Welcome back to She Is, an interview series featuring women in business. I'm taking time to talk with the creatives, doers, and dreamers that I admire the most to learn about their work, thoughts on life, favorite places, and, of course, their jewelry.
Today I'm with Candice of Candice Zen Hair. We’re having a midday coffee at Booking Office 1869, a beautiful space in St. Pancras Station in the heart of Kings Cross, London.
Lori: Thank you for taking time to do this, I think it's really important to share and tell women's stories.
Candice: I love that you're platforming women and getting us to step out, because I think that's really important to inspire each other.
Lori: Can tell me a little bit about Candice Zen Hair and how you became a hair stylist?
Candice: I became a hair stylist when I was 27. I had an office job before that, working on a journal as an assistant editor. My father sadly passed away after I'd been there for three and a half years, and I had one of those moments in life when I'm like, What am I all about? You know, there's one life, there's one chance to make an impact and live passionately, I guess. I'd been doing hairdressing anyway, for my then boyfriend, and I'd been cutting his hair, and I found that I kind of naturally knew how to do it, but it did take me a long time, because obviously I wasn't following any system I was I was just doing it visually.
I told him one day, I'd like to do this as a job. And he was like, well, go and do it then. It was kind of sad that I wasn't giving myself permission. It took someone else to tell me to do it.
So when I when my editing contract came to an end, I moved back to the UK, because I was living in Sweden at the time. I was like, well, now's the time to make the change.
Lori: It's amazing that you found the nerve to do it! I think a lot of people think about switching careers but don’t take the leap.
Candice: Well, I didn't see myself as a creative person. That was the really scary thing to change identities and go, actually, I am a creative person, and I'm going to tap into that side of myself that I just don't know yet. It's been a very tough journey, but I wouldn't change it.
Lori: What would you say is your favorite part of your job?
Candice: It's a very magical job. In the space of 45 minutes to three hours, you can literally change someone's whole view of themselves, and when you see them look really happy and comfortable in their new look, that's priceless. That kind of encapsulates what it can be like as a hair stylist, when you transform a client, and you get it right, you have that ability to make people feel so good.
Lori: I hope, as people are reading this interview, they're nodding along, because we've all had that feeling before where someone makes us feel like the most incredible version of ourselves. That's life changing. You have a superpower.
Lori: Can you share some of your thoughts on hairstyle in London? And would you say there have been any big changes or shifts in style over your years of experience?
Candice: Oh yeah, there's always changes. Guys are a lot more into growing their hair longer, and there is this slightly androgynous feel. Maybe reminiscent of the 80s, a bit, there's some TV and films influencing that. And then we're seeing more curly hair as well, influenced by people like Chappell Roan. Her color is really influential as well. We're seeing quite a natural look too, empowered by young women, they're not spending hours on their hair. They want something that looks quite cool and enables them to do their thing. On the other hand, we're also seeing quite a high glamor look as well. It's almost like there's a there's two different camps.
Lori: You also run a mobile hair styling service. When I first heard about this, I was amazed by the concept. Can you tell me more about that and how it works?
Candice: This service is all about on-site haircuts for companies in London. A lot of people in London are very time poor. They're commuting for an hour either way. They've got children, they've got things they need to do on the weekend. They just want a style refresh, a fringe trim, or a haircut, but they can’t spend two hours at the barber on a Saturday.
So I kind of ended up here by accident, this came up through a conversation with someone that was setting up a co-working space (the first WeWork in London, actually). He was pitching an office to me, and I ended up telling him about an architecture firm that had phoned and said, Can you send up a hairdresser to do some haircuts for staff? He was like, that's a really good idea, why don't you try it out? And to my surprise, it was popular. I was like, why not?
Lori: I love a happy accident like that. You’re saving people time in the most creative way.
Lori: I saw that you volunteered for Haircuts 4 Homeless. Can you tell me a little bit about that, because I'm always in admiration of small businesses that find ways to give back.
Candice: Haircuts 4 Homeless came along, and I was like, yeah, this is a great initiative. At the time, I was doing haircuts in a women's shelter, which is just around the corner from there. It was quite touching to hear the stories of the women. The key is regularity and getting to know people and they are a really beautiful bunch and when they look good, then they feel good. And you kind of think, well, maybe something will change for them? I would think if any small business can find a way of doing that, you know, it adds to the story.
Lori: Absolutely. Switching gears, if you had to describe your own personal style, what would it be?
Candice: Well, as you can see, I'm a bit minimalist. I mean, I wear the same black trainers every day. They're very comfortable, because I'm on my feet all day, so comfort is really important. And then I wear black jeans every day, and I tend to vary it up with colorful knitwear. I like that contrast. I'm a spring, a cool spring, in terms of my coloring. I’ve always felt drawn to quite very bold patterns, bold colors, and contrast.
Lori: Your bright pop of green today is making me excited for spring. A sign of things to come in London.
Lori: Do you have any hair or styling products that you swear by, or items that you've maybe used for years and you still love them?
Candice: I just think a good shampoo and conditioner is a really good base to start with. My own hair has a tendency to be really flat. So I found that putting in a volumizing product really works for me. Davines has two really good products, one is Davines Volu Hair Mist and the other is Volumizing Mousse. All their products are very high end, and you don't end up feeling like you're sticky or heavy.
Lori: What's the best thing you've bought for yourself lately?
Candice: I’m a bit of a fan of vintage, so I bought this coat on Vinted and it's just one of those slightly quilted coats, it's not a posh brand or anything, but it just really works for this type of weather, because I can wear a sweater, a cardigan, underneath, and it kind of just suits the London climate.
Lori: I love a good Vinted find! When it comes to jewelry, are you team silver or gold?
Candice: Definitely team silver. I have a cool complexion, so I find that gold just doesn't attract any attention. So it's almost like I become a bit invisible in gold. I'm a big believer in the warm/cool test, which applies to hair as well. So the way I see it, as a hairdresser, is that if you're wearing the right color jewelry, and you've got the right colors on you, and you've got a hair color that complements your skin tone, people will immediately see your eyes and will go, Hey, you're looking really pretty today. They might not be able to put their finger on it, but the right colors are so important.
Lori: We've talked a lot about color to theory before meeting today, and yes, I'm really drawn to this idea of people being able to find the colors that make them pop. And give people a reason to be drawn to you, that's really powerful.
Lori: What's in your everyday jewelry rotation?
Candice: My septum piercing, which, by the way, I'm very fussy about, and it's very hard for me to find the right one. But I find that if I change the septum piercing up, like once a month, it's literally like getting a new fringe or something like that, I kind of feel really refreshed.
And then with earrings, I’ve noticed that my hair length kind of changes up how visible the earrings are. So certain lengths can be more amenable to earrings than others.
Lori: London life: what's it like living in London, and do you have any favorite neighborhoods or places that you like to shop?
Candice: Oh, there's so many. I can't even think where to start. I mean, as you know, it's city of 9 million people. It's been here for 2000 years at least. It's got so many different layers to it. When it comes to shopping, I am quite minimalist, but I would say I do like a market, because that's where you get the sort of stuff that you can't get everywhere else.
So I would say, if any visitors come to London, there’s Greenwich Market that's quite nice to browse in. Then there's Borough Market, if you like food.
And here in King's Cross, if you are in the area in May and June, the art school there (UAL Central Saint Martins) does have their graduate shows, you can go and see some student art.
Lori: Do you have any advice that you would share with others who are getting into hair styling or thinking of working for themselves?
Candice: I think with any creative industry, it’s a vibe thing, isn't it? I'm not going to fit everybody’s vibe, and that's ok, my style isn't for everyone, but there is a niche that I'm going to appeal to.
I also think it takes work to master the craft. You know, even now, I'm still learning a huge amount, even just technically. On the business side, always staying ahead of trends, taking inspiration from other people and just always thinking, how can I take this up a notch?
And finally, taking care of your own mental health as well. You have to be in a good space, because you want to serve your clients well. So that's been quite important for me to just look after myself emotionally and things like that.
Lori: Every woman in business for herself that I know of has a future dream that's even bigger than the one that she's working on at the moment... If that's true for you, what is that next big dream or next goal on your horizon?
Candice: I would like to expand on-site haircuts citywide throughout London, to be able to bring that service to more people and to bring on more experienced stylists. I could see it being a successful business model anywhere in the world that people are looking to reclaim time in their schedule.
Lori: Finally, do you have a mantra or quote or anything that you love to live by?
Candice: "Things that are worth doing are not usually easy."