Meet Jessica Cruz | Hair Stylist and Salon Suite Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jessica Cruz and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jessica, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
Risk taking is obviously an important part of entrepreneurship and was something I struggled with for a long time. I always wanted to see the next step and have it set up before letting go of the chapter behind me. It wasn’t until I started on my own spiritual journey and learning about the law of attraction, that I learned the importance of faith and trust. If you do the work, the research, and the preparation to the best of your ability and you come to a change that requires risk, it’s best to try to make it a calculated risk, that is important. But sometimes you really do just have to jump! I learned sometimes the best way to go into something is to not know what will happen because then you don’t have huge expectations going into it. Things simply begin to unfold and you just go with it. Sometimes you don’t know what you need to know until it shows itself as a new problem. That is life guiding you. I did a lot of work and research before opening my business, but I can only prepare so much. It took just starting, taking the first step, and opening the business to actually see what I needed to do. And it was so much more than I expected! However, I never would have known I needed those things until I was in the actual situation where I needed it. It’s important to prepare best you can to open a business, but it is also a learn as you go process too. Be flexible and learn how to adapt as things move and change as you form your business. When problems come up, focus only on solutions. Be patient, you are only human You will make mistakes, as long as you learn from them, you are doing well!

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I have been an artist in many forms growing up since I was a child and hair styling was something I was always drawn to. Although I did get my license and Associates of Science degree in Cosmetology when I was maybe 20, it wasn’t until 8 years later that I decided to do it full time as a career. It has fulfilled me in so many ways I cannot see myself doing anything else in life. I love working with hair because of the creative satisfaction I get from my work. I love learning about new products and techniques to do even better work always and how certain approaches may be better for certain hair types. With hair, there is no one size fits all. Every head of hair is completely different and requires a customized approach to achieve desired results. What works for one person will not work for another. This keeps my craft very interesting to me, it has never been boring!
But another aspect of my career I absolutely love is my clients themselves! I love working one on one with my clients and tailoring my work to their needs. Hair is actually quite difficult and unfortunately people don’t take hairstyling very seriously, often attempting cuts and bleach jobs at home ( never a good idea!). So, I do feel that it is my job as a professional hairstylist to educate my clients on realistic results and how I can deliver what I can for them while really maintaining the health and integrity of the hair. This communication helps to create trust with my clients to know they are in good hands. I want all my clients to feel they are in good hands because I believe the underlying purpose of why I do what I do is to serve others. We don’t realize how important our hair is until we get a bad cut or even lose it to cancer. Our hair is a part of how we see ourselves and how we present ourselves to the world. I always say your hair is the crown you wear every day. I love that when my clients come in, that is my time to take care of them. Everyone works hard in the world taking care of the rest of the world, and they come to me to be taken care of. That is what I love to do- take care of my clients and help them feel like their best selves. It’s not just a haircut. It’s self care which I think is the most important thing. If you want to create change in the world, you need to be good first. It starts with you. I am here to make sure you are good, inside and out, so you can go out into the world and make your change. When you look good, you feel good, you do good. I am here to support my clients, talk to them about their lives and daily struggles, and nurture them so they can be their best selves for their careers and loved ones. It has never just been about hair for me, it’s about self image, self love, and confidence. This is my brand.
It has been challenging, I have failed many times and felt defeated. The way I have learned to overcome obstacles in career and life is to rest when it is time to rest, be kind to yourself, forgive yourself for being human and making mistakes, take the lesson learned, and try again. Always try again. I like to believe that I am unstoppable, not because I do not fall, but because I cannot be kept down. That is Everyone’s superpower.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I absolutely love hikes in LA. I love the waterfall at Eaton Canyon in Sierra Madre, or the view of the city skyline at the top of Debs Park in Highland Park that also has a lovely pond. I love connecting with nature and think time in nature to chat and experience the views of LA is always a great time. I also love the bars and restaurants in Highland Park as well. Lots of good food and cool bars with amazing cocktails. The Goldline on Figueroa is a favorite of mine, any friend I take there loves it so much. The Highland Park Bowl (which is the oldest bowling alley in LA) is such a cool stop and fun weekend activity to do with friends. The whole street has great stops, including the Blind Barber which is a barbershop during the day and a very cool bar lounge in the back of the shop at night. There is also Highland Park Wine with wine, beer, and spirit tastings and La Cuevita is also another very cool stop with delicious cocktails as well. York blvd. is another Highland Park strip with tons of bars and restaurants, there’s definitely plenty to do there. There are cool museums here like the Broad or LACMA if you are up to drive out to the west side. Also, if it is the season, a Dodger game is a really fun thing to do, so much LA energy there. I am telling you, the list goes on!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would love to shout out Planet Salon located on Melrose in West Hollywood for training and mentoring me as a hair stylist to hone my hair skills, helping me grow as a hair stylist and artist!

Website: www.hairbyjcruz.com

Instagram: @ms.jcruz_hair

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/ms-jc-hair-and-beauty-pasadena

Other: TikTok: Ms.Jcruz_hair