Diamond the Stylist

CLIENTS, PLEASE READ! 🚨

October is going to be a VERY busy month for me, so I want to give everyone plenty of notice.

I will be leaving the country on October 24th and I will not be returning until November 10th. ✈️

That means my October schedule is going to fill up quickly, and I don’t want anybody waiting until the last minute and then saying:

“Diamond! I forgot you were leaving!” 😂

So I’m giving you your reminder NOW.

If you know you’re due for your next appointment, PLEASE BOOK IT.

Especially my clients who wear weaves - if you need your weaves redone, I want you going into November FRESH, not trying to figure out what to do while I’m gone. 🤗

If you have an event coming up, need a cut, color, relaxer, style, extensions, or just know you’re overdue…

NOW is the time to get on my books.

I will be gone October 24th-November 10th, so there will be a pretty significant window where I will NOT be available behind the chair.

And once I return, I already expect November to be busy.

So please don’t wait until you see me posting that I’m completely booked and then hit me with:

“Do you have ANYTHING available?”

I’m trying to help y’all help ME help YOU! ❤️

BOOK YOUR OCTOBER APPOINTMENT NOW.

And if you already know you’ll need an appointment when I return in November, let’s get that on the calendar too.

Don’t say I didn’t warn you! 🤭

See you in my chair!

I did a weave last week on a client.

At the same time another stylist in my salon was doing a weave as well on her client

Eye shampoo, condition, blow dry, break down my base, oil, the scalp, apply a hairnet for protection, so in a full install track by track. And trust me when I say I like my tracks close together. I blend the weave, cut it into a style, I then flat iron and curl it. I charged my client $300.

The other stylist gave her a quick shampoo, She blow dried the hair.
She added cylinders to the base of her hair and she ended up sewing in 3 to 4 tracks for length and fullness. She then shaped it, ran through it with her flat iron. And she charged her client $1200. (They weren’t black)

When I heard her “that price it literally made me feel like I either need to grow up on my pricing, or start to market to a whole new demographic of people in addition to my clients

People are complaining about the prices that we charge, and saying things like why aren’t we charging $60, or $100 like back in the day

If people fail to realize that the economy is constantly changing. Prices are constantly going up. Taxes are constantly going up. Doing hair is not free! Unless of course you’re probably doing it from your kitchen, but even then you’re still putting wear and tear on your body in your arms.

As a professional stylist, we not only put thousands of dollars as well as hundreds to thousands of hours into training and education. I am licensed in two states and actually hold an instructional license as well. All of this took training, education and testing. I have also completed several trainings throughout my years behind a chair and have tons of certifications in various different techniques. I am constantly trying to educate myself as a matter of fact, there’s about $10,000 in training that I want to take right now, but guess what, I can’t really afford to do it.

Every day that I go to work cost me money. Cost me money and gas. It cost me money and products. And I do not use basic over-the-counter products. I literally purchased my products from a professional beauty salon where you can only purchase products if you are licensed. Every time I step into that store I’m paying about $200 just in shampoo.

I have to pay overhead. It’s not free to work in a salon.

I paid for marketing to try to bring in clients. I pay for business cards and booking apps and insurance, and several other things that are actually needed to run a professional business

I just wanna ask one question two people that think that we should not be charging a certain amount of money for our services. Or that we should still be charging the same amount as we were 10 or 15 years ago.

If you started out in your job making, let’s say $20 an hour over 10 years ago. But since then you have taken classes, and trainings, and have more experience. Are you still making the same $20 an hour today?

And what if someone said that you don’t deserve anymore than that?

Nobody can really dictate your worth.

I think that if you go to a stylist that charges more than you can afford or willing to pay, then you should just find a stylist that is right for you.

but it’s really shocking to meet at this story went viral when I have seen white women charging over $3000 for hair extensions. I want to say I may have even seen a few that charges between five and seven.

if you buy a bottle of water from Walmart he might pay a dollar for it. But if you buy the same bottle of Walmart from the airport is gonna be at least seven dollars.

it is all just a matter of who you are, where you are, and a demographic of people that you’re actually trying to advertise too

Only YOU can dictate YOUR worth!

And whoever is for you….will follow! Because they see it in you

Being self-employed is not for the weak.

Now we GOTTA talk about this because $1,150 FOR A SEW-IN?! Baby, are y’all installing the hair or are y’all installing a NEW CREDIT SCORE?!
Listen, I will NEVER tell a hairstylist what her time, talent and expertise are worth. Charge what you feel your services are worth, and the clients who can afford it will pay it. BUT BABY… almost $1,200 for a sew-in is where ME and my wallet have to respectfully exit the chat!
Please bring back the old-school hairstylists! The ones who would do your hair, ask how your mama doing, get the update on your relationship, tell you that man ain’t no good, feed you if she cooked, AND have you walking out looking like a brand-new woman without needing a payment plan!
Hair appointments used to feel like THERAPY with a hairstyle at the end. Now baby, some of these prices got you needing therapy AFTER the appointment!
$1,150 for a sew-in are y’all paying it or bringing the beauty-supply bag back HOME?! 👀

A FORMAL APOLOGY… AND A LITTLE REAL TALK. ❤️

Typically, when I do a consultation with a new client, if you are a potential client for me, I will know it! And you will know it too! 😂

I truly believe first impressions are important. But I also believe that sometimes a first impression may simply be someone having a BAD DAY.

Life may be happening. You may have a lot on your mind. You may not be yourself that particular day.

I try my best to always leave my personal business outside of my workspace, but at the end of the day…

I’M HUMAN.

I have relationship issues. I have a VERY large family. I have a son who is incarcerated and another son who is still trying to figure life out. I have a grandson in college and a granddaughter in high school who are both going through their own things and look to their grandmother for inspiration.

I have a brother who unfortunately struggles with addiction and the streets. In his mind, I’m all he has. So when he ends up in the hospital, I’m the one they call.

When somebody sees him out on the streets, I’m the one they call.

When he’s hungry, needs clothes, or needs somewhere to sleep for the night, I’m the phone number he remembers.

Then I have clients constantly contacting me from all over trying to get booked, asking questions, checking on things, or simply trying to get to know me.

I have a mother and daughter that I am extremely close to, and we talk every single day. So they consume some of my time

And on top of all of that…

I’m a woman trying to rebuild my life in an entirely new state.

I have bills. I have finances. I have health concerns. I have responsibilities. I have obligations. I rarely have time for ME! And trying to maneuver all that life is throwing at me on top of me being only 1 person, and only having 1 income, has not been easy.

So when I tell you that I have been in SURVIVAL MODE for a VERY long time, I mean that.

I’m not telling you all of this so you will feel sorry for me. I’m telling you because sometimes we forget that the person standing in front of us is a HUMAN BEING with a whole life happening outside of the salon.

So with that being said…

I would like to formally apologize to anyone who I may have disrespected, offended, or simply given the wrong impression to.

That was never my intention.

I say it all the time and I’ll say it again:

I understand and accept that everyone is not for me.

And I also understand that I am not for everyone.

I’m not in the habit of firing clients. But just like a client can decide that they need a stylist who fits them better, their personality, their needs, or their expectations…

I’m allowed to do the same.

I’ve had to do it a time or two myself.

Because trust me when I say…

ALL MONEY AIN’T GOOD MONEY.

I could be broke. I could have ONE piece of bread in my house to eat 😂 and if I know that you and I don’t fit…

I’m still not taking your money.

My peace means MUCH more to me.

Now, with all of that being said, a client recently mentioned to me that my name came up in a conversation regarding a referral.

Apparently, someone had come to me for a consultation and overheard me outside on the phone cussing somebody out. 😂😂😂

Well…

NEWSFLASH: I DO CUSS!

And when I’m mad?

I CUSS A LOT. 😂

And yes… I can talk VERY LOUD.

Nine times out of ten, I was probably on the phone with my son because apparently being almost 40 does not mean you stop needing your mama to check you. 🤦🏽‍♀️😂

He does NOT understand boundaries.

He will call me while I’m working. And if I don’t answer…..he will hang up and call again….

Then call again.

And again.

And again.

And AGAIN.

Sometimes I literally have to step outside and say:

“SIR… I AM AT WORK!” QUITTTTT CALLINGGGGG ME!!!!!! 😂😂😂

So yes, sometimes you may catch me outside the salon having a REAL-LIFE MOMENT.

But please don’t mistake a moment for my character.

I care deeply about the people I work with. I care about my clients. I care about the work that I do. And I care about the energy I allow into my space.

I’m not perfect.

I’m still learning.

I’m still growing.

I’m still rebuilding.

And sometimes I’m simply trying to keep all the balls in the air without dropping one.

So if I have ever given you the wrong impression, made you feel uncomfortable, or handled something in a way that didn’t sit right with you…

I sincerely apologize. ❤️

And if after getting to know me, you decide that I’m not your stylist…

I respect that.

But if you know me, you know that what you see in one five-minute moment does not tell the whole story of who I am.

Because behind Diamond the Stylist is simply…

DIAMOND.

A woman.
A mother.
A grandmother.
A daughter.
A sister.
A friend.
A business owner.
A stylist.
A woman rebuilding her life.

And yes…

A woman who sometimes cusses. 😂

But I’m also a woman who loves hard, works hard, cares deeply, and is doing the best she can.

So, from me to anyone who may have ever gotten the wrong impression…

I’m sorry. ❤️

And to the people who know the REAL me…

Thank you for loving me through all of it. ❤️

If you’re planning to get your hair done in October, PLEASE READ! 🚨

I will be traveling out of the country beginning October 23rd and I will not be returning until November 10th.

That means my October availability is LIMITED, and I don’t want you waiting until the last minute trying to squeeze in an appointment.

If you know you’ll need your hair done before I leave, PLEASE PLAN AHEAD.

And if you’re wearing extensions, this is especially important because extension appointments can take time and may require hair to be ordered or prepared beforehand.

So don’t wait until October 22nd talking about:

“Hey Diamond, do you have anything tomorrow?” 😂

No ma’am!

Get on the books early.

October appointments → plan now.
November appointments → we’ll get you scheduled when I return.

I’ll be sharing more about my upcoming trip and everything happening before I leave, so make sure you’re following along. ✈

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