Stylist teaches hair care
Steven Lawrence is a stylist and content creator. Photos submitted
By Tom Victoria
Steven Lawrence knows how to maintain beautiful hair as evidenced by his long flowing golden locks. The sylist and content creator posts about hair care and wellness.
The New York state stylist, who uses Stevie Snips on social media, explained his social media content.
"I do a lot of hair care content," he said. "I do a lot of wellness content. I like to have a good balance between tutorials and entertainment, which I'm still trying to find that balance. I try to be as consistent as I can, but I work 48 hours a week, so it's very hard to stay balanced on top of mental health and everything else. I do mainly hair care content, but also over on YouTube, I do random vlogs. My goal is to not only teach but to also entertain. I would love to be a math professor. That would be my dream job, which is shocking when a lot of people hear me say that, but, unfortunately, I cannot. I did not go down that route. So this is a good outlet for me to not only teach but to entertain."
Steven, 18, of New York said his hair wasn't always so luxurious.
"I definitely had to discover a way to maintain it, but I was a little lucky," he said. "My mom was a hairstylist. She always worked out of her house. My hair was long as a kid up until I was probably 4 or 5. I was always her model on her postings on Facebook or Craigslist or whatever. I had a normal boy haircut for probably up until I was 11. Then I grew it out again. The first time I cut it off, we donated it. I was 5. I donated again when I was 13. I definitely have fried my hair with bleach. I've done all the colors of the rainbow. A lot of people comment on my videos, they're like, I'm a girl and you have better hair than me or I do this and I do that and you have better hair than me. And I'm like, yeah, because I treat my hair as a job. I spend a lot of time and care and research. I'm a very sciency person. I love learning about the trichology of it all. I definitely would want to be somewhat of a trichologist one day. I love skin, I love hair and I do my research. A lot of people look at me and think that I'm just some guy with pretty hair. But no, I do a lot of behind-the-scenes work to maintain it. It doesn't just naturally fall this great."
Steven said maintaining nice hair is predicated on how it's cleaned.
"There's a lot of people wash their hair wrong," he said. "A lot of people put shampoo on, they use some cheap shampoo, which is not inherently bad. There's a lot of stigma, especially with professionals, whether they are trying to sell you something or whatever. I like to look at it as objectively as possible. It matters what shampoo you're using, but you need to wash your hair correctly. Nobody should have to wash their hair every day unless they have some kind of medical anomaly or they are washing it wrong. If you're washing your hair right, you should be able to go at least two days. Or if you're working out every day, something like that. You should be double cleansing, double shampooing every time. The first shampoo you do is really just getting that outer grime off of your hair, but it's not getting your scalp clean. That's something that goes over people's head because no one really tells you when you're a kid how you have to wash your hair. They're just throwing you in the bath and they're trying to get on with their day. They don't really care."
Steven said folks don't need to make drastic changes to improve their hair.
"You look into people's lives and there are such simple fixes that can make such a big difference," he said. "You don't have to spend $1 million on products. You don't have to, obviously they'll help. A lot of people have this disconnect where they go to the salon and they spend hundreds of dollars to get highlights or color or whatever, but then they're using $5 products. Meanwhile, they're like, well, this person's hair who has never colored their hair before, they use the same products as me and it looks fine. Well, you have compromised the structural integrity of your hair. Your hair is completely different than this person. So yeah, they might be able to get away with using Pantene and their hair looks fine. You're not gonna be able to do that nine times outta 10 unless you win the genetic lottery, then good for you. But you're probably not asking these questions. If your scalp isn't healthy, if your scalp isn't clean, then your hair isn't healthy and your hair isn't clean. It all comes to the scalp."
Steven said people tend to want instant results instead of learning proper hair care.
"They just want results instantly, and they don't really care to take the time or learn how something works," he said. "I work at a salon. I wash so much hair every day. When I tell you eight out of 10 people right here is dirty even if this front's clean, if they've washed their hair today, this part is dirty. A lot of people don't want to take the time to learn how to properly wash their hair. They don't want to take the time to research anything. They expect results from no work. I get a lot of comments, and I'm the type of person that wants to answer all these comments and give my knowledge and make as many videos as I can. But at the end of the day, a lot of people just don't want to learn. It's frustrating. I definitely relate to that. A lot of the time, I want instant results, too, but it's a skill. It's not something you're born to know how to do to take care of yourself."
Steven said people can take steps to avoid balding as well.
"In this context, we're talking male pattern baldness, which is usually a receding hairline and crown thinning," he said. "People usually keep their hair from the parietal ridge down. A big thing that people don't realize is that male sweat or women with PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome) or a testosterone imbalance contains DHT, and DHT is the number one cause of hair loss. I had a friend in high school, he would do football and he would wear the helmet all the time. He would never take it off for some reason. He was balding, and it was because he was sweating so much and training so much. Even when he was training, he was wearing the helmet, which I don't know why he was doing that, but he was literally balding. I was like, dude, you need to go to the dermatologist and stop wearing your helmet. Your sweat is literally causing your recession. There's a lot of day-to-day things that cause that. But minoxidil and finasteride for men is a great preventative measure. If you're even worried about balding, you have to nip it in the bud once the inkling in your mind is there, because once the hair follicle is gone, there's nothing you can do. Once the skin is shiny and there's no hair coming out of it, there's nothing you could do. But if even if you have the thinnest, thinnest, thinnest semblance of hair left, you can save it."
Steven said the surest bet is taking the pill form of hair restoration medication.
"A lot of people talk about rosemary oil and how it has the same benefits as minoxidil," he said. "Even if theoretically something like that could work, putting a topical oil on your scalp — minoxidil does have a topical solution — I always recommend the oral. Even if something like that would work, you're bound to miss a spot. You're bound to not do it right every day. So it's better to just take it orally. It's a saving grace for either preventative measure or if you still happen to have the hair follicle, you can bring it back. Obviously, it probably will never be what it once was with age and environment. But a lot of people give up hope. And that's something that I try not to do. I try to bend the rules."
Steven pointed out there are multiple avenues to enhance how thick hair looks.
"A lot of people don't realize how many people have hair extensions or an install or some kind of thing," he said. "A lot. There are so many people walking down the street you wouldn't even know. If you even think you're thinning a little bit, or you even just want to prevent it, you can go on minoxidil even if you don't think you're balding. You'll probably just grow more hair. And who doesn't want more? It is really an expression of oneself, whether you rock your natural hair or you wear braids or you dye your hair or whatever. Then losing that can be so heartbreaking for so many people. But there's so many things you can do. There's so many ways to hide it. If you're balding on one side, you could do a side part. If you have alopecia, it becomes a little harder to hide. But even then, there's so many styles you can do. There's so many wraparounds and hats and accessories and whatever that you can hide and build a new form of self-expression."
Steven said some hair can't handle drastic color changes.
"There's a lot of people with extremely fine hair that want to go blonde," he said. "You have to compromise with hair. If you want to curl your hair every day, you probably shouldn't bleach your hair. But if you want to be blonde, you probably shouldn't curl your hair every day. You probably shouldn't blow dry it every day. You have to make a little bit of sacrifices. You have to take care of it with the right products and the right methods. You have to make some sacrifices here and there. I don't straighten my hair because my hair is straight. But if I want to curl my hair with a curling iron, once a month max for an event or something. Heatless styles are something that I preach. I'm preaching to everyone because it's such an easy thing to learn. There are so many ways to protect and learn, and a lot of people just don't want to do that. So that's a big thing of why I like to entertain, because it keeps people's attention more and helps them learn something. But every single person in my opinion should come in for a consultation if they want to do anything drastic to their hair. If they want to go to a salon, they should do a consultation so the hairstylist can assess their hair and know what they're working with. There's a lot of people you can lie to, but you should not lie to your doctor, your lawyer or your hairdresser. Even lemon or sun in your hair can have a chemical reaction with the bleach, and then your hair is going to melt off. You can do as many test strands if you want, but the stylist doesn't know if you don't tell them. Obviously, if someone has box dye in their hair, you can tell that. But adjust your expectations is what I would say. Sometimes it's not gonna happen on the first session."
Steven said some people can dye their own hair under the right circumstances.
"There's also a lot of people want things that you could do at home," he said. "You don't have to spend $300, $400. I shouldn't be saying that cause I work at a hair salon and I'm a cosmetologist. If you want to be pampered and get it done for you, then go ahead. But a lot of people are just as happy with a $10 box dye from the grocery store. But there's also people that aren't happy with the $10 box dye from the grocery store and then have to come to the salon to get it fixed, and then they end up spending more money. So I would say look at your expectations, look at what you're starting with, how far away is it and what do you think your skill level is. You think you can do it yourself? By all means, go ahead. But if you don't, I would suggest not even trying it yourself and just going to a professional in the first place."
Steven said there's a style for everyone, which helps make the job gratifying.
"It's such a matter of personal expression," he said. "It is such a rewarding thing when people are happy. I would argue that it's maybe not at first, and it definitely doesn't seem this way when you're going through it until the end. But when someone doesn't like their hair and you fix it, and then they like it, I would argue that that's even more rewarding. You might have to offer a free service, you might have to spend hours fixing it, but I would argue that is so much more of a learning experience. That is rewarding not only for them, but for you."
Steven enjoys the creativity of his work.
"For creative people, it's a great creative outlet," he said. "It is a wonderful creative outlet because the only limit is what you know how to do, really."
Steven has an Amazon storefront.
"I only ever post products I have personally tried," he said. "And I put budget-friendly options for my baddies on a budget as well as the products and tools that I currently use."
Steven always was interested in hair care.
"I would say as a child," he said. "I don't remember a time I wasn't, honestly."
Steven also has posted on YouTube since he was a kid.
"I've actually been making content for a really long time," he said. "I uploaded my first YouTube video when I was about 5 years old. I've made 10 different channels, and it's been a lot of experimenting with video editing and recording. But this is the first time it's ever been my face and me actually doing it. So it's definitely been a new experience for me."
Steven could have pursued a number of career paths.
"I really wanted to be some kind of dermatologist, trichologist," he said. "I was taking all these AP (Advanced Placement) and IB (International Baccalaureate) courses. I graduated valedictorian. It's very funny to people that I am doing what I'm doing given my prerequisites. A lot of people tell me that you're wasting your knowledge, you're wasting your potential. There's so many other things you could be doing. Besides the fact that I can't afford college, this is a good route for me, and I am happy to be doing it."
No matter what lies ahead for Steven, he wants to continue making content.
"As much as I like working at a salon and all those things, I don't know if I'm going to be doing that forever," he said. "I've been into hair my whole life, but also content really holds a special place in my heart. It's much harder nowadays to be taken seriously with that. Even 10 years ago, it wasn't really taken seriously. But I've been doing YouTube since I was 5 years old, and that is something that I really want to do. I want to keep doing hair care content and educating people. It's so much easier to read a wider audience of people online and communicate with people online rather than either being a stationary teacher where you're only teaching a certain number of people or a traveling educator. You don't make any money. But there's a good balance between wisdom and power. I don't really care about fame and glory and money. Obviously, you need money to survive, but there's a good balance between both. It's very hard for me to stay consistent with one thing versus another between working and content and just keeping up with life. But content is definitely the main thing that I would like to focus on. I'm working right now, so it can't be my full-time job, but that is definitely the main thing that I want to do in the future."
Despite Steven's stunning appearance, he's never thought of modeling.
"Growing up, I never thought I was pretty," he said. "I was never treated that way. I was definitely an ugly duckling. I started posting on social media, and I was definitely scared to post my face. I had a gaming channel. I did a lot of faceless content and was very scared to post online for the first time because of my insecurities. I thought I was gonna get relentlessly bullied and clowned on, and then I wouldn't wanna do it anymore. But I was like, okay, just post and see where it goes. I'm the type of person that's way too hard on myself and not to give myself enough credit for everything. And I'm always like, oh, I didn't do anything today. I didn't whatever. But every time I get older, I like to look back on what I did that age. I didn't realize how much I had grown in a year. On combined platforms, I amassed almost 100,000 followers. I've taught. I've talked with so many great people. I've made so many great connections. But with modeling and everything, I never thought I could do that. There was one woman at work who does commercials for e.l.f. and she asked me would you ever be interested in that? I don't know if I would ever have time. If the opportunity comes knocking, great. But that's never something that I thought I would be able to do. I've always been carried by my wisdom and humor, not exactly my looks."
The social media audience found Steven’s offerings appealing.
"There's definitely a balance there that you have to strike," he said. "I also got lucky. The first video back in October of last year that blew up on Instagram, it was luck with the algorithm and everything. But I think it was just me being a catfish because everyone in the comments thought I was a girl and I wasn't a girl. The comments were like, oh wait, this guy has really pretty hair. And then it spiraled from that. There's definitely a balance and anyone who wants to do it, it's important to find what makes you, you and how you can present that to other people."
Along with content creation, Steven squeezes in other hobbies.
"I like to work out, bake and paint," he said.
Steven said he's not always motivated to create content, but eventually finds the incentive once he starts the process.
"Motivation is never something that I like to rely on because I never really feel motivated," he said. "I have to force myself to start doing something, and it feels like you're walking on hot coal. Usually 5, 10 minutes into doing something, the motivation finds you, and then you ride that high until it's done. So do I know how to fix procrastination? No. But for motivation, I would say set a timer, start it for five minutes, and nine times out of 10, you probably keep going."
Steven dispensed advice to aspiring stylists.
"Do not do this job if you want money," he said. "If you just want money, it is not the job for you. If you wanna go work at a blow dry bar and do 20 blow dries a day, then go ahead. If you don't really wanna do anything with color, by all means, go ahead and do that. But that's another thing about adjusting your expectations. This is something where you're gonna be doing continuing education all your life. You're never gonna stop learning. You're gonna spend a lot of money. You're gonna fuck up a lot of people's hair and you're gonna learn. It's something that takes years and years and years. It is definitely mentally taxing and draining, especially at first in cosmetology school. I had some great friends from there. I love a school environment. I love education. I love everything like that. Hell on earth. Hated it. But then once I got out of it and started working in a real salon, I was immediately happier. Immediately made a huge difference. It is a very mentally taxing job. Physically taxing, too. You're on your feet all day. You really have to love it and you have to want to do it. And at the end of the day, when you do do something right, the happiness you get rewards you enough to put all the mental anguish behind you."
Steven said stylists have to be ready to serve as amateur psychologist.
"If I was a detective and I had to solve a murder case, I would go to the hairdresser first, 100 percent," he said. "A lot of people get turned off to this job because they don't have the energy, the personality for it. I'm the type of person where I can turn it on at work and then turn it off when I get home and just pass out. But between therapist, a couples counselor and a comedian, there's a lot of different conversations that you're gonna have with clients. I love to talk, so it's great for me. Me and my boss, if we're doing a highlight, and it's gonna take two hours just to put the foils in, if the person is matching our freak, it's a great time. It makes the day go by so much quicker. There's some people who just want a silent appointment and that's fine, too. If you show me what you want, I'll try my best. But I love clients where they're so witty and the humor is there. It's probably one of the best parts of the job. Even though, yes, sometimes you do have to be the therapist, you also get to be a comedian and a listener a lot of the time. There's a lot of fun stories to listen to. That's probably one of my favorite parts of the job is the jack of all trades, master of none, but sometimes better than a master at one part of it."
Steven said getting through cosmetology school is the first part of the process.
"If you can get through cosmetology school, you can be a hairstylist," he said. "Another important thing after you get out of college is either finding a good spot to work at where you get along with everyone or working for yourself and learning, learning, learning, learning as much as possible. I would take one of those two paths."
Steven said anyone wanting to start a YouTube channel should move forward.
"Do it," he said. "If you want to do it, there's no reason not to. You're not going to spend $16,000 doing it. You could literally pick up your phone and use iMovie, or I never really used it, but CapCut's pretty good. It's on your phone. There's so many resources. If you just want to do, if it's something you're passionate about and you just want to share it with other people, do it. There's literally nothing stopping you other than yourself. Just do it."
Steven's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@steviesnips
Steven's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/steviesnips/