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When it comes to blonding, few stylists can balance education, being behind the chair, and mom-life quite like Lisa Mathews. From her humble beginnings at Great Clips to her dream collaboration with Redken, Lisa proves that everything happens for a reason.
After her mother, a hairstylist herself, passed away, Lisa moved in with her grandparents who helped raise her. They were always a bit hesitant about the idea of hair school as they believed it only made sense for those who lived in a big city. But after they passed too, Lisa used the money they left her to finally follow her heart and enroll in hair school.
Right out of hair school, she landed a job at Great Clips. As the role consisted of strictly cutting hair, she learned through trial and error to perfect her skills. She then moved to a salon on the Main Line in Pennsylvania as a receptionist. She took in-person and online classes to master color and eventually received a job on the floor.
“If I could tell my younger self one thing, it would be to pay more attention in hair school,” says Lisa. It would’ve prevented the uncertainty of what to do and how to do it right out of school.
Her blonding expertise has shifted with the trends. Pre-COVID, “the look” was platinum blonde and overprocessed. Yet, COVID introduced clients to that “lived-in blonde” look. It’s requires less maintenance and is better for hair health. With her own transition from brunette to blonde, clients are inspired by her success and skills in the transformation.
Another unexpected silver lining of COVID was when @hairbylisamathews truly took off. During lockdown, Lisa began filming coloring and styling tutorials featuring herself and her daughters. She quickly realized there were very few hair educators sharing real, hands-on techniques on social media. She saw an opportunity and took it.
“I share as much as I can to help others, especially those baby stylists,” Lisa says. “I’ll post things that might seem obvious to some, but I’m trying to reach those just coming out of hair school who don’t know yet, just like I didn’t when I started.”
Ask Lisa her number-one rule for blonding, and she’ll tell you without hesitation that placement is everything. Creating a seamless, lived-in look starts with understanding the head’s shape and placing each foil with purpose.
Her go-to tools reflect her attention to detail: the Pink Pewter Foiling Comb, Color Track foils, and her forever favorite, Redken lightener. But Lisa also reminds stylists that great color doesn’t end at the salon. Maintaining healthy hair is key, especially by using masks like K18 at least once a week to keep color vibrant and hair strong.
For Lisa Mathews, growth means more than gaining followers or landing brand deals. It’s about the importance of online and in-person learning, offering something invaluable to stylists at every level. Her story reminds every stylist that there’s always more to learn, more to give, and more hair to color.
