Sal Misseri, a Chicago hairstylist and artistic director for Ladies & Gentleman Salon, was the winner of the Newcomer Stylist of the Year Award at NAHA 2012 and was a finalist for the Contemporary Classic category. With only three short years in the industry, Misseri has already seen a lot of success, which can definitely be attributed to his dedication and passion for hair art. Learn more about Sal Misseri in our interview.

BANGSTYLE: What made you become a hair artist, and how did you get started in the industry?

Sal Misseri: I have always loved everything that deals with hair and fashion. I used to try coloring my friends’ hair when I was 12 using whatever we could find. I remember when we all wanted those “frosted tips,” and I couldn’t figure out how people did it; so I decided to be creative and use gel to spike the hair up with a blow dryer, then fill a pen cap with bleach, and dip the tips of hair in it to only color the ones I wanted. Ever since then, I was hooked.

BANGSTYLE: What are your career highlights? (Awards/recognitions)

SM: Winning Sassoon shoot out on hairbrained.me, winning best haircut at Aveda Congress 2011, winning NAHA Newcomer of the Year 2012, being nominated for NAHA Contemporary Classic 2012, and becoming artistic director for Ladies&Gentlemen Salon.

BANGSTYLE: What about your career are you most proud of?

SM: So far, becoming the artistic director for our salon, being nominated in two NAHA categories, and winning the Newcomer Stylist of the Year.

BANGSTYLE: Who/what are you inspired by?

SM: I’m inspired by a lot of stylists. Some of my idols are Vidal Sassoon, Roger Thompson, Mark Hayes, Antoinette Beenders, Angelo Seminara, Peter Gray, and many more. Also, architecture and street style have huge influences in what I do.

BANGSTYLE: What is your favorite part about being a hair artist and why?

SM: Being able to create beauty in everything we do and helping people feel more confident about themselves, either by teaching other stylists or transforming a client in your chair. It doesn’t get any more rewarding than that.

BANGSTYLE: What do you specialize in?

SM: Precision haircutting.

BANGSTYLE: What do you think is next in hair?

SM: Right now I’m still seeing a lot of texture and softness to the hair, but I’m hoping we get back to a time where the hair is cleaner and fit to the individual. Too often, I see women with long hair with loose curls and everyone having the ombre color. It works for some people, but not everyone who is trying to wear it.

BANGSTYLE: Tell us about what it was like winning the Newcomer of the Year category at NAHA 2012—preparing for your entries, finding out you were a finalist, hearing your name called, etc.

SM: It was a very exciting, tiring, and emotional journey. I had my concept planned out for a long time. I wanted to do something that was a simple concept yet would look beautiful on the models. The hardest part was that I had planned on shooting in January, and then I found out in December we needed to shoot in two weeks; so it was a mad scramble to find my models and get everything organized. Finding out I was a finalist in two categories blew my mind. I felt confident in the work I did but wasn’t getting my hopes up to be a finalist in one category, let alone two. Winning the Newcomer of the Year still hasn’t set in fully; it doesn’t feel real, but I’m excited to see what new doors it opens.

BANGSTYLE: What would you like to see happen in the hair industry in the next 5-10 years?

SM: I would like to see more respect given to hair stylists. I think it takes a lot of hard work and dedication to be successful in this industry, and I don’t think many people give us the credit we deserve. I would also like to see the standards in education raised and  big companies focus more on the hair stylists and making them the best at their craft, instead of just worrying if the stylists are selling enough of their products or not.

BANGSTYLE: What are some hair cut, color, and style trends many of your clients come to you for?

SM: Most of my clientele has either short hair or very long hair. I have never been much of a fan of the medium length hair, so my clients trust me to either keep them looking up-to-date with different short looks or that I won’t get scissor happy and cut all their hair off (unless they need it).

BANGSTYLE: What is an at-home hair tip—something your recommend to your clients?

SM: Get good styling tools and products so the hair stays in great condition. Healthy hair is beautiful hair.

BANGSTYLE: How long have you been working in the hair industry?

SM: Three  years

BANGSTYLE: What hair trends do you see on the horizon?

SM: Still a lot of texture (almost in a controlled chaos sort of way), and people embracing their natural texture.

BANGSTYLE: What are your favorite hair color trends?

SM: Red hair– doesn’t matter the tone; I just love red!

BANGSTYLE: How would you describe your ideal client?

SM: Someone who is fun and energetic with a good sense of fashion but open to new changes and keeping things fresh, never wanting the same cut twice.

BANGSTYLE: Do you have any advice for new hair artists starting out in the industry?

SM: Figure out what you want in your career, and then find people who are at the place you would like to be and learn from them. I always tell anyone who works for us that if you want to be successful, it takes hard work, dedication, and commitment to advanced education.

BANGSTYLE: What are you doing to push the boundaries in the hair industry?

SM: Raising the standards of the education in our salons and trying to build the best team around where nothing but excellence is accepted, and we all push each other to be the best. I believe in order to change the industry, we must first change the way we think and the quality of work we produce.

BANGSTYLE: Words to live by—hair motto?

SM: You’re only as good as your last haircut.

BANGSTYLE: What are your future goals?

SM: I want to become part of the Aveda global team and win hairdresser of the year; those are my biggest goals.

20 Things: Sal Misseri

1. Movie – Inception

2. Song – “Sail”

3. Fragrance – Lavender

4. Food – Sushi

5. Hairstyle – 5 point

6. Brand –  Aveda

7. Product – Style Prep

8. Book – Game of Thrones

9. Celebrity – Johnny Depp

10. Drink – Ginger Ale

11. Website – hairbrained.me

12. City – Chicago

13. Restaurant – Red

14. Bar – Aviary

15. Author – Stephen Covey

16. Shop - All Saints

18. Memory – NAHA

19. Season – Summer

20. Want – Knowledge