Issue link: https://www.ahpindiestylist.com/i/1547346
Explore your benefits at ahphair.com 39 Being a part of Ulta Beauty gave me the accountability of having a team around me and having people say, "It doesn't matter that you don't have anything on your book today. You still have to be here." I tend to butterfly away if I don't have someone to help me set boundaries. It's the same with my salon guests. I would end up working 6–7 days a week if it wasn't for having those salon boundaries of a work schedule. Having that work- life balance is amazing to me. I don't feel restricted at all in my personality or my creativity. at might not be true for every person, but I have found the balance for myself—I know who I am as a person, who I am within my salon experience versus my at-home experience. I would say that every hairstylist has their in-salon persona and their at-home persona. You're going to show up differently and more professionally at work than you would if you're with your friends at the club or at dinner. e financial safety net is also a huge benefit for me. It's a larger issue in our career as hairstylists—we don't really have a strong financial foundation. We don't always have what we need to operate successfully with an irregular income and big expenses. It's nice for me because I don't have to manage payroll taxes. I make sure I show up to work the way I want to show up as my best self, and [Ulta Beauty] takes care of everything else. IS: Aer being in the industry for 20 years, what are the biggest changes you've seen in trend cycles? LG: I'm seeing more things coming back around versus micro trends with a new trend every five seconds. I feel like we're going back to the 3–5-year trend life cycles. I'm starting to see a lot more Y2K hair trends, like the raccoon stripes and bolder, chunkier pieces. Some of the styles I was doing 20 years ago are starting to get popular again. I like to see what was trending 15 or 20 years ago and ask myself how I can make that feel fresh again. How can I change it, adjust it, shi it, do something in a new way so that it feels modern? IS: What's the next step for you and your career? LG: I am currently figuring that out. Aer 20 years of doing hair, I want to be able to help other people, share in a larger way, and give back what I've received. I would love to help hairstylists who want to tackle things like doing photo shoots and building a portfolio. I would love to work with other hairstylists in a coaching capacity. It doesn't matter if you work inside a brand or if you're solo, you can do it on your own. You just have to get creative with how you do it and how you spend your time. I want to help other stylists figure that out. Laura Gunter poses for a photo with Allen Hunter outside her Ulta Beauty location in Kennesaw, Georgia.