Inspiring Conversations with Kelly De Leon of Lux Hair by Kelly

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kelly De Leon

Hi Kelly, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I originally wanted to be a teacher and after taking a color theory class I realized that I wanted to learn cosmetology. With the help of my mom and my sister we got the money together and I enrolled at Johnston Community College. The following week I started the program. My first salon job was at my local great clips. I was really nervous to start my career and I decided to go into a chain salon for the experience. After 8 months I decided I was ready for more and got hired in a full service salon. I was really excited and I felt like I was making progress in my career. After about a year and a half I felt stuck , I felt like I wasn’t growing as a hairstylist. After a lot of thought and prayer I took a leap of faith and decided to go independent and open up my own salon. There were some bumps in the road in the beginning, with the location and the building I originally wanted. Which led me to almost giving up. I thought maybe it wasn’t my time and that it was God’s way of telling me to wait. The very next day I ended up finding the perfect space and location for me to open up my business. It hasn’t been easy and it’s been a lot of work but I have never been happier and I have grown so much not only in my career but as a person.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
No, It has not been smooth since the very beginning of cosmetology school. When I decided I wanted to go into cosmetology I had already taken a gap year and the new semester started in a week. Which meant I only had one week to register, to pay, to change my work schedule. If not I would have had to wait another 6 months. Then 3 months into the program covid hits and we get sent home for the rest of the semester. It was really hard learning how to cut hair through the screen but when we were finally able to go back we weren’t allowed to work on humans and we were very limited with how much we could do, which meant I didn’t get as much hand on experience as you normally would.
Another obstacle was towards the end of the program I ended up getting in a bad accident which led to me loosing all of my tools . Which I then had to buy everything brand new once I graduated.
Now my most recent bump in the road was when I did finally choose a salon space , I ended up finding out that the building was not equipped to be a salon. There was a lot of plumbing issues and it was really hard for me to get out of the lease. I ended up loosing a lot of money because I had to keep pushing back my start date.

We’ve been impressed with Lux Hair by Kelly, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I am a bilingual Hairstylist who specializes in big color corrections and transformations but I also enjoy precision haircuts. I mostly work on natural level 3 hair and you can always find me doing box color corrections. There’s a couple of things that set me apart from others but mainly being able to listen to my clients needs and wants while still incorporating my professional opinions. When you arrive to my salon it’s all about you. I try to provide a luxury experience by allowing my clients to choose music, providing snacks and letting them open up and vent to me or giving them a relaxing experience with a silent appointment if they want.
My goal has always been to create a brand that helped everyone feel beautiful. To enhance their inner beauty by giving them flawless hair but also giving them a luxury experience and creating a bond. I am very proud of that, I want people to know that they are going to get a great experience from the moment they step inside to the moment they leave.
I offer many services , all hair related and I customize them all individually depending on what my client wants to achieve.

Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
My biggest advice to anyone starting out in this industry or any industry for that matter is to not compare yourself with anyone but especially those who have been doing it for 10 + years. I wish I could go back and tell myself that it’s okay, it’s okay to mess up, it’s okay to not be the very best in the beginning because we all start somewhere. Someone else’s journey is going to be very different from yours. Just focus on yourself and be the best you can be for yourself.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://kellydeleon.glossgenius.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/luxhairbykelly?igsh=MXU5amVwem9kOG0xYg==
• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61550483853800&mibextid=LQQJ4d