Today, we’d like to introduce you to Kat Barrios.
Hi Kat, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
From a young age, I have always loved experimenting and playing with hair and makeup; it was so exciting that within a few hours, I could completely shift how I felt looking at the mirror. Fast forward a few years, and I found myself at Paul Mitchell, the school back home in San Diego, after realizing that college was not the route I was interested in. I instantly fell in love with the industry, but what kept me hooked was all the amazing clients and stories I have had an opportunity to hear and be a part of. For about 12 years, I was doing hair in my hometown with a lot of my clients, having been with me since I was 18, and it was amazing.
I got to be part of so many weddings, baby showers, promotions, and other important life events that you really end up friends with at the end of the day. 2021 was a very pivotal time for me personally and globally, and with the loss of my mom, it was time to leave the only city I really knew and try something completely different! My now husband and I came out to Utah and fell in love with the natural beauty. The energy here reminds me of being next to the ocean. We knew we wanted to be here and made plans ASAP to move ourselves out here and completely start fresh. It was pretty intense moving to a brand new state with very little knowledge or connection, but I am so glad we did because the friendships and connections I’ve made here are beyond anything I could have hoped for!
With no salon home, I turned to Instagram and started looking at salons near Salt Lake and stumbled across 1 Salon. The sleek, light interior caught my eye, but meeting the owners made me fall in love with the salon. Steven and Danielle were the most supportive, welcoming, and kind owners I had ever come across, and that gave me such an amazing platform to become the stylist I am today.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Not at all, when I think of a word that can describe my journey I would choose pivot. Life can get really hard sometimes, and it can really feel like you’re hitting a dead end or even coming across a dumpster fire, but I’ve learned that no matter what happens, it’s how I choose to react and pivot in that situation that matters!
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar with what you do, what can you tell them about what you do?
So I’m a Hair Stylist by trade but my specialties lean more towards color, I love it all though. In Salon, you will see me doing a lot of bright blondes, lived-in looks, & extensions (keratin fusion).
A lot of my clients travel a lot or split their time into other states, so color that lasts and is natural is really my jam, and a lot of new clients find me because I have clients that go six months without a highlight and still look great.
My goal is to give my clients beautiful hair that allows them to perform the best throughout their lives. Whether it’s me teaching them how to blow their hair out or fixing the botched color for me, it’s whatever it takes for my client to feel confident because, honestly, the last thing you need to worry about is if your hair looks ok!
When my clients look and say, it’s perfect. Haha maybe perfect isn’t the healthiest thing to strive for isn’t the healthiest but knowing that I was able to completely understand what they wanted is amazing and can be hard!
There are a lot of amazing stylists out here, so it’s hard to say, but it’s probably my personality. I can be a little spicy but also, I pour that into wanting my client to feel comfortable, enjoy their time, and love their hair.
Networking and finding a mentor can have a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
It’s hard, but show up in life ready to learn. Assistant and mentor programs were scarce when I was fresh out of beauty school, so I had no option but to throw myself out there and figure out as I went. I do think my “I’ll figure it out” attitude helped me gain respect from a more seasoned stylist in the salon I was in, and then eventually, one took me under their wings and showed me so much.
The first five years of hair were so much of just figuring it all out and working on whoever would let me. There also wasn’t much accessible education at that time, so connecting with other stylists and learning from each other was a must.
My advice for a baby stylist is to try all of it; don’t limit yourself to just one type of client or service. Be ready and open to learning in the salon, it’s so easy to watch 30 second reels and hot tips from TikTok and feel like you got it locked down but often times the most valuable information and education you can get it from senior stylist in your salon. Also never stop learning, the moment you do it’s not good!
Pricing:
- Haircuts 80$
- The single process starts at 140$
- Partial highlight starts at 155$
- Full Blonding starts at 185$
- Color corrections and extensions consult only.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://1-salon.com/
- Instagram: @Lechopshop
Image Credits
@adventurelovestory and @stevenrobertson
