Life & Work with Jessica Knoll

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jessica Knoll. 

Hi Jessica, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers?
I started out cutting Barbie’s hair. After basically shaving all of their heads I moved to my own hair until a stylist told me if I continued, they’d shave my head. I quit but then later in life started box dying all of my friend’s hair. I would talk them into it. I loved doing the highlights in the cap! When I decided to go to school my mom talked me out of it. She kept telling me I wouldn’t make money and I needed a better job. (When I finally went to school, she saw how happy I was and is now my biggest supporter!) I started working in a Regis in the mall in Ohio and I think I learned more from those girls than I did in school. It was so fun just being there watching them. When I started educating at a school, I wanted all of the students to feel like that. After doing that for a few years I wanted to educate on a broader scale so I started educating with a color company. I got to see the bts of hair shows and be around all of the platform artists I had always looked up to. I have since left that and am now full-time at The Dry House, where I manage and do hair. Being here has brought me a lot of opportunities, working behind the chair, doing set work, hair for the Grammys. There has been a lot of fun things I’ve gotten to be a part of. I’m very thankful to be here and working with Ali! 

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I definitely wouldn’t say smooth. My very first salon I worked in was very very small. My first check for 2 weeks was $100. I freaked out and almost quit doing hair altogether. I moved a few times to different states and had to keep starting over. At one point I was working at 2 salons 7 days a week. I got burnt out and took a year off. Sometimes you have to take a break and make sure it’s what you need to do. I was lucky enough to have a husband and friends that knew how much I loved hair and helped steer me back to it. It hasn’t always been easy. But most things worth doing aren’t. 

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I don’t necessarily specialize in just one thing. There is a lot of things I enjoy doing. Color, especially blondes, extensions, and styling are what I’m enjoying the most right now. I think what sets me apart is I listen to my clients and try to give them exactly what they’re asking for. If I can’t (or don’t think it will look good) I talk to them and make sure to find a middle ground. I absolutely love when one of my clients come in for a blowout and I’m going through the hair thinking how good the color or extensions looks. It does make me proud of myself. I am always trying to learn new things. I am constantly watching educational videos online. I think in this industry if you stop learning you’re done. There is always something new coming out and I like being able to be on top of it and share that with my clients. 

What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
I’d say it’s my way that I adapt to my clients and their needs. I try to connect with everyone on some level. I like to feel like we’re on the same page before we start the hair. I also want everyone leaving my chair feeling more confident about themselves than before they came in. I think it’s important for all of my clients to feel special. 

Contact Info:

• Email: Jessicaknoll10@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/jess.knoll?utm_medium=copy_link
• Other: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZM8gXsrap/