Today we’d like to introduce you to Kathryn Kukowski.
Hi Kathryn, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My Journey with hair started 22 years ago, as a student through the Houston Community College program. I earned an Associates of Applied Science degree for cosmetology. At the time Tony and Guy was a very popular and creative salon and I was hooked! from that moment on I lived for Hair. I finished the cut program and decided that I was not getting enough creative substance through just cutting hair so I began the color education there. Tony and Guy was breaking ground at the time with their trend setting haircut and color. shortly before I was about to test out for the floor I got some pretty big news. my husband at the time and I were going to have a baby ! I spent the next five years raising my son and when he turned five I was dying to get back in the business of hair. Seeking out my co-horts from Tony and Guy I found Christine and she had opened Lot 8 Salon. Thus began my journey into the hairstylist I am today. I learned and continue to learn so much about my industry through trade classes and shows. The most important thing I have learned on my journey though ,wasn’t a new haircut trend or color. It was people and the importance of my position in my clients lives. I always say ,’if only it were just hair,” You see, Hair stylists are such an important part of peoples lives. It is 25% hair and well, the rest is therapy , confidant , friend , image change design, and so much more. We are responsible for our client image starting at the very thing people n notice first., Your face and hair. we see people on their best and worst days. Baby showers, graduation, proms, literally in sickness and in health. I have watched women break down and cry because when I finished their hair they felt so beautiful. Where before they didn’t even have the confidence to walk into a busy salon. I absolutely love my job. I take it seriously and I always put love into my craft.
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?
one of the biggest struggles I had along the way is well, number on my little 5 year break I the industry put me quite behind . When I went back I had to start all over and learn how to build everything back up again I was two years in when I went through Harvey. Harvey took a lot from my son and I . I went through a divorce at the time and I also lost everything . my son lost everything as well. including his family unit. Our whole world was brand new and I had to keep moving to keep us afloat. I remember being in our new apartment with him and I had barely any furniture . he was about ten at the time and any cash I had left I had to make sure he had all new school supplies. I had to work a nighttime bartending job plus get up early so he’d get to school on time. I still made it work. This made being present at home and at the salon quite the challenge. my life had burned down to bare bones and I still had to stand behind the chair and wear all the hats a hairstylist wears for there clients plus smile. but something happened. I realized that everyone had lost and I wasn’t alone. My clients had brought me gift cards and one of them even replaced my son’s Diary of a whimpy Kid collection. They had actually remembered how much he loved them and had gone looking for the whole collection. throughout that year I continued to grow and learn more each day about this glamorous business. Then Covid hit and Boom ! Non-essential workers had to stay put. the salon closed down for almost 3 months. That was brutal. luckily I had saved and was at least able to pay the bills. However , my clients came to the rescue again!!! Some of them thought of men and sent me little Venmo tips and called to check on me. in the middle of this world crisis, My clients wanted to know how I was doing. Wow, that was humbling. That is when I woke up and realized that what I do is so important in the lives of people. Giving confidence back to someone is the most rewarding and fulfilling part of my position .
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I pretty much live and breath hair these days. If I’m not learning a million new techniques on a class, Im learning about the science of hair and how to make things better and easier for my clients. each client is very much a snowflake if you will. I take in what they are saying when I meet them and actually listen to their concerns, struggles, and treat traumatice experience with past hair lives. I want to hear them and give them their love for life back by giving their confidence back. that is so important. I also feel that women are really struggling right now. Many times they are juggling the same things I have and I remember being unable to just go take a shower or just get a haircut. I went two whole years without a haircut . When I finally did I was so scared. luckily I knew some people, but what if I didn’t. New moms feel like hideous creature climbing out of foggy forest and they just want to feel like a woman again. In that moment you are the most important experience for them. I tailor their experience and hair to fit them in a way that gives them their self back, I specialize is a few things as I have certifications for Diva Curl, Bellami, INH, Redken and now my new favorite line is hands down the Schwarzkopf line. I am a Master stylist . I specialize in both cuts and color . I am also a hair nerd so I hair integrity is of the atmost importance to me. from hair to scalp. This way I can tailor anyone anywhere to the upmost best hairstyle and color for them while giving them exactly what they want to see in themselves coming out of my chair. I specialize in experiences.
What were you like growing up?
Growing up in the 80s and 90s , the world seemed to be on fire. As a kid I remember the fashion and hair, to the makeup to the music. watching Michael Jackson, and Madonna on the Tv . I have always loved dance and art. My barbies always had they act together. They drove a pink convertible to there big open up house and Ken never lived in the house. he just came to visit. My girls were always lawyers too, not sure where that came from but it’s funny when I now look back on it. my mom was divorced living with my aunt and my grandmother. it was just me and my little brother. I hated dresses and would tear them on purpose at school so my mom had to throw it away. I played on the monkeys bars and ran around in the dirt and grime. My mom loved me but I know she desperately wanted a girly girl whom I was clearly not. frills and ruffles made me cringe. Now I am more refined and wear those frilly things , sometimes. I have always closely followed trends and have had more spiral perms then anything else. I know back then, that was hard to pay for. Mom was a champ. she did everything she could to keep up with the constant changing fashion trends for us so we could feel confident on our first day of school. in High School I loved the grunge era, I couldn’t get enough army jackets and black clothing. I began to make tons of mixed media art and really had a passion for it. I was the girl in our friend group who played with bleach and got really good at removing color and putting ,what we now called vivid, bright colors in hair. I remember my best friend and I were obsessed with Manic panic. Green Apple or later dubbed Poison Apple was our favorite. Kurt Kobain had that dirty cherry color and that was all the rage. the 90s were epic and I am so lucky to be a 90s babe! This era shaped me and when I graduated high school , it was my best friend who is actually responsible for my first steps in hair! I tell her that all the time. I didn’t know which path to take and she suggested to me that I should go into the hair business because I love art and I was really good at coloring hair. hairstyling is the best combination of both worlds.I was sold .
Contact Info:
- Website: http://lot8salon.glossgenius.com
- Instagram: @stylishkitt
- Facebook: Stylehouse
