Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Brouwer.
Hi Sarah, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
For as long as I can remember, I always wanted to do hair. As a little girl, I’d be entertained for hours with a squirt bottle and some hair ties playing with my dad’s hair while he napped in the recliner. I’d also beg my sister, but she wasn’t always as easy to convince.
I grew up in Michigan and was able to do most of my cosmetology training during the last two years of high school through a co-op program. Shortly after graduating high school, I also graduated from cosmetology school and was licensed to do hair. I immediately got a job as a stylist doing cuts and color.
It didn’t take long before I started to feel like I wanted to pursue another dream of mine to become a personal trainer. I left my hometown to attend college and paid my bills by doing hair part-time.
My hair career took a brief break after graduating college. My husband and I moved out to Oregon and had our first child there.
In 2019 my husband and I moved to Raleigh and I was ready to get back into a salon. I had an 18 month old at the time and raising him was my biggest priority, but I also wanted to help my family financially. Between caring for my child and juggling my husband’s work schedule, I was able to find a part-time job at a blow dry bar. I could only work on Saturdays and Sundays, but those are also the days that most weddings take place. Because of my schedule, I ended up doing hair for a lot of brides and bridal parties and really fell in love with it.
After having my second child last year, I had the opportunity to get back into a full-service salon. I’m now working at Menagerie Style House in Raleigh and it’s been a great change for me. I still specialize in bridal hair but am also learning so much about cuts and color again and it’s been so fun.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Definitely not. One of the hardest things about being licensed so young was that people would sometimes turn me away. Not everyone trusts an 18 year old with their hair and there were times they would ask for a stylist with more experience. I think this is another reason I wanted to go to college. I wasn’t 100% sure that doing hair was for me once I had started working.
Another struggle I came across was when we moved to Oregon. My license didn’t transfer there and initially, I was fine with that because I still wasn’t sure I wanted to do hair. I had two friends that I met there who really encouraged me. They found out that I had worked in salons in the past and they always asked me to do theirs and their kid’s hair. I’ll always remember the friend who took my picture while cutting her son’s hair and she said to me, “look how happy you are doing hair!” I realized she was right and one of the reasons we moved to Raleigh is because transferring my license to North Carolina was a pretty simple process.
I also have a pretty limited schedule. Raising my boys is important to me, but it’s also important to me to use my talents and do other things that make me happy. It’s never easy to find a balance between being a mom and chasing your dreams. I know it won’t be long until they’re both in school, and until then I’m blessed to be home with them and watch them grow up.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
My specialty is bridal hair. I’m getting back into cuts and colors as well, but styling hair is my favorite.
I was asked to be involved in a styled shoot last September and it was so much fun. There were a lot of other vendors that contributed to make every detail perfect so I definitely don’t take credit for the whole thing. I got to do hair for two different models and it ended up being featured on the blog of Southern Bride and Heart of NC weddings. I’m really proud that I got to be a part of that.
I’d say the things that set me apart from others are my communication and my passion for brides to feel beautiful. I try to be really good about answering emails and making sure every bride knows exactly what they get when they book with me. I also really want them to love their hair. I’ll never take offense if they ask me to change something. It’s one of the biggest days of their lives and I want them to look back at the pictures years from now and still love their hair.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
Taking risks is scary for me, but I also feel like a lot of my growth has come from doing the things that are most uncomfortable. I’ve moved across the country twice without having many details or a large bank account and that felt pretty risky. I also know that I wouldn’t be where I am today if I hadn’t made those big, scary moves. I guess when it comes to taking big risks, the Lord will usually give me peace about something I normally wouldn’t feel peace about. I’ve also learned to be good at figuring things out. Maybe things don’t turn out how I was hoping, but that does not mean failure. It just means I have to figure out a different way.
Pricing:
- Bridal hair: $180
- Bridal party: $85 each
- Flower Girl: $50
Contact Info:
- Email: sarah@menagerienc.com
- Website: menagerienc.com
- Instagram: @the_pretty_barrette
Image Credits
Giuliana Abate, Megan Kerns Foote-Hudson, Krystal Kast, Lacy Matusek, Tiffany Johnson
