a balanced life and that's been super helpful and even letting me start my coffee business.
Chantel (Host): Yeah, that's cool. So we're gonna circle back to the coffee business, but I did see some rainbow flags in your space and the color. And it made me think there's definitely some color specialties happening in Was this the first space that was using like, I wanna say modern because we are trying to normalize How we talk about hair and servicing non-binary individuals.
And that diversity of not just hair type, but of people. Was this the first time you were in a salon space that seemed very up to date on that?
Candace (Guest): Yes, 100%. And , our prices our services are non-binary as well, so we don't say men's cuts, women's cuts, it's shortcuts, basic cuts. So it's applies to anyone, which also helps people feel, just more comfortable.
Chantel (Host): Yeah, I love that. It's nice that you're attracting the clients where you can, use those phrases and educate. Sometimes people aren't gonna understand what you're saying if you're trying to describe, a pixie cut. It's like a round shape.
Candace (Guest): Yes.
Chantel (Host): what, what is your favorite cut to do right now?
Candace (Guest): Ooh. Um, I would say my favorite cut right now is like a, a round curly cut with curly bangs.
Chantel (Host): Oh my gosh, that's so funny. I was literally visualizing that.
Candace (Guest): Ah.
Chantel (Host): I was just looking at Instagram and Joshua Jackson with his wife. And I saw his profile and I was just like, oh my gosh. That those curls are just, I love that profile and if, you know, I'm like, can I just do this cut on those who identify as men?
Candace (Guest): Right.
Chantel (Host): Because it looked really nice and I feel like there's, ah, there's a lot of fades, you know, and sometimes people can get stuck in what they think they need to have without
Candace (Guest): Yes.
Chantel (Host): their natural texture. Or length. And that's not just, you know, one type of person, but I, I feel, I, I see that.
I'm like, it's, I like it when somebody comes in and they're feeling , yeah, switch it up, or Let's do something different and maintain something different.
Candace (Guest): Yes. You'd be surprised how many clients I get that don't even know they have curly hair.
Chantel (Host): oh yeah.
Candace (Guest): And then we just unlock this magical world for them and they just run with it, and it's so beautiful to watch people transform into themselves, you know?
Chantel (Host): Yeah, I love that. I feel that with my own journey when I embrace my natural wave, I feel like a rockstar. I mean,
Candace (Guest): Oh, that's
Chantel (Host): Activated and. Hydrated and it makes me feel more playful. And I, I guess I ran around with curls when I was little all the time. So being able to embrace that as an adult has been nice.
Candace (Guest): Yeah. That's amazing.
Chantel (Host): that leads me to my next question. I know we, we usually learn to do our own hair from our parents or our grandparents sometimes. If they're not an influence in our lives, we learn from an auntie an actual stylist who influenced or taught you about caring for your own hair. And what is the most memorable time
Candace (Guest): So,
Chantel (Host): mind from when you're a kid?
Candace (Guest): This is really funny. So my mom actually, she would braid people's hair and she would always do my hair and make sure my hair was always , she would do these little barretts and stuff in my hair and all these little hairstyles My mom's Mexican, and so she's got curly hair, but it's more of a wave, and I have kinky, curly hair.
So, you know, she did her best to like really understand my texture and she killed it and always made sure I was upkept. But I as a child hated getting my hair done. Like Every time my mom would do my hair, I would throw the biggest fit. So it's kind of funny that I became a hair stylist.
Chantel (Host): What was it that you think you were reacting to? Was your mom rough on your hair or.
Candace (Guest): No, I think it was more just because I wanted to be outside running around, and it just was an inconvenience to sit down and get my hair done because it was not let me put your hair in a ponytail for five minutes, you know, it was a sit down for 45 minutes and get my hair braided and these little twist and things put in it.
So it would last for a week, you know. So she would do my hair at the beginning of the week to last me until the next week. And so, It was all just chunked into one time and I, it just drove me crazy and so I would just throw fits.
Chantel (Host): I'm actually curious about products you were using on your hair prior to 18 years old. That compared to the products that you choose to use now?
Candace (Guest): Yeah. Before I was 18, I wore my hair straight. I would get relaxers and I used drugstore products, like pant, all the stuff you would find at Walgreens.
Chantel (Host): Yeah, me too. When, I have to think back cuz I'm, I'm 40 now, so it's going back and it's really hard. I'm like, I think I was I think it was Tresamme
Candace (Guest): Uh,
Chantel (Host): a lot of. Professionals still use that. But there's, I remember the shine and just loving the way my hair felt.
But the hairsprays, you know, just now being so much more conscious of trying to take care of myself,
Candace (Guest): Mm-hmm.
Chantel (Host): stay away from Phalates and I try to Be mindful of the things that are disrupting my endocrine system and the lungs of my clients.
Uh, and I think you guys are also with that mindset in your salon, when did you start using cleaner products as a hair stylist?
Candace (Guest): Actually when I went to beauty school I was introduced to, I think we used, we used CHI at the time in beauty school, and I just remember, the transformation with my hair how it felt , the smells were a lot gentler and I feel I'm sensitive to smells anyways.
So, that's when it started and I just have never looked back.
Chantel (Host): I think they were one of the first to start using Ammonia free.
Candace (Guest): Yes, they're color. I remember in beauty school they were like, you can eat our color, and it's. Safe. So we, we all tried it of course, and I'm like, it doesn't taste good, but Sure,
Chantel (Host): oh my gosh, I've never heard of that. That's
funny. That's such a good marketing tool actually.
Candace (Guest): It really worked because we all tried it.
Chantel (Host): You're, are you, are you personally using Cult and King?
Candace (Guest): No, no, no. One of my coworkers does.
Chantel (Host): Okay. Can I ask one or two lines that you're feeling really happy with using right now.
Candace (Guest): I really like, what are we using? I, we're, we're using EVO right now and I really like the Evo and R&Co. Those are my two, the two lines that I'm into right now.
Chantel (Host): I love how their scents aren't overpowering and everything seems effective and simple, simpler ingredients for both of those. That's so cool. So what advice would you lend to yourself coming outta school?
Candace (Guest): Um, that is a good question.
Chantel (Host): You know, time traveling, you're sending a little message in a bottle to, to yourself. You've been a week outta school, you just got certified, and oh my gosh. I can drop any message to my younger self.
Candace (Guest): Oh, I love this question.
Um, what would
I say? Yeah, that is such a good question. I think. The biggest thing that I would say to myself is to, hmm.
So yeah, my younger self coming out of beauty school, I would say to always under promise and over deliver to clients.
Chantel (Host): So as a. Mutual coffee enthusiast. I love that you have a coffee cart and a coffee business going. Can I ask what the turning point into taking an idea and what? Thought processes, turn that thought into a, an actual reality.
And I'm curious, like when, when that was for you
Candace (Guest): so I actually first thought of this idea in 2015,2016 I really wanted to open a coffee shop and I chickened out and I just have been thinking about it over the years. And the turning point really was after I had my daughter and she was about five months old and. From the time she was born, she was extremely colicky and I just powered through that shit.
We came to the other side of it and I don't know if it was the hormones after having a baby mixed with having a colicky baby. I just really felt I could just. Conquer the world. And I'm like, why am I holding back? Like, I can do this. I just showed myself and I feel like having her being so colicky showed me my strengths and what I'm capable of.
And so it gave me the confidence to just finally take the plunge and do it.
Chantel (Host): How neat.
Candace (Guest): Yeah.
Chantel (Host): Because it is patience and a lot of troubleshooting I call it. So you're like, if I could troubleshoot this and have the patience for this and the endurance,
I can, I can, . And your coffee looks amazing.
Candace (Guest): Thank you.
Chantel (Host): I I feel like being a coffee person, I can kind of tell what.
A coffee's gonna taste like, or how the milk's gonna taste
Candace (Guest): Ooh.
Chantel (Host): on the way the foam is sitting in the cup. And that's from doing a little bit of coffee myself being a barista in the past, and then just staring at coffee. You know ,
Candace (Guest): I
love that.
Chantel (Host): be burnt or too airy.
So when I saw your pictures, I'm like, oh, I, I feel like I'm, I'm, I can taste that, you know? And it Was, was that something, just your love for coffee but also wanting to bring good coffee to people? Cuz I know it's, it's a little bit of a rarity unless you're in an area that's just specializing in, you know, really good in quality coffee and training people to be baristas.
Were you, did you get some barista training?
Candace (Guest): I did so actually through the company that I , I carry Inteligencia Coffee and they, yeah, yeah . They offer us all barista training for myself and any employees that I have, so, It's really great. Yeah, and really the coffee cart kind of links to my hair journey just because I I love conversating with people and just meeting, just talking, just talking to new people and through that I discovered my love for coffee and.
Through those two things, I wanted to open this coffee cart to just really bring together conversation and coffee and, I just really love when people are hanging out, enjoying themselves and just seeing them drink coffee. It just really warms my heart.
Chantel (Host): Are there two, two or three tips that you've either learned by, making mistakes
Candace (Guest): Mm-hmm.
Chantel (Host): you know, going through the process or doing it doing something correctly from advice from somebody else that you could pass on?
When it comes to let's do hair first. Whether it was like a tax thing or timing for I don't know if you filed yourself as an llc, but yeah. I'll let you go.
Candace (Guest): The tips I would give to somebody that's fresh out of beauty school is Get your brand down on What kind of stylist do you wanna be? Because when you come out of beauty school, there's so many routes you can go with doing hair. You can, specialize in shortcuts or long cuts or, you know, you can't be great at everything.
So I would say really focusing on A couple of things and getting really great at that and just keep trying to attract that kind of client and that will help boost your confidence and it'll help get more referrals. I think that would be the biggest tip. And what else would I say? Pre-booking is , very, very important and it is one thing that I've actually learned, I've been doing hair since 2011, and just in 2020 I finally learned the importance of. Pre-booking because before it felt too forced at other jobs, right? Like they would say like, oh, like numbers.
Like we have to make sure we hit these numbers number. Like it was all about numbers. And I was like, that just seems like it just wasn't enjoyable for me. So I wouldn't really push people to like pre-book their appointments and stuff. But I learned that a lot of people really need you to tell them when to come back and if you don't do that, they're gonna just go see another stylist or they're gonna, you know, just forget and then take a year to come back.
And so it's really important when you are walking them up to the front desk to say you know, it was great to see you. I would love if you wanna maintain this haircut. I would come back in eight weeks. And so and the front desk person can get you Pre-booked for that. I've seen my books grow tremendously since I started using that line.
It was a huge eye-opener for me. And then my last tip would be just educate people on what they need for their hair and the products will sell themselves.
And then just listening to your clients and their problems. Cause a lot of people get lost in doing what they want. Or a client will sit in your chair and they'll tell you their problems but you're not listening. That's the problem. I see and I hear that a lot with my new clients. They're like, you know, I went in, told 'em these problems and they just, they didn't help me or they just did what they wanted or they didn't communicate. Or a lot of times the stylist isn't communicating with the client like, "Hey, this is a great idea that you have for your hair, but unfortunately, your hair is not capable of doing that, so let's find something to compromise that will work for your hair."
So there's a disconnect there too that I feel stylists miss out on the not listening and not communicating well enough.
Chantel (Host): Can I ask what your favorite product or regimen for itchy dry scalps?
Candace (Guest): Hmm. You know, R&Co. makes an acid wash that's really nice. That helps kind of soothe the scalp. I would say that's my go-to. And they also have a C B D scalp treatment. That's great at the shampoo bowl.
Yeah.
Chantel (Host): love that because I find everybody has a different answer for that question and. Somebody listening to you could resignate, and then you never know that there's a connection being made there or you know for us, I think we think it's the same thing. Or everyone's heard of it, but then the person listening is like, oh, I've never heard of that
Candace (Guest): Yeah,
I think another,
Chantel (Host): oh, go ahead.
Sorry.
Candace (Guest): oh, sorry. I was gonna say, I think another important thing that I really would like. new stylist to know is I feel texture is so important and it's like something you can't be afraid of because we don't really learn it in beauty school, but it's genuinely so similar to straight hair, you just have to compensate for shrinkage.
But so many people get so caught up in their head and they're like, oh, I don't know what to do. And so then they just completely butcher people's hair. And it's really curly hair is really, really simple. If they want to take it two inches off, only cut off an inch and maybe an inch and a half to compensate for that half inch of shrinkage, that's gonna happen when the curl springs up. And also making sure that you're using the right products for curly hair. Curly hair is also simple in that way. it needs hydration, right? So using like curl creams are great mooses and leave in conditioners are great for curly hair. So I think that's important for new stylists to know.
Don't be afraid. You just have to treat it with a little extra TLC and compensate for the shrinkage a little bit more.
Chantel (Host): Absolutely. I love that. Is there any tips for business? That you've encountered as I myself have, have done a side project and a side project business and really going through the steps of you know, my finances. I found listening to people on YouTube or. Webinars was really beneficial, but looking back for me , I really thought , ooh, I can see where there's a huge benefit in a financial advisor or like a business course or taking a business course in college for those basics that might have been skimmed over in school, but
really, Not taught how to implement because being your own boss.
Just, there's so many things, you know, and even people who've been in the business and work with you know, work in different areas, I find. Have missed certain things when it comes to business and finances, even though looking at them, you wouldn't think that, and it's like,
oh, that is really something that's important.
But I don't see people talking about enough, you know, and I'm still like learning and wishing that there was more. Of a foundation for that, especially in school. I feel that would've been a really cool addition, to have everybody come out a lot more successful and feeling maybe more confident.
Cuz you know, there's a lot of people who don't continue for many reasons, but come outta school and are like, ugh.
Candace (Guest): Yes, very true.
Chantel (Host): Did you come across anything? Perhaps during your coffee business where you're like, this is definitely helpful
that you learned
Candace (Guest): Yeah, I think that the most important thing I've learned is you have to account for everything down to like the cup, right? , everything cost money. And so in the beginning it's easy to just kind of get caught up in , oh, let me buy this and that and that.
But all of these things cost money. So you have to tone it back and make sense of what's important and what you really need versus what you want to get started. I think that's very important and my mom works in supply chain management and so she's been Great to kind of help me understand a lot of that in a way to break down cost and help.
Cuz I feel I'm more of the creative side, right? I love to talk and I love to share coffee and these flavors and all of these things and give people great haircuts. And my mom's like, okay, yeah, that's great, but let's think about, you know, like how much the cup of, how much the paper cup and the sticker that you're using costs to figure out, to pinpoint the, what you're gonna charge for a cup of coffee so you're not under what did she say? You just have to make sure that you're, Selling the cup for enough to make sure that you're covering everything on the back end. So I, that was really important to understand. And then I have taken some financial classes in the past and worked with mentors to help me understand what, which routes to go and what makes sense and what doesn't.
Chantel (Host): That's definitely the most important especially when tax time comes and you look at that and you're like, oh, shoot.
Candace (Guest): And then it's
like, Yeah. Someone told me this, everyone loves to tell you how to spend your money . When I first got started, I remember everyone's like, oh, you should get this machine, or you should like get this grinder.
This is great. All these fancy things. And I'm like, right, I should, I'm like, yeah. You know, like totally feeding into it. But then, you know, I have my mom's voice in the back of my head, right? But that all costs money. So what are we doing? Do you really need that?
And I'm like, oh yeah, yeah, you're right. Let's tone it down and, you know, start with the basics that are still work just as good, and we can build from there.
Chantel (Host): Thank you so much for sharing that. I think that's, That's great advice. I'm, I think I, learned that through mistakes or getting wrapped
up, Even in hair stuff, you know, it's just telling myself it's gonna feel really good to have extra money and afford that thing, you know? And tools make such a difference, but how to balance that and.
Also give yourself that time it might feel better to have the spending money to get those nice tools before, going into a hole to get the nice tools. Like right now, I had to of tell myself, I'm committed to working with the Clippers. I have,
um, because I'm not doing, you know, my mind, I'm not this.
Clipper maniac that I think I have where I'm doing all these clipper cuts, which could warrant, you know clippers that I have my eyes on. So
it's,
Candace (Guest): can get crazy out
with like
Chantel (Host): Yeah. And really,
Candace (Guest): they can just, you know,
Chantel (Host): and sometimes that is marketing, right? That's being
fed to us and how to pull yourself in and be like, I'm so grateful. Actually what I have is amazing and it's doing the job and.
What would it be like to reward myself
Candace (Guest): yes.
I feel like.
Chantel (Host): Yeah.
Candace (Guest): Yeah, I feel like hairstylists we love shopping and getting new things and have, this industry is always changing, so there's always the latest, greatest next thing. And so it's just not, feeding into that too much because you can go bankrupt by, buying all these tools and trying to keep up and stay up with the latest greatest.
So you really have to figure out what's important. For what you're doing right now, and if what you have is working then, then it's, , producing great work, then there's, you know, you have to kind of battle yourself with that. But I remember the, at my first, you know, my first salon job too, I was like, I'm gonna go out and buy all these fancy clothes because I'm a professional now.
And I went out and I spent $400 on a new wardrobe. And then my first paycheck was only $27 or $25 or whatever. And I'm like, okay, well that's not, the math's not adding up. We gotta tone it down here. And then I ruined all the clothes with getting color on them. So I was like, okay, that was a great lesson. Not overspending behind the chair because my clothes are gonna get ruined.
Chantel (Host): Yeah, I think I learned that too. It's especially if you can be in a space that isn't telling you how to dress, that people really, I think, look at. Well, depending on where you are, I know some people are like, what are they wearing? But when they're not looking at what you're wearing, they're just kind of seeing that you're put together, you
know, , being comfortable.
If you're in shoes that are good for your feet and you're comfortable, you're gonna be standing better versus uncomfortable shoes that you know are making you wince with pain or
Candace (Guest): Yes, they're cute, but they hurt.
Chantel (Host): Yeah.
Candace (Guest): I learned that the hard way too. And I'm like, okay, my feet are gonna be horrible by the time I'm like 30 if I don't figure this out. And so I learned I can't wear like stilettos to work cuz it just doesn't mix with standing on your feet all day on concrete floors.
Chantel (Host): This was such a great conversation and I appreciate your time so much. Did you have anything you wanted to share to the listener?
Candace (Guest): Ooh, I would say , get the haircut, , do your research on the salon, the stylist, and for stylists too, don't be afraid to. You know, put yourself out, there's, show yourself off in your qualities behind the chair, because that's what people really look at when they go to your page is they're looking to see who you are as a person versus what you can do behind the chair, really. And I would say that's, that's it.
Chantel (Host): Thank you.
I agree. Yeah, it was great meeting you. Thank you so much. I hope we can stay in contact and wishing you a great rest of your day.
Candace (Guest): Absolutely. You too. Have a good day.
Chantel (Host): bye.
Candace (Guest): Bye.
Hi guys. I. I just wanted to say thank you again for listening. You can find Candice at the Hair Room Bay street and Jersey city Heights in Jersey city, New Jersey. I've included a link in the show notes. If you'd like to book with her or have any questions, her Instagram, Hair Coffee Design.
The transcript for this episode is available on Hairstoriespod.com. And again, thank you so much for listening to this episode of Hair Stores With Chantel. And a big thank you to my guests, Candice of Kinsugi coffee company and stylists at The Hair Room. Have a good one. Bye.