He's only been licensed for three years but Joshua Boynton's passion for hair is taking him places. We're a fan of his jewel tones, his granny grays and his sweet smile.

Joshua Boynton

@josh.does.hair

Wingate Hair Salon, Smyrna, TN

Specialty: Vivids, pastels, balayage

Followers: 23.6k

Most viral post: I did a color melt on my friend, Allie. She had a natural level 9 base and platinum blonde ends and she decided she wanted to shave her head for cancer awareness but before she did that, she gave me free rein to do whatever I wanted with her hair. I spent a solid week formulating, trying to figure out exactly what I wanted, and I ended up doing a blue black root ombré transitioning into white blonde ends and, y’all, it came out stunning. I feel like the post caught a lot of attention because of how it transitions from something so dark to something so light and the contrast definitely catches the eye. Her hair was also still very healthy and shiny and we didn’t have to do any excessive bleaching to get her there. I spent a solid hour trying to style her hair because I wanted everything to be perfect and it looks like it paid off.

Favorite apps: My favorite app to use for Instagram is Layout for any time I need my photos side-by-side or in a collage. Favorite hashtags: #guytangmydentity #olaplexeveryservice #modernsalon

I follow: @isthatpat, @ginaatkinson@lupayyy@phildoeshair @jacobkhan

Pro tips: So much goes into posting a photo. When it comes to my colors, I love to take my pictures in a ring light and natural lighting, because some colors look completely different in different lighting. And sometimes it can still look amazing in both and then you have two pictures you can post. One for now and one for later. Also camera quality is a big one; going from a phone camera to professional camera completely changed the game for me. I feel like it looks more true to tone on a DSLR versus a phone and the quality is usually a lot better on a DSLR. Better quality photos equals better chance for your work to be noticed and published.

Favorite hashtags: I try to target hashtags that are smaller and more specific, like if I were posting blue hair instead of just using #bluehair I would use #vibrantbluehair or #pastelbluehair. I feel like using smaller more targeted hashtags makes it easier for someone to find your work.

Hidden talent: I can do a balayage in 20-30 minutes.

Hidden talent: I love making dream catchers in my spare time.

How social media changed my life: I feel like social media has helped me open up more to people and has definitely helped me make friends. Staying connected with people and building relationships is what I feel like is most important when it comes to social media. I don’t know where I would be without social media.

The first time I was featured on MODERN’s Insta: It was actually not too long ago, back in March! I posted a before and after of my most viral post on my feed, the contrasting black to white ombré. I remember I was at the salon working on a client and heard my phone vibrate go off. I look over and see a post notification from Modern Salon and instantly started jumping up and down. I was almost done with her color and when I finished, I went to the back break room and called everyone in my phone. My mom, husband, best friend, father in law, I literally called everyone I was so excited. And I still am, it’s an honor to be reposted by Modern.

See the full 2018 MODERN SALON 100 here!