Today we’d like to introduce you to Kristina May Andrew.
Thanks for sharing your story with us, Kristina. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
My friends and family always joke around about how many lives and jobs I’ve lived through. I was 31 when I decided to go back to school for cosmetology. I had just moved back to San Diego from South Carolina and was in my fourth year of working in finance. While I loved the business aspect of my career, my passion for connecting with people and creativity was not being fulfilled. I remember talking to my girlfriend Andie about starting cosmetology school while I was getting my hair done and all she said was ‘finally’! Within two weeks, I quit my job and started my first day at California Hair Design Academy. I was only six months in when I found out I was pregnant with my daughter; I was determined not to let this deter me. I took extra hours, doubled up on my tests, and took my state board exams eight and a half months pregnant. I remember my belly bumping into my exam table and I was nervous it was going to cost me sanitization points. I started my first assisting position at Millicent and Co when my daughter was just 13 weeks old. It was the beginning of the holiday rush and I had no idea what I was in for. There’s no better way to get to know your new co-workers than by pumping in between clients in the laundry room. It became a running joke, and I was so grateful for their support.
When I finished my assisting program, I moved to a salon in Normal Heights called Hair Dressers on Fire. I know that starting later in the game than my fellow classmates and that I didn’t have much time to get myself going in this new career. I became obsessed with continued education, sometimes taking classes once a week. Hair Dressers created a free space for creativity and education, and for this and many other things, I will always be grateful to them for helping me thrive. When Covid hit us in March and we went through our first 12 week shut down, I was devastated. I never realized how much I loved what I was doing and didn’t feel complete without it. When we were able to go back, I had a new revived fire to push even harder through all of the new struggles. It was short-lived before we were shut down again. During this second shut down, I really took the time to re-evaluate everything. Hair was fulfilling my love for people and creativity, but my passion for business for not being met. That was when I decided to open Sage and Lavender Salon in La Mesa Village in the Broadway Salon Suites. My own space that I could cultivate and create in whatever way I wanted to. I was so terrified to take this leap, but I have had my salon opened for almost three months now and couldn’t imagine it any other way. My daughter is almost two and a half, and this journey has given me the ability to show her that through hard work and dedication, that anything is possible. I’m able to teach her that she can achieve anything she wants if she tried hard enough. We are raising the future, and I want her to know most of all that she, and all of us, can have it all. You don’t have to choose between being an active mom, a business owner, a Pinterest junkie, or a supportive partner. You can choose to be them all and thrive in your designed life. It won’t always be easy, but it is so worth it.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
To say that this journey has been more challenging than I ever expected it to be would be an understatement. Every craft or hobby I have tried has always seemed to come easy to me… learning hair was not that way. There have been days when I have come home in tears, wondering if I was ever going to get it. The biggest struggle has been learning when to say no. When a guest sits in your chair, you want nothing more than to give them everything that they want. Being able to know your own limitations as well as your client’s hairs limitation is key. Learning how to educate your guest with realistic expectations and why what they want may or may not happen that day is a hard lesson to learn. Because let’s be honest, when you are just starting out, not even you know what the realistic expectations are. This is where continuing your education comes into play. Hands-on classes are by far my favorite, but there is also limitless online courses and even free education available to our industry in the most abundant way; this is where confidence becomes knowledge, and knowledge will always help you through any situation.
We’d love to hear more about the business.
I truly love cultivating the perfect red. Reds tend to be a color that may stylists pull away from, but they pull me in. I have been a redhead for the better part of 15 years. If it is in the spectrum, I have has it on my head. I think that this has given me the upper hand to understand the tones and color concepts that reds possess. I also enjoy creating custom “lived in’ colors. High transformation hair designs with low maintenance follow up. This is what I create for the majority of my clients. My favorite techniques are combining different balayage techniques with babylights to customize the perfect blend and grow out. When I’m not doing color, I’m creating new looks with extensions. I provide my clients with the options of both handtied sew-in extensions and tape-ins. There’s nothing better than seeing the confidence a client leaves with after getting an extension. Maybe they have had insecurities with fine or thinning hair. Maybe they are growing out a shaved area from brain surgery or have hair growing back in from chemo. Giving them back something that they thought they couldn’t have is the best feeling is the world. That is how I want every guest that I see to feel when they leave Sage and Lavender Salon. Like they regained confidence that they thought they lost. I am very proud of the environment that I have created and strive to make it as comfortable as possible. Everyone is welcome and accepted, just as they are. Do you or a loved one have special needs that need to be met in order to have a service done? Great! Let’s talk about it and find the perfect solution for you. Do you need to cry and let out your weakness for what you are going through? Beautiful, Be raw. Leave judgment at the door when you enter and leave with your new crown to wear. Sage and Lavender is one chair, one stylist salon, so anything is possible for the client’s needs. It also provides the safest environment right now with Covid restrictions since it’s just my and my client in the room.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
I have always been a junkie for the holidays and have a very large and special place in my heart for Halloween, but my best childhood memories always come from Christmas Eve. Every year, my two sisters and I would load up into my parent’s car and look at Christmas lights. Cheesy holiday music on the radio, the twinkle and color of all the lights, it got me every time. I can still remember how excited I was the first time I could sing all the lyrics to Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer. When we would finish with the lights, we would head to my Grandmother’s house, where she made turkey stew each year. It’s still one of my favorite meals to eat. We would all gather together as a family and open one gift, new Christmas jammies. My sisters and I would fight over who got to the bathroom first to put them on. We would head home afterwards in our new jammies, and my sister would stop us just before the front door and search the sky for a plane. When she would find that flashing red light, she would tell us that it was Santa’s sleigh and we had to rush to get to sleep so that he could come to our house. It’s my most vivid memory of magic, and I never want to forget it. My Grandmother may no longer be with us, but my sister still hosts Christmas Eve at her house every year, and now I get to pass the tradition on by buying my daughter’s new Christmas jammies and see the joy and magic build in her life.
Contact Info:
- Address: 8127 La Mesa Blvd Ste 112
- Phone: 619-655-7200
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