Meet Meghan Carraher

Today we’d like to introduce you to Meghan Carraher.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Meghan. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
My fondest first memories as a child were in a salon in Seal Beach, CA. I grew up tagging along with my mom to her best friends’ salon appointments! It was fascinating to see the women gathering and bonding while also mesmerizing for me to see their makeovers!

I was under five from the time my courtship with salon life began and yet I remember every sensory experience. It was transforming my style of hairdressing and I didn’t even know it! Years of going with my mom to her friends’ salon gave me so much insight.

I saw first-hand a woman who owned her business and the relational impact on the community her salon had was magical. My struggle with my own hair became a fascination with styling, straightening and learning how to work with my curls but it was after working through my own hair woes that I found joy in helping others with their hair challenges.

I was grateful to have seen a side of hairdressing that I think may have been rare at the time. I had hugely impactful relationships with hairdressers throughout my transformative years and so it was never even a question in my mind when it came to “what do you want to be when you grow up”.  I was emotionally driven to do hair and naturally hardwired to make people feel happier. I knew how much influence those women had and I wanted to share that someday too!

Has it been a smooth road?
I became dual licensed in esthetics and cosmetology so I was able to start with a really diverse playbook. Being immersed in different settings such as spa, salon, celebrity artistry, five star hotel and corporate really shaped my style. The driving force throughout the journey has always been that no matter the setting or season, the guest experience has to feel extraordinary in every way and every single time.
I now have three product lines and am so excited to share a new experience with my guests- a private studio by the sea! After 17 years in the industry it feels like I started just yesterday because I love it that much! I take the time to nurture each season whether it is focusing on events, continued education or facilitating education.

I’ve learned when to slow down and when to drive it up so that the energy always feels right. It is so important to me that my guests are first and foremost and they always know they are the most important piece of the whole pie. When I became licensed in hair I hit the ground running and didn’t see “struggle” as an option! I was so focused on saying “YES!” that the bumps along the way were natural learning curves.
I launched the skincare and makeup brand several years ago because it was a dream since beauty school and also when I was an esthetician. To add skincare and makeup to the salon as a hairstylist felt natural because of my esthetics background and after so many years in the industry the time just felt right. I knew it would enhance and complete the experience. Two years ago and after many requests, my biggest passion project came to fruition and that was to bring in a custom haircare line!

The manufacturing world felt challenging at times as I had to wear many hats but it was a turning point in personal and professional growth. I became better at business and a stronger woman because of it! Gratitude for my clients was the driver! They are the biggest cheerleaders and support which is what drove the inspiration for the custom line itself! I simply wanted them to have something that was just for them!

We never stop learning and that is something to carry at all times. Even if I’m not experiencing struggle, I’m choosing to learn something new each day. The most intriguing discovery after all these years is that the art of compassion and mastery of communication far outweighs mastering hair techniques.

I find the most “successful” hairdressers lead with their hearts. Being great at hair is just expected.  If people lead with their looks, their ego or their skill sets in life, at the end of it all, what will it have all been for? Life is about people! Perspective is everything.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Meghan Carraher Hair story. Tell us more about it.
I created San Diego’s first color correction concept studio! I am a blonding specialist and “age defying” colorist. Blonding is an art that is in a very special category! After years of mostly correctional work, I felt opening a private studio in Del Mar would be the perfect space to provide that “comfortably inclusive luxury” experience for first-time guests and years-long guests alike. The studio envokes a chic, clean, elevated lifestyle vibe yet without pretentiousness in any way. The haircare is premium but the experience is relaxed and completely custom.

I encourage my guests to enjoy the beauty of Del Mar before or after their reservation. Relax on the outdoor lounge deck which overlooks the deep blue, sip on a fresh pressed juice or tea. You’re already there, so why not soak it up!?

The women in my chair enjoy the privacy and one on one experience as it feels like a retreat, daycation and a essential oil infused spa day for hair rolled into one.

I think of finding the right hair professional similar to shopping- there are plenty of stores… but imagine having an experience where everything is tailor-made just for you. Like fashion, I always say to consider taste in hair a personal thing. Sharing that taste is what brings a stylist and client relationship together and to the next level! That’s the mystery revealed!

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
Trends are happening at lightening speed because of the social media era. Ten years ago, I noticed the stylists that didn’t keep up on trends, education, media or the retail experience slowly lose their clientele and passion. Now, stylists are creating experiences that go far beyond technical hair appointments.

Going deeper, having a clientele that understands the value in investing back in to the experience by choosing to take home their prescribed support products from you versus Amazon or Ulta is the difference in a stylist who has created the business model that will in turn provide a better experience for the guest!

These stylists are the ones who reinvest in the business with continued high level education, experiential upgrades, sips and treats, photo shoots with photography ring lights, they are creating readable or visible content via newsletters or instagrams for guests by essentially acting as micro influencers, and they know how to master the digital space with just enough finesse as to not overload them.

Having a higher level education in the beauty space is all very relevant and additionally having to wear all the hats is becoming the usual!
It will be a slippery slope if the focus doesn’t circle back to hair and the people we serve.

My offering to the industry is that no matter how great your social media numbers or image appears, that the focus remains on relationships with people first.

If you don’t love and put people first, your technical skills won’t matter in the end.

Hairdressing is one of the very few professions that still require touch and deep human interaction.

I have tremendously deep gratitude for a clientele that is so entrusting of me to be their salon professional and true friend!

Contact Info:

• Address: 1555 Camino Del Mar
  Del Mar, CA
• Website: www.seasidewestdelmar.com
• Email: seasidewestsalon@gmail.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/meghancarraherhair
• Yelp: https://yelp.to/qTKq/4NamF8WL2V

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