my job
By Laura French • jobslink@startribune.com
Jessica Rexine chose color "just because that's what clicked right away. Haircutting is a totally different way of thinking. There's even a personality difference. Stylists have to be really particular about every edge, every line. They tend to be more structured. Colorists tend to be a little more loose. It's geometry vs. chemistry."
Rexine graduated from the Aveda Institute eight years ago. "Juut is the only salon in Minnesota that I applied to, because I knew that I wanted to specialize," she said. "In any industry or field, working daily with something brings a whole level of satisfaction."
Rexine appreciates the range of continuing education opportunities with Juut. "They do a very good job of flying in featured artists. There are new techniques, new trends. As with any art form, you're always learning other people's developed talent. You have to find out what works for you. The more tricks you know, the more you can put to work for the guest."
Rexine says changing a look works best if someone comes in with multiple photos of a look they want. "It could actually be the lighting or what someone was wearing. They're not necessarily just looking at the hair. If they have six photos of a person with different colors, they're not really looking at the color. You have to figure out together what they like about the photo."
Is this your busy season?
The real upswing starts about two weeks before Thanksgiving and continues until right before Valentine's Day. Not everybody cares about having their color done for their family — it's the company holiday parties, the social events.
What's the fun part of the holiday season?
Everybody's so excited. The energy is just moving. Three times this week I've had somebody in my chair look at another chair and see what somebody is doing. And then we're on Grand Avenue so there's a lot of movement outside the salon and in the front retail area.
What are the trends this season?
The pastels we saw for spring are now turning into deeper metallic color. That hasn't been around. There are gold metallic colors and more soft, natural color — natural, but enhancing what you have with little bit of shine, a little bit of tone, a little bit of depth. Then also the ombre that was so popular, with tonal difference between the roots and the ends, is softening up. They're calling it "sombre." Also something you're seeing a lot more of is extensions. Not just lengthening hair from the collar bone to halfway down my back, but also filling in areas where people need volume. They will last eight to 12 weeks depending on how you take care of them. They are so fun — people just light up when you turn them around and they see all that hair.
What tips would you give people about holiday hair color?
We can put in a fun braid or pin the hair up. That's a fun way to go to their holiday parties really polished. Also, so many people want to go darker in the wintertime. I believe the opposite — making them super-light against fair skin. That's always really fun. Sometimes you need to just be brightened up. □
