Hair Baby turned Hair Hero, Jeff Kilcoyne grew up with Hair Nerd in the blood. Jeff has created curriculums for color companies big and small because his industry insight allows him to understand the needs of the stylists and salon owners. His attention to detail is second to none and he is an integral part of leading the True Hair Education team with his organizational skills, work ethic, and vision.

Give us your life story in 3 sentences or less.

3rd generation in the hair biz, should be a hair dynasty. Nearly 30 years, which seems like a lot because people change jobs and even careers so frequently, it seems. I really love our industry, I think I'll give it another 30 years lol.

As a salon owner, what do you find to be the biggest hardest aspect?

Training and longevity. The training aspect is what I get the most questions about. Where do I find good stylists? How should I train them? What if I train them up and then they leave? I have been right there living through those questions and I feel for everyone asking them. The longevity of employees, the longevity of people staying in the industry and what to invest in them.

What holes did you see in the industry that led you to create TRUE Education?

Hair cutting! Maybe that’s because I always worked for color brands, lol. Hair cutting classes don't really sell product so I feel like they are put on the lower shelf. Everyone wants the hot "New" haircut, so you learn the "It Cut" and put it on everyone, even if it doesn't look great🙁.

So that goes back to my soap box, or should that be shampoo box?, about unbranded education. Part of my goal introducing True Hair Education is to provide great hair cutting classes, among other things, to hair professionals in a fun and approachable way.

Why should stylists choose TRUE Education?

Unbranded, fun and approachable education driven by 3 people who are still in the "hair trenches" working just like the learner. We don't have any magic that’s going to make everything you do great but know that we've been there so if we can give you a shortcut that makes your journey better… that’s what we're here to provide.

You are a member of ABCH. What did the journey through membership look like? Why should others join?

I love this question! I do a mean color application and I know hair color chemistry but I am at heart a hair cutter. So I made becoming a member of ABCH a "prove it to myself goal". I wanted to wear that like a badge. There are very few ways to test your knowledge in our industry and even fewer organizations that stand behind that achievement in a brand free environment. For example, I worked for one company and went all the way through their "color certification" only to find out it was mostly how their product worked not how hair color chemistry works.

I think brands and company culture are amazing. For instance I am an "Apple guy" but at the end of the day my laptop helps me do things faster and flashier (is that a word) but it’s all my creative energy that I put into it. So I love a hair product brand and all they do but at the end of the day we individually are the "product". It takes a group like the ABCH to remind us that the knowledge is out there and no brand owns it.

If you could go back in time and give cosmetology student you one piece of advice, what would it be?

This is a tough one. I have made so many mistakes over the years, some small, some really expensive and everything in-between No one person/ company has all the answers. They've all got bits that you need to learn about at that point in your journey and process and put together so it works and makes sense to you thats how you grow. So be on the lookout for opportunities to learn but even more so opportunities to teach what you've learned thats how you know you've mastered something and you're giving a leg up to others.

Jeff’s Gram (also a hairdresser) was a babe!

3 hairdressers (dead or alive) you would love you work with and why...

My Gram, who is no longer with us, every time I worked on her hair she started off with "you know, when I was doing hair..." yea yea, Cleopatra liked her bangs cut this way and Marie Antoinette liked her wigs powdered this way. I used to roll my eyes as she was telling it but I never really saw her in her prime and that would be fun. I want to work with the hip, pin curled and finger waved Gram in her 20's who was probably snapping gum and gossiping. lol

Of course the great Vidal Sassoon, but not for the usual reasons. He had enormous success, obviously but how many mistakes did he make while achieving all those wins? I want to work with him on a day when his client walked up to the desk to pay and he leaned over to me and said "that looked like a dumpster fire, trust me i'll never do that again!" while waving and blowing kisses and reassuring her it looked great. You know, on one of those days, because we've all had them and I think we learn the most from those situations.

Kerri Hebb and Brenda Amaral, act like they're one person lol. I obviously already work with them but in a totally different capacity. We've only worked together on the education side of things, we all met doing education and went forward from there. What is it like to work one chair over from them in the actual salon, I wonder?? Would it be the Hair-topia we dream it would be or would we find ourselves trying to kill the other, you know "Death Becomes Her" style?

(Hair Nerd Side Note: Death Becomes Her is one of our favorite movies and we joke that we have to spray paint each other before Hair Shows.)

What is your desert island product?

I can't be mad at almost anything chocolate however milk duds are a crime. (ok you have to know I saw "Dessert Island" and started off by thinking why not just call it the "dessert table" but ok here's what I like from the dessert island) So I left that part in.

That being said I can't be without a shampoo thats also a face wash and a body wash.

What hair tragedy have you been guilty of sporting?

These are easily in the hair-trocity category but I though they looked good at the time.

I knew I was a Hair Nerd when...

I started my journey to become a platform artist or shortly there after, when I learned I, indeed did not know everything. Shocking revelation believe me. So I set out to consume information, be mentored by those greater than I and share what I had learned, that was when this Hair Nerd was born.

Stalk Jeff at:

Instagram @jrkilcoyne

Learn with Jeff at True Hair Education

Jeffrey Kilcoyne