I got to sit down with the owners of Mint Salon, which was founded and owned by professional hairdressers Tegan Herrera and Megan Mowins. They took 2020 head on and decided to open a salon together, so all that down time wasn’t wasted. Before you come in for a beauty or boudoir session, I always recommend getting a touch up for your hair so you are looking your freshest and your best! Keep reading for all the great tips from the pros!
1. Why did you open Mint Salon?
T- It was a dream in the making. It was to empower women. The way we structure things here, you have full creativity. It is a creative outlet, you get to use whatever color lines you like, the shampoo lines you like and it is inspiring to be able to have everyone as creative as they wanted to be.
So someone can come here and has a specific brand of hair color that they like and you guys can get it?
T- Oh absolutely! Thats why I wanted to open Mint, so everyone can be creative as they want to be and be able to express their own talents.
M- Tegan and I wanted a different environment. We both have a fun and exciting personality, so we figured what if we do this together?!
2. What is your favorite part about being a professional hairdresser?
T- Oh my gosh. My favorite part is my clients reactions. You can make such a huge impact just by doing their hair. When someone is feeling down, or had a bad day or need a pick me up, and they can spin around in your chair and automatically feel better.
M- Being creative. Letting my creative side fly and I love love love to pamper people. No one ever takes the time to do what they want for themselves, so when they are in my chair, I pamper them the way they should.
3. We know the ideal time to get hair cut is about 12 weeks, but what is the real benefit of it?
T- It depends. If you have a shorter hairstyle, you are about 4-6 weeks. Longer hairstyles can be 6-8 weeks. But we recommend no longer than 12 and that’s just to maintain a healthy hair and scalp.
M- Plus it makes you feel good!
4. How do you go about figuring out what haircut will look best?
T- There is so much science behind it! Your eye color, your face shape, your lifestyle – if you blow dry or do you just wash and go- all of it comes down to face shapes. You can easily see what will compliment that face shape or what won’t.
M- I like to look at their lifestyle, what is your daily habits and are you a wash and go person but also their face shape.
5. How long should someone really expect to be “training” their hair to not be washed every day?
T- It sometimes takes a month to two months. We all have sebaceous glands and some produce more oil than others. Some people are good about dry shampoos, and the idea is to extend one day from shampooing and wait for it to acclimate. Then you can add in a day once it acclimates. Keep adding days until you get to your goal. You should be washing about 2-3 times per week. I know some people are really active so they may have to wash after a workout, and sometimes dry shampoo and dry brushing to remove some oil can help get through that.
M- It takes a few months, because your body produces more oil when you wash every day. I recommend to my clients to brush their hair down and twice a day massage your scalp to help stimulate your hair, and drag the oil further down. Two years ago I was washing my hair every other day, and now I’m down to once ever 5-7 days. All from stimulating my scalp with a brush, using dry shampoo, and I style it differently. I start out with more hair down styles and then work my way up to a top knot or bun. Just try to avoid using your hands through your hair- it will make it greasier.
6. What is the best thing someone could do before coming in to communicate their hair goals?
T- We all interpret things differently, but we can agree upon something more visual is more helpful. and when people come in with photos, it is an amazing reference to both be on the same page. Also, mentioning what you don’t like is very helpful to avoid getting something you hate.
M- I have an online consultation. You fill out a form for me and I can figure out what you want with your hair goals. If I don’t think I can offer you the right service, I would love to refer you to someone that specializes in that.
7. How long before an event do you recommend someone colors their hair?
T- For a new color, we usually recommend about a week. You never know If it will be a new look that is exactly what you were hoping ti would be, and then if we need to touch up something you can without over processing the hair if we need to correct something.
So if someone needs to correct something, they can come in the next day to fix it?
T- Absolutely, that’s the great thing about hair- nothing is permanent. As long as the integrity of the hair won’t be compromised we can turnaround the hair pretty quickly.
M- For a big event like a wedding, I don’t recommend anything different. I never recommend cutting before your wedding either. You can look to do it in the future but don’t do anything big before then!
8. Is it off putting or helpful when a client comes in with specific hair requests?
T- It is a combination of both. You want them to feel comfortable and confident that you are doing well for them, so I think its great when they know what makes them feel good about themselves. But sometimes and not just the hairstylist opinion but the science supports that it isn’t the best suited for them. That is hard sometimes when a hairdresser in the past never suggested that it didn’t look the best on them. As a hairdresser, I can only suggest what would work best.
So come in with a good idea, but be flexible with that idea and be open.
T- Absolutely.
M- Both. Sometimes people bring in photos with filters, something that was altered in a photo, or sometimes it was specifically done for a photo shoot. It isn’t a realistic day to day. I always recommend clients bring in 3-5 photos to figure out a more consistent look to shoot for.
9. Why aren’t drugstore brand products good and what should people look for to know a “good” product.
T- To get things to a lower price point, they will have to use cheaper ingredients to get to that product. They are filled with a lot of fillers. They will strip the moisture from your hair, take the color out of your hair. And they are typically filled with silicones. It is creating a barrier on your hair that coats it and it chokes your hair. The sulfates and the parabans are other things that are fancy names for cheap fillers.
M- They are also designed to last less amount of time. You will still ultimately spend the same amount because the cheap shampoos are only meant to last a month or so. And why would you go spend all that money on your hair only to turn around and use cheap shampoo? It also ultimately changes the color we put on you in the chair.
10. What do you wish all of your clients would know before they come in?
T- I wish every client knew that even though this is a salon, we can really work with any budget. I have clients that come in every 12 weeks and maybe do a color at home to save money, which is fine! We can even skip a blow dry or skip a cut to get to the budget that you need to fit. We can really work with anything to achieve what you want, not only in the budget but the experience.
M- I always train my clients in my chair. I tell them why I pick brands and products and start from scratch. Even to wash their hair, I teach them to shampoo only your scalp and only condition your ends. I am always training you and teaching you to take better care of your hair.
You can find these lovely ladies at Mint salon, both in person at their Virginia Beach, VA location and online at https://www.mintsalonvb.com and all social media @mintsalon.
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