Today we’d like to introduce you to Kay Barney.
Kay, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Hair has always been what I wanted to do. Any doll I got my hands on got magic marker highlights and safety scissor haircuts. I remember the first time my dad took me to get a haircut and my mind was blown when he paid them- we’d always had our hair cut at home so I had no idea it was an actual adult job. I never really thought about going to college or even took my ACT’s- I didn’t want to do anything else.
I moved from Wisconsin to Texas 8 years ago and started school at Toni & Guy in Dallas. I’m lucky enough to have an aunt here that helped me out a lot and let me live with her. After I graduated, a friend had told me about an opening at an Aveda salon in Arlington and I spent almost six years working alongside an amazing team. While I was with Aveda, I started going to college part-time and now I’m finishing up a business degree at UTA which has given me a lot of help in my career.
I knew Fort Worth was where I wanted to be so in January of this year, I made a huge change and started working for myself in a space at Bee’s Knees Hair Studio. I was so nervous since I’d worked at the same place the whole time I’d been doing hair, but everyone has been so supportive- especially my clients- so it’s just been a really great adventure so far!
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Hahaha, no. I was a mess as a teenager; I was supposed to move right after high-school, but instead, I chickened out a handful of times. After I graduated, I rented an apartment with a friend that we couldn’t afford and convinced myself I’d save up enough money to go to hair school with my two part-time jobs. We had a great time… until reality kicked in and all we really had to show for it was some Ikea furniture and crushed dreams.
I moved back home with my dad and was working at a Walmart (still saving…) when my aunt called me. At that point, I was 20. She told me “just get down here and we’ll worry about the rest later”- I left the next week. I knew if I didn’t just go, I’d talk myself out of it again so I just left. It was definitely the coolest (and most terrifying) thing I’d ever done.
The day I left, my dad hugged me and said: “you can come back, but only to visit”. I think for the first 6 months, I thought I made a horrible mistake. Once I went back to my hometown to visit and realized I was missing Texas, it was easier to come back. Missing birthdays and holidays are hard, but I get to do what I love every day and that’s pretty hard to beat.
Alright – so let’s talk business. What else should we know about your work?
So I’m an Independent Stylist at Bee’s Knees; I cut/color/style hair and I also specialize in Brazilian Blowouts.
I do a lot of corrective color and blondes are definitely an easy favorite, but I just love coloring in general. I’ve been really loving the lived-in color trend and the grown-out looks; I think that shows a lot in my work. As for cutting, I love strong silhouettes and a lot of texture- there can be so much personality shown in a haircut and I like to create shapes that bring that out. I have such a wide range of clients, so I pride myself on creating looks that work with everyone’s individual lifestyle.
My goal is always beautiful, healthy hair. When I started working for myself, I stumbled upon Oligo hair color pretty accidentally and fell in love. It’s a natural line with great benefits; my clients have been loving their color and products and it’s been a game-changer in elevating my work.
I think I’m known for being an over-explainer; I love walking through what I’m doing and why so I’m on the same page with whoever’s in my chair and there’s trust. I think what sets me apart for my clients is my communication- I’m told a lot that I really listen and understand the look someone’s going for, which can be hard to communicate sometimes. Sometimes it’s like mini hair school in my chair- a lot of people don’t realize how much goes into what we do so I try to share that as much as I can.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
I think my drive to learn has helped me in so many ways- both in my business and behind the chair. This is definitely an industry that’s always changing so I try to get as much continuing education as I can. This year I really put a focus on learning more; I just got back from Montreal about a month ago for a 3-day training with Oligo Professional and already have more hair classes to look forward to this year. They always said in hair school “be a sponge” and I definitely try to soak up as much information as I can whenever I can.
College definitely hasn’t been as fun, but it’s a challenge I’ve really thrown myself into and I’m enjoying that as well.
Contact Info:
- Address: 3851 Camp Bowie Blvd.
Fort Worth, Texas - Phone: 817-377-0142
- Email: kaybarney.hair@gmail.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/kaybarneydoeshair
Image Credit:
Blair Whatley
Ashley Highberger
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