CHIC SPEAK: TALKING WITH PEGGY HARGRAVE

Two years ago, I was teaching a class in California for L’Oreal Professionnel. The attendees were completing a 6-day certification for already-licensed stylists, and my 2 days covered the Color portion of the training.

One of the students in the class was Peggy Hargrave, a stylist who stood out for both her years of experience and her familiarity with the products.

As questions came up throughout the 2 days, I would turn them over to the group. “What do you all think?” or “How would you do that?” Often, Peggy and I would make eye contact as the students discussed possible options. I knew she knew the answer, but her maturity allowed her to sit with the silence. She was always willing to give a personal example of how she had done something similar, or to add her voice in agreement once the solution was found, but she let the other students take the lead in those discussions.

I appreciated what she brought to our conversations, and I appreciated her restraint in not just throwing out quick answers so we would move on. Peggy could have easily taught the class, but she was fine just listening and learning from their conversations. And her participation was a benefit to everyone involved.

What is it that compels a person who is 48 years into their career to sign up for classes like that?

To me, Peggy Hargrave is a master of her craft because she has 1) A constant quest for learning, 2) A desire to stay current in the industry, and 3) A drive to be the absolute best that she can be.

I recently asked Peggy some questions to see if I could figure out what motivates her to stay at the top of her game. Read our interview here:

How long have you been doing hair and how did you get into the business?
I have been a stylist for 48 years. I started two weeks out of high school. I was always the one that was doing friends’ hair in the backyard. I would get off work and throw on a wiglet updo and head to prom. It came naturally to me.

I was offered two scholarships to local beauty colleges and one for art at Palomar Junior College. I chose beauty school because I knew I’d never make a living as an artist. As it happened, the school, Escondido Beauty College, got new owners and had just become a Pivot Point School. So I was lucky enough to get to study and train in Pivot Point and to test with Grace Doran.

How often did you attend classes or other events related to your industry?
My second day in school I attended my first hair show at the El Cortez Hotel in San Diego featuring Beverly Ragsdale and George Carroll with Redken. That was the day I knew that this was what I wanted to do; educate and work as a platform artist and travel the world while someone else paid for it.

In 1970 we were doing roller sets, teasing and spraying to last a week. Our cutting was primarily done with the razor. Anyone that didn’t do Pivot Point sets was called a hair bender. Just as I graduated, this new thing came in style called precision cutting and blow drying. I took cutting classes with Ken Mosier and learned the different wedge cuts. I quit my job and moved to the next town so I could get rid of my roller clientele and become a hair cutter. Haircuts were $3.50. I raised mine to $5.00 + $3.00 more for the blow dry.

In those days there was no other way to obtain education without attending classes and shows. I took a lot of private classes and, of course, attended the Long Beach show every year. We did have extensive education put on as 2 to 3 day seminars by companies like Jhirmack, Focus 21, and Mastey. They were in-depth on color, cutting, hair structure, and chemistry, even nutrition and health and how it is related to hair.

I fell in love with education and couldn’t get enough of learning and was so lucky to have been educated by so many brilliant people, most of whom are still out there educating and teaching.

How do you keep your passion for the work that you do?
Passion is an interesting thing. It’s very hard to find true passion. For me, it’s like a hunger that is just there. It’s why I can still work behind the chair 48 years later and love it. I feed my passion with massive amounts of education, shows, and internet education. Passion is watching Sam Villa cut fringe at 1 AM on Facebook.

I love working behind the chair, but need to create some diversity by traveling and teaching. It’s a nice mixture.

I’ve reached an age where education is necessary to keep me inspired and relevant. It’s important to stay relevant so you’re not just an old hairdresser.

My biggest inspiration is the Behind the Chair Color show every year. Two summers ago I attended sessions with the L’Oreal Expert Network program. For me, it clarified the “Why” and the language necessary to make me a better educator. It’s a real back-to-basics curriculum that so many missed in school. The color portion of Expert Network was amazing. Schools don’t teach enough about color and it goes right over their heads. It’s like trying to do multiplication if you weren’t there the day they taught addition. Too many stylists out there just don’t get it but are too embarrassed to raise their hand to admit it. Expert Network is so necessary; I wish everyone could do it.

How has the industry changed since you first started doing hair?
I have watched the industry change in so many ways and I have to say I liked it better in the 70s, 80s and 90s. However, there’s so much education available online and through Social Media that I see young stylists having the opportunity to learn so much more than we could years ago. I’m seeing some great color work because of the available education, but I do think much is lacking in cutting knowledge. Too many Instagram pages are the same long, curly, blonde and balayage. They all look the same. Like, do they only know one style?

Product distribution has changed a lot. It took years, but many salons are finally being run as real businesses. Retail is finally being recognized and utilized as an important part of the business. Then of course there’s Amazon and Internet sales threatening that. Diversion has always been around and is still a major problem. I’ve seen salons becoming more professional and customer service is becoming a real thing, finally.

I’ve watched the big hair shows go from good to bad and now back to great. The biggest change in our industry is certainly Social Media and the opportunities we can reap from that.

What do you do to help the next generation of stylists?
Mentoring for me is next in my evolution as a stylist and educator. I’ve trained hundreds of stylists in color and watched as lightbulbs go off as they get it. I work with two chairs and two assistants. Many of my assistants now have chairs in our salon. Our goal was to raise our own, our way, instead of bringing in stylists from other salons and training them our way.

I’m very demanding that my standard must become their standard. And that “good enough is not good enough.” Some get it and go far and some don’t. Again, that’s where passion and work ethic come together. It’s gratifying when they write to thank me for being so tough on them. Or when you watch them work and realize they’ve got it, and my work is done.

What are some of your career highlights?
One of the biggest highlights of my career has been that I have been lucky enough to travel around the world and meet and network and learn and train with others. I worked in 39 states and many countries. I’ve owned salons, enough that I learned I don’t want to own a salon. I prefer to work behind the chair.

I’ve done episodes of Head to Toe TV shows and some radio shows.

Most enjoyable of all the companies I have worked for was being the National Director of Education for Phytos color that was called Kydra. I actually got to drink champagne in Paris with Patrick Ales, the founder of Phyto.

Any other thoughts you would like to share?
How lucky have I been to work my ass off, 12 hour days, five days a week, for 48 years and yet never really worked a day in my life? I have a lot of hair heroes that so many young stylists have never heard of and that’s sad. This 48 years I believe were the best years to be in my industry. There are no plans for retirement and I cannot imagine not doing hair.

Two things I have learned:
1) Hair is a universal language.
2) We are all alike.

I have made an amazing living as an artist for 48 years.

[Follow Peggy @divagoddess1 on Instagram.]

On stage in the 90s as an educator for Oligo.

Working in the salon.