2018 MODERN SALON 100: Grace Joo @colorwithgrace

Creamy blondes, icy platinums, cool beiges and pretty much any kind of blonde you can imagine, Grace Joo can create them.  She is also a marvel at taking dark, grown-out roots and blending them into a perfect, zero-line-of-demarcation, finish.

 Grace Joo

@colorwithgrace

Palette Salon Studios, Pasadena, California

Specialty: Blondes

Followers: 26k

Most viral post: My client came in with so many different colors and uneven highlights everywhere and I completely transformed her hair into a nice blend. It got featured on almost all the major hair Instagrams.

Favorite apps: Facetune is perfect for blurring out the background to make the picture pop, Layout for before and after photos and Splitpic is also good for before and after photos without borders.

Favorite hashtags: #rootedblonde #longhairdontcare #colorcorrection

I follow: @colorbymichael @josievilay @lisalovesbalayage @prettylittleombre @platinum_perfection

Pro tips: Everyone loves before and after photos and seeing what you started off with. Lighting is everything. It can make you or break you. Sometimes if the lighting is off, the hair can look worse than what you see in person. Natural sunlight is the best but when the sun goes down, ring lights are a good alternative. I also like to share the steps I took to achieve the look while tagging all the products I used during the process in the caption. It helps clients and hairdressers to understand the process.

Hidden talent (beauty-related): When I was in cosmetology school I was the best at doing nails. I even won first place in a contest. I have very steady hands.

Hidden talent: I am the Jenga master.

How social media changed my life: Social media gave me the opportunity to share my work and be my own person. I get to share my creativity and passion with the world with absolutely no cost. Ninety percent of my clients come from social media and its evolving every day. We used to depend on walk-ins or word of mouth but now you’re able to see our work with a click of a button.

The first time I was featured on MODERN’s Insta: It was a before and after picture of my client’s hair and I edited it so it’s side-by- side. Her hair was level 3 Asian hair and it took me almost seven hours to achieve this icy, blended rooted blonde. The photo got more than 10,000 likes. I got so many followers and potential clients blasting my phone. It was a very exciting moment for me because I followed Modern Salon’s page ever since I started doing hair a few years ago.

See the full 2018 MODERN SALON 100 here!