Fruits Lab Hair Stylist & GDY Color Expert, Alexa, has been blazing the hair industry for thirteen years. While her specialty is balayage, blondes, and vivid color, Alexa is no stranger to iconic cuts. Her expertise and artistic eye leaves each client satisfied with the vision and final result. You can easily win her over with conversations about pets, the latest TV shows, and music that covers all decades.

We had the awesome opportunity to catch Alexa in between clients to dive deep into her personal journey with beauty, hair, color, and GDY.

“Hair is my favorite accessory.”– Alexa, Good Dye Young Lead Educator & Fruits Stylist

How did you get your start in the hair business?

I got started in the hair industry at a super young age. My grandma was a hair stylist, my aunt was a hair stylist and my grandpa was a barber. It’s truly the family trade. I was homeschooled until high school, so I grew up in the salon. I saw the way my aunt and grandma fostered a great sense of community, while enjoying a creative outlet for themselves. Marrying those two things together was something I always aspired to achieve.

Where do you draw creative inspiration from?

I draw a lot of my creative inspiration from video games, anime and TV. I love how video game hair and anime hair are typically these fun, bright, vivid colors — and the shapes and silhouettes are always so over the top. It’s very visually appealing to me. I love trying to bring that into the real world.

What is your favorite look on clients right now?

My current favorite look to do on clients right now has to be any type of vivid color, but specifically pink. Pink looks good on absolutely everyone. As far as cuts go, I love a really cute structured bob. It was super popular starting around the fall and has continued into spring and summer this year. Clean lines with texture on top is such a great combo, because you see that clean shape but it has natural movement on top that can be styled in a multitude of fun ways. 

Changing someone’s hair color and style can be an uneasy process for some people.  Can you talk about your process and consultation techniques that help someone find the right color and style for them?

When I’m changing someone's look and they seem to be more hesitant, a thorough consultation is so important. I’ll pull up a chair, sit down next to them, and just talk to them honestly about their hair history and what they're looking for. What vibe do they want to put out in the world? 

If the color or cut they're considering doesn't really reflect their current aesthetic, we’ll discuss if their aesthetic is something they really want to change or if the impulse is coming from something they saw on TikTok or Instagram. While that can work sometimes, I never want to make someone go too far outside of their comfort zone.

I ask them how long they’ve been thinking about it and tell them about what maintenance is involved to make sure it's something they really want to do before we plunge into it. It’s just hair — it can always be changed, right? However, I try to make them feel as comfortable as possible while giving them realistic expectations. 

When was the first time you dyed your hair a vivid color?  What color?

The first time I dyed my hair a vivid color was my junior year of high school. We weren’t allowed to have “unnatural colors” at my school, so I pushed the boundaries of that as far as I could, and did a color that was super popular in 2008: the infamous red/purple tone. Then in hair school, I dyed my hair platinum blonde — which I was obsessed with. From there, I really started playing with colors. I did a pastel purple, and pink, and it's been game over ever since. I have had every color in the book. Pink is something I always go back to, though. It's my comfort color!

When you’re not busy creating looks at Fruits Lab or working on content for Good Dye Young, what are some of your favorite things to do?

When I’m not creating looks behind the chair at Fruits or making GDY content, I love playing video games. I love hanging out with my husband and dog, Edith. I’m a bit of a TV and movie connoisseur, as well, and I adore going to festivals and listening to live music. 

What advice can you give someone just starting in the business?  What do you wish someone told you when you were just getting out of beauty school?

The advice I would give to young stylists is to give yourself time and grace to learn your craft and build your clientele. Learning how to be confident in your craft is not going to happen overnight. Attending continuing education classes and watching educational videos on tiktok and instagram has helped me learn so much!

Surround yourself with good stylists and good energy. Always do a thorough consultation,  as well. If you have a question that you don’t feel was answered in your initial consultation, never be afraid to go back, ask, and reiterate what the client wants. It’s not going to make you seem like you don’t know what you're doing. Instead, it's going to create trust between you and your client so you can give them exactly what they want.

What’s next for you?  Where do you see yourself in 5 or 10 years from now?

Honestly, doing this! I would love to travel and do more education, but I really love doing hair at Fruits and love being a part of Good Dye Young. I'm grateful every day to be where I’m at.