Iles Formula Hair Talk Featuring Jessica Gonzalez of Salon Benjamin

This weeks Iles Formula Hair Talk Featuring Jessica Gonzalez is one you won't want to miss.  Jessica is an established colorist at Salon Benjamin in LA and she is sharing with us her favorite products and business tips.  Check out her Instagram to see more from Jessica.  @jesstheebesttcolor.

IF:  Tell us what you think is the biggest challenge in hairdressing today?

I think the biggest challenge in hairdressing today is trying to keep a realistic outlook for your clients when they are online looking at filtered photos and don’t see the work it takes to sometimes achieve these looks. Since I'm a colorist, I sometimes get clients that expect a very drastic result in one sitting, like dark brown to platinum with zero yellow undertones and still feel healthy.

IF:  What’s the most enjoyable part of your job?

I love being able to make peoples hair dreams come true, but also I love every part of my job.

IF:  Why did you choose the path of hairdressing and was it easy to fall into this work?

I chose to become a hairstylist because I knew I wanted to do something in the beauty industry.. I didn’t know what exactly, but I was always offering to do my friends hair in school. Originally I wanted to be a stylist and after a year or so of assisting at Sally Hershberger I came to the conclusion that it wasn’t for me! I then decided to try to pick up coloring and after that I was like this is it! I was born to do this!

IF:  If you had not made the decision to be a hairdresser what would you have been?

Honestly… I don’t know! I knew I wanted to be in beauty since I was in middle school, maybe something with fashion.

IF:  What is your greatest strength?

I think my greatest strength is I have become pretty versatile. I love doing natural pretty color but I can also do colorful not so natural color. I pride myself in being able to do anything color wise and my clientele is  also very diverse.

IF:  Your favorite hairdressing tools?

I'm obsessed with my farmer balayage brushes for hair painting and Ibiza hair brushes for blow drying!

IF:  Tell us about your relationship with Iles Formula. How you discovered us and which formula is your favorite?

I discovered Iles because Salon Benjamin introduced me to it and since then I’ve been obsessed!! It works great on my hair, and I'm pretty low maintenance when it comes to my hair so I like a wash and go type of style.  The Finishing Serum makes it look like I used a curling iron but I just air dried!

IF:  What was the most challenging job you ever had?

Most challenging … hmm. There is this one job that still haunts me. I showed up to a high profile clients house to do her hair. I'd been speaking with her assistant about what she wanted to get done, so I show up to find out she wants to do something completely different. So.. I embarrassingly had to tell her I couldn't do it because I didn’t have the product. From that day on, I always bring everything with me to house calls.

IF:  What was your worst hair moment and why…. privately or on set/stage or in the salon?  

My worst hair moment was.. After graduating beauty school I had the WORST color and haircut, to where my boss at Sally Hershberger just told me I had to “ grow it out “ so for 8 months I grew it out, I had the most awkward grow out from a layered bob. It was awful, looking back at pictures it was so bad.

IF:  If you could style anyone’s hair, who would it be and why?

Since I don’t style hair and I don’t have a specific person in mind. I would love to coordinate hair color for a runway show. Specifically Margiela or Marc Jacobs, they always have a funkier aesthetic.

IF:  Where do you pull hair inspiration from?

Since I only color, I'm obsessed with the way virgin hair gets sun bleached, for example when you see kids with really nice long hair and it is perfectly ombre or highlighted.

IF:  Your advice to young hairdressers starting out?

I'd highly recommend assisting a stylist or colorist you admire and want to work similar to. I learned so much through my assisting years that has shaped me to be the colorist I am today! Also don’t get discouraged, hard work always pays off, I assisted for about 2 -3 years.

IF:  Thank you Jessica for sharing with us!