Today we’d like to introduce you to Lynnzee Valerio.
Lynnzee, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I was always good at doing hairstyles on my friend’s hair in high school, I did everyone hair for all the dances, I use to watch my hairstylist give me and hilites and I was like, that’s not hard and I they let me try out hilites in my kitchen. Looking back, I have no idea why they let me, but thank goodness I wasn’t that bad. I wanted to go to college to major in music, I went for two years and was in a vocal jazz ensemble before deciding to go to cosmetology school. I thought I would do hair and pay my way through school, but I ended up really falling in love with hair, everything just clicked. I didn’t start doing hair professionally until I moved to San Diego in 2004. I knew I would never get out of Sacramento if I started doing hair there. In 2008, I opened my first salon studio at 26, what I would give to be that young with nothing holding me back and no failures behind me. Obviously, 2008 was a really hard time to do that, I stayed at my studio in bird rock for 2 years before opening my stand-alone salon in bankers hill. A few years later, I partnered with a larger salon in NYC and opened the San Diego location in the same location as my banker’s hill salon.
Over the next 5 years, I grew the salon into a very profitable busy salon. At the beginning of 2017, I decided it was time for me to leave, my partners and I started to want different things and we weren’t on the same page anymore. I now own a two-person studio in bankers hill right across the street from the park, Salt & Gypsy Salon. It’s the perfect place to come relax, drink a glass of wine or beer and leave feeling beautiful. I like to call it my speakeasy salon because it’s hidden just behind extraordinary desserts. After 14 years, I feel like I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be. I’ve worked for other people and owned big salons with employees, but I am really loving the quaintness of salt and gypsy!
Has it been a smooth road?
I jumped in with two feet at 26. I had no idea what I was doing, just that I loved doing hair and I was going to do it the way I wanted. I would give anything to be 26 with no cares in the world again. Looking back, I’m not mad for the struggles because it made me what I am today and smarter and stronger. I think that’s the only way you learn sometimes. It was hard but I am so thankful for those difficult years!
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Salt & Gypsy Salon – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
I specialize in blondes and men’s haircuts. Even though those are my specialties I do most everything, long layers, vivid colors, brunettes. I was a platinum blonde for 6 years and it took me about a year to perfect my color formula to the perfect cool blonde from my dark brunette natural color. All those trial on errors really helped me understand how to get that perfect shade of blonde. Mostly it’s just patience.
Often it feels as if the media, by and large, is only focused on the obstacles faced by women, but we feel it’s important to also look for the opportunities. In your view, are there opportunities that you see that women are particularly well positioned for?
Being a woman makes everything a little harder, it may sound cliche… but it’s just the truth. Even in the beauty industry men seem to dominate because there are less of them and many women really love a man making them feel beautiful. It’s so important for a woman to go out there and follow their dreams and believe in themselves. There’s room in this world for everyone to live out their dreams and I hope we can build each other up to get there.
Contact Info:
- Address: 2933 Fifth Ave suite A
- Phone: 916-402-8315
- Email: lynnzeesaltandgypsysalon@gmail.com
- Instagram: @saltandgypsysalon
- Facebook: Salt & Gypsy Salon
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