Rising Stars: Meet Sharon Hanson

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sharon Hanson.

Hi Sharon, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Kind of lost and struggling with my mental health after high school I didn’t know what I was doing.

I got an amazing choir scholarship through one of the local colleges but I didn’t take my classes outside of jazz choir seriously (because that’s what I enjoyed) . On a whim, I looked up cosmetology schools and went to the first one I toured.

I graduated from a different school after the first one closed down. I worked at one of the higher-rated salons in Kansas City. Then Covid hit and everything changed. I ended up at a booth rent salon running my own business. I’m glad I’m here though because I feel inspired to grow and to continue building my business.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Honestly, I feel like there has constantly been something trying to hinder me. My mental health has been a co start struggle, it’s the reason I dropped put of college in the first place. I also skipped school a lot from blatant exhaustion. I think it was also because I worked 30 hours outside of my 40 hr school week.

The first school I went to got forcibly shut down so I had to attend another school. The owner wasn’t very professional but he was more insensitive than anything. He told me I didn’t belong in this industry after yelling at me. My first job was actually pretty great. But under all that, the work environment was toxic and draining.

We as employees were constantly pitted against one another so it was a high stress environment. I struggled with feelings of being the odd one out I just didn’t learn until later that I wasn’t the only one.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a hair artist with strength in haircutting.

I work especially with hair that has difficult cowlicks. In color, I specialize in blonding and vivid hair. I pride myself on creating an environment where clients feel safe with open dialogue. I have done several coming out and gender-affirming haircuts.

My listening skills make people comfortable telling me what they like but also what they don’t like giving my client stylist relationships strength.

Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
This crisis has given me the time to learn about the disparities that exist in the beauty industry. I also have learned how the cosmetology industry takes advantage of stylists and how widely excepted certain unacceptable things are.

Pricing:

• Full-Service Haircut/medium/long hair $40 – 65
• Full-service clipper/short haircut $35+
• Dry Cut $25+
• Straight razor head shave $30
• Color consultation, just 15-30 minutes of your time

Contact Info:

• Website: Charrothebarber.glossgenius.com
• Instagram: @Charrothebarber
• Facebook: Charrothebarbero