On a rainy Friday afternoon in Los Angeles a few weeks back, I sat humbly in the waiting area of one of the raddest salons to ever exist. Hairroin Salon, located in the heart of Hollywood, is the ultimate location for glitz and glam, a hub for celebrities and artists alike, and the last place you’ll ever find divas with attitude. I visited the salon during their Foxy Friday Blow Dry Bar Event, a new weekly in which they offer a multitude of different blowouts at just $35 dollars a pop. Lucky for me, I was able to interview the salon’s bad-ass owner, Janine Jarman, all while getting a phenomenal blowout and much needed, long overdue trim from the master herself.
According to the salon’s website, “Hairroin was born out of Janine’s vision for a unique ‘un-salon’ committed to the absolute mastery of hair artistry- a place where fashion-forward industry types working in front or behind the camera could come get inspired looks from top hair artists. The key to Hairroin’s success is the passion and creativity of its stylists. The salon represents one of LA’s most sought-after freelance teams and some of the top educators in the hair industry, having worked on fashion shows for clients including Christian Dior, Armani, and Alice + Olivia as well as film, TV, and print work for Dancing with the Stars, the Grammy Awards, Ketel One Vodka, Coca Cola, and many more.”
Jarman, who works with some well-known celebrities including the Pussycat Dolls, Fergie, and Scarlett Johansson, began by telling me how she got her start in the industry. “My best friend and I rented out a place in high school, doing hair and makeup for our fellow classmates.” She was just 15 when she started. After graduating high school and moving to L.A. from Huntington Beach, CA, Jarman worked as an assistant and eventually took over ownership of the salon after the previous owner ended up in jail. We spent the next few minutes chatting off-the-record as I had to hear more of that story! From there, she talked about what it was like opening up her own salon at the ripe age of 24 and what it was like gaining a national following as the fan favorite on season three of Bravo TV’s Sheer Genius.
Perhaps my favorite part of the interview was Jarman’s advice for other salon owners and those currently attending or planning to attend beauty school. She was incredibly candid in talking about what other salons could learn from her, as she is one of the most successful female salon owners to ever grace the sprawling Los Angeles area. “Live within your means. You don’t have to have the fanciest salon right at the beginning. And you don’t have to have the biggest staff,” she told me. “Maximize your small staff, use viral promotion, and if you are not good at bookkeeping, hire someone who is. Also, you can work with your best friends!”
To the students, Jarman says, “ Don’t be stuck on fancy schools. No matter how fancy the school you go to is, if you don’t apply yourself, it won’t do anything. Take beauty school seriously; do your homework. And shop salons. Find the the right one for you, not the one you hear is cool or you think has good clients. Find the one that is the best fit for you and has the type of clients that will suit you. Also, find a salon that supports your education.”
This woman genuinely breathes and bleeds for her craft, her stylists, her salon, and her industry. It was such a honor to meet someone who not only spends her days brightening up the lives of those who sit in her chair but also the lives of the terminally ill through her work with the Beauty Bus Foundation and some of Hollywood’s most down-and-out homeless teens through the L.A. Youth Network. I want to thank Janine, Sandy, and everyone else over at Hairroin Salon!
As for Jarman’s motto, “Save 20% of your income, and always sign your own checks.”
