“These are the haircuts I did the day I left the wonderful Sassoon Academy.”
Kay Matthews won the Vidal Sassoon Advanced Scholarship in the spring of 2015. Prior to that she had a number of impressive events in her career including winning the North American Hairstylist Award (NAHA) for Texture in 2003, and she also won the Northwest Stylist cover contest three times. In the spirit of “never stop learning,” even though Kay was an experienced, award-winning hairstylist, she still applied for the Beauty Changes Lives scholarship. Continuing education is so important and we were excited to hear about her experience.
BCL: How did winning the Vidal Sassoon Advanced Scholarship change your life and your career?
KM: Winning the Vidal Sassoon Advanced Scholarship changed my career because it changed my confidence. I became confident in analyzing all hair types and with precision cuts. Each time you are able to give the same haircut because you obtained the knowledge of mapping out the cut.
BCL: What was it like attending the Sassoon Academy? Which course did you take?
KM: The first day I arrived at the Sassoon Academy, where I took the cutting course, I was so excited! I wanted to take every moment in because I knew the week would fly by and it did. So from day one I put all my energy in learning, taking extensive notes and making diagrams. I even made friends the first day.
BCL: What advice do you have for fellow hairstylists, or aspiring stylists, who might be thinking about applying for a scholarship?
KM: My Advice to fellow hairstylists is to apply. If you don’t get selected apply again. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity.
BCL: What are your favorite hair trends right now?
KM: My favorite hair trend is still the ombre with the highlights mixed. I don’t know if it’s a trend, but that’s what I have been doing in the salon.
BCL: What are you up to right now?
KM: My latest project is a childrens’ hair how-to brochure/book for mothers. Young people today are more fashion forward with their hair. Also, we are specializing women-of-color brides, as well as all brides, but women-of-color brides have different hair needs.
You can follow Kay on Instagram and visit her website www.kaymatthews.com.
