Marissa Lauren was on the way to her newly opened salon when we caught up with her. “It’s a crazy time to open a salon, but it’s a good crazy,” she said. “I have amazing business partners and an amazing team.”

We love how Marissa, a Diamond.Key Educator and Diamond Cutting Key at KEVIN.MURPHY, is using her experience behind the chair and applying it to education in order to collaborate and better teach other hairdressers, which is the reason why we’ve chosen her as Premier Beauty’s January Educator of the Month!

How has your education background helped you open a salon?

The reason I wanted to open my salon, Salon Vie Rebelle, is because of all the education and guidance I got with KEVIN.MURPHY.

I’m all about really asking people...what is it that you’re missing? That’s my approach to education. What education do you feel like you’re missing behind the chair and in your salon?

Owning a salon myself—that's where I feel like the validity of what I do comes into play. I’m in the trenches with you. I know what clients are happy with and are not happy with.

If they know how to use it and are educated from you, they’ll trust you more and be more likely to purchase from you in the future.

What’s your favorite product from KEVIN.MURPHY?

Hands down, number one, my favorite product will always be ANTI.GRAVITY. It’s a old school setting lotion and it extends your blowout because of the lavender flower water that cuts down on oil production.

What's your approach to education?

I will always stick to “no man left behind." You will see light bulbs go off and on when you’re educating people. I want to make sure I’m giving people what they need so they’re successful and the brand is successful.

To engage stylists, repeat yourself and ask how they feel about the product. I’ll say something like “I’m using this for volume and moisture. How are you using the product?” I try to keep them involved and keep it conversational.

What are the common problems faced by stylists today?

Not enough people feel like they’re in control of their artistry. I want them to figure out who they are. I want to make sure we’re honoring and nurturing what they’re really great at. My value on this industry is education because this industry is changing so fast. If we’re not educating our clients, we all fall short.

It’s also about highlighting their weaknesses so they can work on those things. Sheldon Patinkin of Second City used to say, “You should have a nagging dissatisfaction for your work. You should always be evolving and look at your shortcomings. That’s what’s going to make you stronger.” You have to process it, not get emotional about it, and figure out how to utilize that information. You never lose, you only learn.

What do you want stylists to know about education?

If you become complacent, you’re not relevant anymore. Education and being open to something that pushes you out of your comfort zone is the most important thing. That’s how you hone your own artistry. We can achieve the same look in a different approach. Nothing is wrong, it’s just different!

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