Matt Scott

Tell us about the moment you knew that one day you would be a hair stylist?

The moment I knew I wanted to be a hair stylist came when I was sitting in Roddy Colòn’s (@RTGTMIAMI) barbershop, watching him, and Henry Lopez (@Henlo_) work. Figured I always had some sort of eye for aesthetic since I was a kid, as I was attracted to video games with better graphics than better gameplay.
It’s funny, I never really thought much about doing hair, really… and I always wondered how barbers actually made money, as my ignorance was fueled by a family that wanted me to go to law school since my mother works within the oldest law firm in Miami.
Roddy has an insane clientele, that basically keeps his books full for sometimes four months straight – and at the time, I was getting worn out from working the club business as a promoter and… distributor of goods.
So I started asking questions to both Roddy and Henry, I mean, I was in the barbershop almost every week.. and I’ve always been a curious one. And I’ll never forget when Roddy told me something along the lines of “if you’re going to go to barber school, don’t talk about it, just do it” – I like discipline… sometimes… and I figured what the hell, I’ve worked retail, the restaurant business, marketing and public relations jobs, selling designer drugs, DJ’d here and there… let’s do something that’ll make me an honest living, while helping others, and you know… not get myself into prison? Took that whole weekend to think, and showed up to a barber school that next Tuesday.

I later found myself in Paul Mitchell and well, the rest is history.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

Five years, eh? Well, I’m new to California so I’m still figuring out if I want to live here in LA or not… so five years down the road, it would be nice to be established within a salon, working with an amazing team where we all build each other up, regardless of our creative differences..
Financial freedom would be nice, too.. but we live in the States so we’ll see if that’ll actually happen. And with said hypothetical financial freedom, I’d be traveling the world – as I actually long to be a wanderlust.

A product you would pay (gasp) retail for…

A will to live, if they were offering it. (terrible millennial joke, I know.. at least I thought it was funny)
I’m not too sure about this one, to be honest.. I’ve been trying to save my money so much that I don’t really spend too much money on myself since I live paycheck to paycheck (salon assistants, I’m writing this shit for you!).. Although I’d really love a sandwich press so I can make some bomb ass Cuban sandwiches… mmmm Cuban food, it’s one of the reasons why I’m fat.

What’s one thing you would have told yourself on the first day of cosmetology school knowing what you know now?

Shut the fuck up and stop trying to be charismatic in your own annoying way – this isn’t the club business…
Or just shut the fuck up, that usually works.
Also, quit Paul Mitchell and go to a cosmo school that’s way cheaper… nothing against Paul Mitchell, I just don’t like student loans.. am I right?!?!

What do you think the biggest struggle stylists are experiencing in the industry today?

The gumption to keep working at the craft… see, most of us who are fresh out of school, or have relocated and need to acquire a clientele, augment our income with a second, or even third job.. thus a lot of us younger stylists/apprentices don’t see the money right away, causing us to give up on our craft as bills don’t stop and grow larger.
No one these days can live off of an assistant job within a big city unless you’re living in a rent-controlled spot (good luck with that one) or you’re still living at home.. and even then, you’re still just getting by.. So when someone gets paid anywhere from $800-$1,000 a week working at a restaurant… hell, even $500 a week, and they don’t even make that much money within the salon, because we’re living within a country where money speaks volumes, people begin to get weary; working long hours for low wages, and then having to practice at a craft, and practice incessantly, is costly to someone’s well being.
I can’t speak for everyone, I’m using my own experiences as an example.. but put it this way… from the class I graduated in, and mind you there were fourteen people, maybe fifteen.. I’m the only one that’s doing hair…
Again, I’M THE ONLY ONE out of FIFTEEN people, doing hair.

Something most people don’t know about you.

I put cold apples in the microwave – yes, I refrigerate my apples… and if you don’t, you’re weird…
and I don’t like hair on my chest, or back… and it’s terrible because I can’t shave my entire back… so I have two patches at the bottom of my gods-damn shoulder blades and I don’t think my roommates are willing to shave it for me… breaks my heart…

What traumatic hairstyle have you been guilty of rocking?

Oh Gods….. I remember when I was young, I used to sort of kind of spike my short hair up, or well mess it around like a crop from past the apex, till mid crown, and had a fringe and everyone thought it was stupid.. now, the crop is back, and those same assholes who would make fun of me are now wearing it – I’ve even cut a few for them.

Words of advice you live by…

Oh man, there are so many obscure quotes that random dead guys have said in the past that I can write here…
I guess a few words I truly follow:
Live with fear (I’ve constant anxiety and waking up in the morning and getting out of bed is a daily challenge.. but you’ve to keep moving)
Fight with courage (keep pushing on, for you’re not alone, even when you feel alone – as I CONSTANTLY do because of said anxiety I suffer from),
Die with honor (don’t be a shitty person for personal gain, it leads you nowhere in life, and leaves you empty inside…. trust me….)

I knew I was a Hair Nerd when…

I began immersing myself within the industry, and talking about hair as much as a Crossfitter talks about Crossfit..

Where can people stalk you?

You can find me @Mscotthair on instagram, and I also run the social media for my salon @efoxxhair.

My hair page is also my personal page so here and there I’ve stupid rants about anything, I’ll take you on my adventures while I hike, and I also troll the people I work with by zooming into their faces during certain times, like when they’re eating and such.. most of the aforementioned is on my story.