Today we’d like to introduce you to Danielle Henry.
Hi Danielle, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I’ve always been intrigued with hair since I was a little girl. Staying up long hours to do my hair the night before school, I think the first time I flat ironed my own hair was in the 5th grade. I was fascinated with the process of doing hair at a very young age, helping my mom rinse my relaxers before I did my own big chop! I even looked up hair school for career week for the 5th grade and secretly wanted to be a hairstylist then, but told everyone I wanted to be a lawyer because I thought it was “cooler”. Fast forward to graduating high school and at this point, I was known for always changing my hair but decided to go to college because it was “the right thing to do”. I ended up having my first real battle with depression about three weeks in and eventually dropped out of college at the end of my sophomore year, flunking out of half of my required classes. This then propelled me to be very impulsive, because my life at this point was not what I even had planned. By the end of June 2016, I was enrolled at Aveda Institute (one of my top hair schools searched for career week) and scheduled to start hair school in September. Hair school was super fun for me because I was already interested in the material and I quickly excelled, finding my knack for color and honestly all sides of the hair business. I passed my practical and theory tests on the first try in fall 2017 and was licensed by early 2018. At this point, I had already secured my first salon job at Drybar, and this honestly started the whole journey because I was surrounded by so many talented stylists.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
This journey has been amazing, but it was definitely not one that was smooth. I honestly didn’t plan for it to be this way. I feel that being a master cosmetologist is just one of the many things that I was called to do during my time on this earth. My original plan was to become an art professor and fund my projects with my salary lol. I ended up dropping out of school because my mental health was rapidly declining before my eyes all while I was still on the Dean’s list and doing spirit cheer with my friends. Now at 26, I’ve officially been diagnosed with anxiety and depressed, as well as needing evaluation for adult adhd. Coming to these conclusions has been both a weight off my shoulders as well as a burden because there were a lot of things that have just gotten significantly harder for me to do. Something was just always feeling “off” and because no one in my family at the time had been through therapy successfully I had a lack of knowledge on a lot. I’ve always been one to do well in school and usually when I learn new things I get it on the first try; now things often reverse for me and the easiest things for me become debilitating. Another challenging thing is being a single parent to one year old who is advancing rapidly every day. As a mother, I feel the need to keep up with him and give him everything if not more of what he needs. This can sometimes be stressful because I’m always feeling this pressure to do better than last time so that I can secure his future.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a licensed master Cosmetologist that specializes in color. I also like to do braids as well as a multitude of extension services. I’m known for super vibrant looks and creative color placement. People love to come to me and let me take the wheel when it comes to the vision of their looks. I’m also very known to keep your hair healthy, as I offer shampoo as a part of all my services as well as an array of different treatments because I believe that that is key to keeping your hair in the best shape. I think the thing that sets me apart from others is just my finesse. Hair is my main art medium and it is how I express myself. I do hair for the love of the craft. The art of the whole thing. I really just enjoy what I do!
What matters most to you? Why?
What matters to me most is becoming the best version of myself so that I can be a beneficial member of this thing called life. We often get so caught up in the daily todos that we forget about ourselves, and I want to live a life full of doing the things that bring me joy. Life is too short for you to not do the things that fulfill you. I feel that once you have taken care of your own wants and needs that you are better able to help others.
Contact Info:
- Email: Daniellejulih@gmail.com
- Website: Daniellejulih.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/daniellejulih?igshid=YTM0ZjI4ZDI=
Image Credits:
Danielle Henry
