Oleg Sotsky about taboos at work, his first client and his school

In an interview with Your Hair magazine, Oleg spoke about his path to the profession, approach to work, training and shared the secret of being in demand.

Oleg, your experience in the profession is more than 20 years. How did you realize that you wanted to engage in hairdressing?

Yes, I have a very long work experience. I remember that from early childhood, going to the hairdresser was torture for me, as for many children. I understood that here they would simply fool you quickly - they would give you a standard haircut, and tomorrow in class you would again be an object of ridicule until you “overgrow” a little and again become like a person. Therefore, I didn’t even think about being a hairdresser, much less for so long. Although at that time everyone knew that hairdressers, trade workers and dentists were very wealthy people.

I ended up in this profession quite by accident in the literal sense of the word: I just got confused one day and opened the wrong door at the Fashion Development Center of Ukraine. This was the first make-up artist course in our country, and it was taught by the French, because no one knew what make-up was in the dashing 90s. Everything worked out for me because, in parallel with my general education, I graduated from art school with excellent marks and knew everything about color, combinations of shades, and had a taste and vision of beauty.

Quite a bit of time passed - and this was not enough to create a complete image. I had to master the art of hairdressing. Then even this was not enough, stylistics came. That is, education progressed consciously, step by step, with an understanding of what I needed in working with clients.

Tell us about your first client.

Of course, my first clients were friends, then friends of friends, then their parents and relatives. And then word of mouth worked. At this time, I was already teaching makeup and a course on hairstyles and hair care at a modeling agency and worked closely with the Kirovograd Hairdressing Center.

I don’t remember any incidents, complaints or terrible incidents - that means everything was fine. And people liked my work. At that time, such images were new and in demand in the city, because the hairstyles were different from those offered in salons and hairdressers. Therefore, I gradually acquired a clientele and gained experience.

Are there any taboos in your work? If yes, which ones?

I didn't even think about it. I am not just a master hairdresser or a stylist in a salon, but a creative person who creates trends, fashionable images, step-by-step educational technologies for haircuts, hairstyles, coloring, and my own collections for professional magazines.

When the desire to create is boiling in you, when you work every day on your level of professionalism, when you have many regular clients, what taboos can there be?!

The only thing that can make me refuse a job is if I don’t like the person. No matter who he is, no matter what money he offers, I will not take him on. For such a situation, the proverb “It is better to lose with a smart person than to find with a fool” is well suited.

Which of your colleagues are you interested in? Whose work do you like?

I have many colleagues who always have something to learn from or take on something new for themselves and their work. All of them are interesting people with enormous potential who are part of the creative teams of global hair cosmetics manufacturers. I meet them at international business forums, attend their master classes and seminars. We continue further communication and exchange of experience on social networks. To name someone and not to name someone is wrong. There are many of them, and they live in different countries.

What style/school/techniques of haircuts do you prefer and why?

I work with each individual individually, taking into account the person’s lifestyle, age, hair color, eyes, skin tone, face and head shape, physique. Therefore, it is impossible to single out one specific school or haircut style. All factors work together. I listen to a person’s wishes, I myself offer what, in my opinion, will suit him best. It’s nice when a person comes and completely trusts the master, expecting a wonderful result.

There are times when it is difficult for a client to give up his usual shape and break his own stereotype, but you see that a new haircut, an interesting shade of hair can completely change a person. And you do your job - confidently, knowing that everything will be fine. At first, a new image may seem unusual and even uncomfortable. But after several days - a maximum of a week of wear - you get used to it and accept yourself in a new image. They also receive compliments and attention from others, which only add bonuses to the master. After this, the client is yours and completely trusts you! And he only remembers his fears and concerns with a smile. Therefore, the main thing is not school or even cutting techniques. Communication with a person, the ability to find a common language and trust between the master and the client - this is what will make you in demand. Nowadays you need to be a good psychologist when working with people.

Tell us about your SOTSKYY PROFESSIONNEL School.

School is a big word. Nowadays there are enough educational institutions to suit every taste and budget. I set a different task for my Hairdressing Fashion House. I don't teach from scratch. It is more important for me to find a young master who has just completed his studies without work experience, but with a bucket of creative passion and a desire to grow in the profession, and to direct him in the right direction, to give him the opportunity to become a stylist after several years of practice and training. I strive to consider the talent and desire not to just stand in the salon, but to constantly develop, create images, work on video shoots, in cinema, to be successful, to understand styles, fashion, psychology. There are very few such people, because it is hard everyday work - to move forward step by step and achieve your goal, and not just wait by the client’s chair. Many people don’t even understand how important it is to attend master classes, shows of world stylists and, if possible, to develop themselves, to be subscribed to pages in the networks of leading and recognized professionals, to be inspired by new ideas and try to repeat them yourself. And SOTSKYY PROFESSIONNEL is an opportunity to give a young master something that is not taught in any school: a chance to become happy and successful and at the same time love his work all his life.

Oleg, you have experience participating in a number of international competitions. How do competition works differ from salon and wearable works?

I was lucky - in my life there were city, regional, and all-Ukrainian competitions, championships in hairdressing. And later I collaborated with international cosmetics brands and took part in international competitions. Based on the experience gained, I can say that competitive work must be performed on the basis of clear standards, certain rules of techniques that are rarely applicable in everyday work in a salon. All of them are very outdated and irrelevant today. And even more so they will not be relevant tomorrow.

Speaking about international competitions, it should be noted that they are often held by famous cosmetics manufacturers who are not interested in anyone’s victory. They are looking for new names, new shapes, coloring options, haircuts, and hairstyles. This is done primarily to inspire craftsmen around the world and promote new coloring techniques and develop current color palettes.

For me, such competitions are more interesting - they provide more opportunities to realize oneself as a professional. If you want to live a full creative life, you must take part in competitions, and the result is not important. The process itself and the experience that you gained during the preparation for the competition are valuable, and in the best case, victory.

What is the difference between the style preferences of Ukrainian girls and European girls ?

This question can be answered without hesitation! If you are abroad in any city in the world, then you will see and recognize a Ukrainian, Russian or Belarusian woman right away! Our girls need everything, at once and more. This applies to hair, makeup, tattoos, clothes, and accessories. People all over the world have played enough of this show and high prices back in the last century. They are now interested in global things, such as climate change, planet pollution, overpopulation, refugees, lack of drinking water, the inability to have children, lack of communication with real people (after all, almost all life is spent on the Internet) and other important things. I don’t want to lecture - we don’t understand this yet and because of this we overestimate appearance. It seems to us that the way we look emphasizes our status (if we have one, of course) and makes us more significant. But I believe that thanks to professional hairdressers, eyebrow artists, cosmetologists, and clothing stylists, our girls will begin to look like Europeans over time. But this will not happen soon: evolution is a long journey. I can only wish one thing: change or emphasize your appearance, individuality without fanaticism, adhere to the rule “less is more.”

Your advice to aspiring hairdressers.

I advise beginners and those who plan to connect their lives with hairdressing to think carefully and adequately weigh all the pros and cons, talk to people who have been in the profession for a long time and can give practical and intelligent advice. Now our profession, like the fashion industry as a whole, is going through a difficult period in its development and desire to stay afloat. It's no secret that luxury, luxury, VIP salons are no longer interesting to the client. That is, people who used to visit them no longer spend that kind of money - either they no longer need it, or they have been living abroad for a long time. And the next generation of clients count their money and understand that you can look good or take care of your hair in an inexpensive salon with a good hairdresser.

Our profession is not a fairy tale and an opportunity to earn easy money. This is hard daily work, often thankless. Sometimes you want to give up everything and look for yourself in someone else. But always try to believe in the best, look for opportunities, strive to work with established masters, learn from them and adopt experience and knowledge. This is not given to everyone, but you should always try!

Yes, there are many hairdressers, fewer good ones, and those who can teach something or guide you on the right path and recognize this talent are very few. So think again and make the right choices in your life before venturing into the world of beauty.

Development and creative mood to everyone!