I chose beauty and became a hairdresser because going to beauty school got me out of high school. I dropped out my sophomore year. My dad was a stylist and figured beauty school would keep me out of trouble. Initially I stayed in beauty school not because I especially loved doing hair, but because of the very favorable boy to girl ratio. After a while, I realized I had a natural talent for the artistry and creativity of hairdressing.

I liked the idea of being able to create shapes and different looks with hair, completely changing someone's look. I saw how a hair cut could make someone not just look different, but feel different. I could give a shy person some attitude, and make an uptight customer feel a little more carefree and laid back. Growing up, I was really into drawing and building things out of just about anything I could get my hands on. This translated into my work as a stylist. The more I did hair, the more I loved it, and the more creative I became.

My life in Los Angeles has been the basis of my inspiration.  I was approached to be a bassist in a rock band because of my look. When I explained to the guys that I didn't have a musical bone in my body, they offered to teach me for free and, three months later, I was on stage at Whisky A Go Go!  To this day, I can only play the one set we needed. But being in that rock-'n'- roll scene made me want to bring some of that LA, street-wise attitude into my work even more. I went from stylist to salon owner, and owned salons for 15 years. It was through owning salons and training my employees that I realized I had a huge passion for education.

I believe everyone needs to grow, and growing comes through both teaching and being taught. It has been my experience that not enough companies are giving away education. Some companies require a salon or product retailer to buy a certain amount of product in order to receive education on their product.

In 2006, I decided to be proactive and create my own educational program and I needed products to work with. I envisioned a product that would reflect both my personality and my attitude about creative and free styling. So, Badass Hair was born. I never planned on it becoming a product company, but the quality of the products far exceeded my expectations. When I realized the demand for a fresh, new line like Badass Hair, I decided to take the leap and put all my efforts into it. I sold my salons and dove into product production. Now, three years and 29 products later, I want the whole world to know about Badass Hair. I am also excited to have a line I am confident and very proud of "Badass Hair University," which will launch later this year. This is education you're getting no matter how much or how little you spend with me.

 Choose Beauty: Scott Fontana

Scott Fontana

Stylist, educator, and owner of Badass Hair

Year I obtained my beauty license: 1985

For reprint and licensing requests for this article, Click here.

Read more about