We all know that being a hairstylist can be busy, exhausting, and even chaotic. So, it takes a special kind of person to run their own salon on top of that. It takes massive dedication, patience, and energy to run a successful salon. Industry veteran Gregga Prothero, owner and lead stylist of Gregga LA in Los Angeles, embodies all of these character traits.

"As anyone whose main job revolves around working with people knows, there is always chaos involved, and being a hairstylist, especially one with her own salon is no different," Gregga says. "That being said, after 17 years in the business, I’ve tried to develop a routine that helps me operate at my best so my clients look and feel their best."

Check out this deep dive of what Gregga's typical day is like.

 A Day in the Life

7am-7:30am: Setting aside some “me” time is so crucial, even if it’s only 15 minutes. I know it’s easier said than done at certain times of our lives but I try my best to incorporate this to start my day. I’m being social all day, so to just sit in quiet and relax by myself is a good way to just be able to mentally prepare for a hectic day. 

7:30am: COFFEE yes, I need to make coffee in the morning, the smell of fresh coffee wakes me up. Then I have two kitties meowing for their breakfast, so I feed them their wet food. Pets can bring happiness.

8am-9am: My husband and I see our personal trainers who are our friends. I’m doing this to keep strong and to strengthen my back and core muscles. After almost 2 decades in the industry I’ve come to understand a strong core is what lets me make it through the day. Hair styling is an endurance and strength job.

9:15-10:15am: Take a shower, hair, makeup & outfit (which I pre plan the night before to save time) My clients come to me as an expert in my field, so making sure my own hair lives up to that is crucial.

10:30am: Head to the salon before my first client (I like to start at 11am). I prep the salon, open the blinds, turn some music on, water my salon plants if they need it, set up my work tray for my client’s service. If needed, do some little tidying up (sweep some loose hair, check on towels, etc…). Chat with the stylists and see how they’re doing, what type of services they have for the day, and hype them up, reminding them that they all got this. I really care for my team, and seeing their growth and success is another fulfilling moment in my daily routine.

11am-7pm: Go time! Seeing our awesome clients is why I joined this field. This is also the most chaotic portion of the day. I usually have color appointments which are just as much science as art. For those I’ll be in the back calculating and mixing their color formulas, then applying to the hair and calculating the time the process needs to run. No matter how much discussion you have with the clients ahead of time, until you see their hair, you never know exactly what process you need to come up with. During the client's processing time I’ll sit down and eat something, but sometimes it’s not that easy, so I’ll bring things to munch on or grab a green smoothie from our neighbors at Lemon Poppy Kitchen. Before and after each client, I always clean my hair station by sweeping all the hair, spraying and wiping down the chair, putting away used combs, brushes, tools and switching to the unused sanitized tools for the next client.

7:30pm-8:30pm: Wrap things up. After my last client, I clean and sanitize my used tools with Barbicide, making sure all my tools are clean and ready for the next day. Then I check on color, backbar, cleaning supplies, drinking water and product inventory to see if any items are running low, and check our dry erase board where the stylists write down any products they need. Then, I do a last look around to see if the shampoo bowls, dryers and hair stations need an extra wipe down. Fortunately, all the stylists here are always on top of that. Finally, even though it’s been a long day, I take in my salon and be thankful before I close up and head home.