Meet Christina Hall (she/her), Cosmetologist and Barber at Grayscale Barber Lounge in Colonie, NY. Christina has been in the industry of hair for 14 years and she tells us that the last three years have been more geared towards barbering.
Christina’s self brand is all about human connection. “I enjoy being able to connect with people, all the while doing their hair and having their trust. I got started in high school, I loved my moms hair dresser as a kid, I tried so many things on my own, and decided to take the course at the BOCES program in high school. I graduated high school and became a licensed cosmetologist a few months later.” From there on out her passion has soared and she has gained a loyal clientele.
Grayscale Barber Lounge is an award winning shop where “old school meets modern”. There is decades of experience in their team of professionals, and they service all ages, genders and walks of life. From hot towel shaves to a hair cut, you’ll be walking out of there feeling great, and right now, we all need that. They also do a lot of work with their community - from discounts for college students to free haircuts for kids going back to school each year.
The industry of hair has undoubtedly taken a large hit during the pandemic as close contact is strictly prohibited, and you can’t exactly do hair from six feet away. Those who are in that career path not only feel the hit to their passion, but financially. “Truthfully, having no income has been stressful, I haven’t worked since mid-March and also haven’t been part of the lucky crowd that’s received unemployment (fingers crossed soon). I have a very awesome support system that’s helped me get by.” As mentioned above, Christina thrives off of human connection - not to mention salons and barber shops alike are very social careers. “The lack of human interaction outside of my family has been a struggle as well. I’m a very outgoing person so I live for the conversations with my clients, they’re my friends as well. I have clients consistently reaching out asking what’s going on, a few have offered to help me if I need it, begging for home haircuts but I just don’t want to take too many risks.”
While some people may be offering cuts “under the table” people like Christina refuse to do so to keep herself and her clients healthy. She has an optimistic view that Phase 2 in New York State will happen within the next two weeks or so.
What I mean when I say that barbering and hair dressing are social careers, sometimes people go to get their hair done to feel better, look better, relieve stress, and the only person they connect with in those moments are those that are doing that service for them. “I think barbers, as a whole have started to realize how big of an impact we have on our clients lives. It’s not just about a haircut. We support people through every step of their lives - graduations, job interviews, birthdays, weddings etc. We are a part of everything. We build confidence and prepare people for their biggest steps in life.” When Christina said that, I had to really reflect on that because I had never thought of it like that before. She’s right, and as we are looking at all of these careers, jobs, businesses in their physical absence, we have to respect them more and realize their worth. Honestly, I love a good haircut - I used to go to my barber about twice a month, then it became once a month once I learned my way around a set of clippers to shape it up. Regardless, I would go to feel better - my hair personally is my only source of dysphoria with my body so I completely underestimated the gratitude I had for the person who kept it neat and me handsome for all these years! That may sound silly, but I think as a general society we need to appreciate everything more. “You don’t know what you have until it’s gone” is such an overused saying, but that may be because it’s the most true.
As the Pandemic is changing and has changed people, shaping how they map their futures, Christina is looking at the big picture personally and for her career. “I know for me, moving on I am going to start planning for my future and being more prepared for anything. Build my clientele, reset my prices, invest in a 401k, life insurance and put more into savings. If not for a pandemic - then for my future.” There are many different types of people out there, those who are frivolous with money, those who are kind of “meh” with it, and those who count their pennies because they have to, or they are strict with it. Christina, she tells us she has always been concerned with money, not because she’s obsessed with “material things or having the finer things in life”, but because she wants to provide for her family. “When this all started, after a week or so it really started getting to me - the possibility of not having money to pay rent, or buy groceries for my kids to eat. My boyfriend has really helped me through it all, financially and mentally, so I’m lucky. What I’ve learned, is that money is always going to be a part of keeping it together. But, my kids don’t care about it, as long as I’m here making the time for them.”
That said, through all of the things the pandemic has affected, Christina has three school aged kids at home. “They are partly enjoying the time off, but I know the lack of socialization and not being on a schedule is really effecting them. Especially my son Maxwell, who is autistic and goes to a school for children with special needs, Wildwood. He won’t even be able to go to his summer program as far as I know now because of all of this. The regression for school aged kids right now is real, and home schooling is H-A-R-D.” Christina is not alone, as millions of families with different dynamics across the country - and internationally- are struggling for their children. I’ve personally read many articles on this, and they all say similar things: what students are experiencing now is not traditional homeschooling, they prefer to call it "schooling at home” or “distance learning" This is where our students are adhering to guidance from their local schools through virtual learning and lesson plans sent home. They don’t have the same tools as in the classroom - especially children with special needs as they don’t have access to the aides and certain environments they have previously had to assist these critical learning years.
Through all of that uncertainty though, Christina does all that she can for her children. “I always wanted to provide more for my kids, than I had as a kid.” Christina is taking the “schooling from home” with a grain of salt, and looking at it positively because she is very grateful for it. “I’ve really come to appreciate the extra time spent with my kids… they are doing distance learning, and have a bit of an attitude when having to do homework at home, but I’ve really come to look at this as an opportunity for me to spend some serious quality time with them. As a Barber, I work odd shifts, and I’ve altered my schedule as much as possible to make for more time with them, but I still miss out on some dinners and bed times, and with their parents being separated its a lot of back and forth for them as well. Id like to think they’re enjoying the extra time with me, too.”
Christina wraps this up very well in saying that “When life goes back to whatever the new normal is, and your barber, stylist, manicurist, massage therapist and trades person you rely on raises their prices, don’t gripe, or be upset. Be thankful that we made it through this to take care of you. Because we never expected this and are all, for a long time, going to be getting back on our feet. Support local businesses now more than ever, because we are a staple in your life, and without you knowing it our lively hoods, and families depend on you!”
I’ve always been a HUGE advocate for small businesses and trade work - these are peoples dreams and passions. Look at the small businesses we have covered for example - from The Alchemists to Grahams Coffee and many more stories we have yet to share. Literally I think my phrase of 2020 is “champion others’ passions” because it is absolutely true. This world was built on the backs of dreams, and we need to support people. We need human connection now more than ever - not only to survive but make a change. There is more than a pandemic going on in our world today…we need change for humanity. We need to be ally’s, and we need to foster human connection. We need to be good to our neighbors, and lead our lives with respect and gratitude coming out of this pandemic and beyond.
If you’d like to support Christina and to get on the appointment list when the salon opens, please follow her on instagram at @christinaxclips, and Grayscale at @grayscalebarberlounge.
// Please note all quoted statements above are those of Ms. Hall and not reflective Faiella Studios.