Today we’d like to introduce you to Lorian Landrum.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Lorian. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I never really knew that I wanted to do hair. Growing up, I was a competitive dancer, so I learned stage hair and makeup at a young age and realized that I had a knack for it. I continued dancing throughout high school and briefly in college at Stephen F. Austin State University. Following my passion for helping people, I initially majored in Speech-Language Pathology, but I soon realized that it wasn’t fulfilling what I was looking for in a career, so I tried advertising. Again, I thought to myself, “Nope, not for me.” Around that time, my friend Hannah and I were talking about her switching majors, and I expressed how I felt lost and didn’t know what I wanted to do. She suggested that I look into the hair industry since I’ve always been a people person and have a natural talent for doing hair. Plus, the industry is always growing.
All of this change of direction happened at the start of my senior year at SFASU, and during Thanksgiving break of 2014, I got an appointment at the Aveda Institute in Shenandoah. As soon as I walked in, I knew this was where I needed to be. The recruiter did a damn good job because, after the interview, I was HOOKED. Naturally, dropping out of college after four years did not settle well with my parents, but the spring semester of 2015, that’s what happened. I moved back home in May and got a server job to put myself through school. I enrolled in the Cosmetology program at San Jacinto Community College in August 2016 and things started to fall into place. I graduated in December of 2017 with an Associates of Applied Science (so all those college credits didn’t *quite* go to waste) and started my apprenticeship at Lavish Salon.
It’s been two years since I started at Lavish, and I have been given SUCH incredible opportunities, both as an artist and in terms of my own personal growth. I am now a Level 1 stylist and love what I do every day. In these first few years working as a stylist, I have been featured styling for Elevate Hair at their Houston show; I’ve had the opportunity to take cutting and color education classes from top-notch educators, and this year, I was chosen to become an Aveda Ambassador for our salon—a role I’m looking forward to growing in more in 2020. It wasn’t always easy getting here, but I am so thankful for very step I’ve taken on this journey.
Has it been a smooth road?
I’d say my biggest struggle initially was going against the traditional expectations of getting a college degree and, ultimately, leaving to pursue my own passions. There was a lot of doubt at first, from my family and friends, but I knew that this was the route I wanted to take. Paying for my own school was also hard, not to mention exhausting, but I’m so proud of myself for pushing through. To this day, I still say that starting Cosmetology school and getting my job at Lavish are some of the best things that I’ve ever done for myself.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Lavish Salon is an Aveda salon located in Webster, TX. We just opened our second location at Baybrook Mall in the outdoor expansion a little over two years ago. I specialize in cut and color services, for both men and women, at the Webster location. I am known for my haircutting, but lately, I have been really getting into creative color using advanced techniques and vibrant colors.
I am most proud of our ethics as a salon. We’re a family. Our main focus is giving our guests a great experience from the moment they walk in the door to the moment they leave. We also serve each other; everyone helps everyone, no matter the job title. We’re here to work as a team, and we do it well. Our #LavishRegrowth hair and fashion show was definitely one of the highlights of my year. Our owner, Kristi Brehm, and one of our stylists, Kaitlyn Valderrama, organized the event as a debut for six of our newest stylists. We had to find our own models, a clothing sponsor (Vida Antigua in the Heights), a makeup artist (Lovey Olvera), and come up with a vision for our segment of the show. It all came together beautifully and was such a fun experience for friends, family, and clients. We even had a real catwalk, a DJ, and a photographer/videographer at the event. I don’t know many salons out here that give opportunities like this to their stylists.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
I definitely think our city is great for the hair industry. There are so many great salons and schools to start out at. To anyone looking to start out in the hair industry, community college is the way to go. At first, I was interested in a private institute for hair school, but the price tag at San Jac was definitely more aligned with my budget. I got a great education and an associate’s degree in the year and a half that I spent there. When starting at a salon, find one with a great education program for your apprenticeship. My boss invested so much time in making sure we got a quality education and foundational skills before getting promoted to full-time stylists, which I’m forever thankful for. Invest in your knowledge and tools. Look for a salon home that values continuing education; it’s an ever-changing industry, so staying up to date in all the newest trends is a key to success.
Pricing:
- Women’s Haircutting – $50
- Men’s Haircutting – $35
- Color Services – $69+
- Highlighting/Balayage Services – $150+
Contact Info:
- Address: 19439 Gulf Freeway
Webster, TX 77598 - Website: www.getlavish.com
- Phone: 281-332-9100
- Email: lorianland@gmail.com
- Instagram: @hairlady_lo
Image Credit:
Clown – Bethany Brewster (@bethanytakesphotosss) // MUA – Lovey Olvera (@loveyolvera); The Girls – Karolina Cantú (@karocantu) // MUA Lovey Olvera (@loveyolvera); Elevate Hair – pictured with styling partner Kaitlyn Valderrama (@kaitlfixhair)
Personal photo by Karolina Cantú
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