Chicago color specialist Alexis DiGiacomo is close to our hearts! Not only does MODERN's editor in chief Alison Alhamed obsess over DiGiacomo's hair color skills (she may have done a few house calls....) but she's also amazing at hair extension transformations. Her page shows a gorgeous array of color transformations (especially for blondes!) that leave us wanting more. We can't wait to see where DiGiacomo will go next!

Alexis DiGiacomo

@ChiColorist19

4 Elements Salon & Spa, Chicago

Specialty: Balayage and blonding

Followers: 954

Most viral post: My most viral post was a picture of one of my guests after a color, cut and style service. I did a full balayage, long layers, and a beautiful bouncy blowout. It was a frontal view of her look and it helped that she was stunning. A big reason it went viral was a combination of the quality work, a gorgeous woman, and a repost by @ModernSalon.

Favorite apps: I love Boomerang because it’s a fun feature that catches the interest. Sometimes a picture of the hair looks completely different than the live view and it can be frustrating for the stylist. Snapseed allows me to edit the picture to what it looks like in person and it is so simple and straightforward to use. Camera+ is a great app for people with iPhones that don’t have the portrait mode for their camera. It’s a built in camera app that allows the user to take photos that resemble more of professional camera vs the phone photo. It also has editing tools that help with clarity and enhancement.

Favorite hashtags: #modernsalon #licensedtocreate #chicagocolorist

I follow: @hairbychrissy@tonyastylist@alenm@bescene@justinandersoncolor

Pro tips: People love to see the before shot, so I post a before and after picture together using Instagram Layout.

Hidden talent (beauty-related): I can do it all. Facial and body waxing, extractions, microdermabrasion, spray tans, makeup, and mani/pedis. I’ve been so interested in each part of the beauty industry that when I got started I wanted to know how to do it all. Plus it helps that I can do some of these services on myself.

Hidden talent: I’m very flexible even though I never stretch and never did gymnastics. I can also tie a cherry stem in a knot in my mouth with my tongue.

How social media changed my life: I was pretty reluctant to use social media in the beginning of my career because I was worried by how much time it would take up from my life and also the fear of no one caring about what you post. Since taking it seriously it’s changed my life in that, it’s been a huge educational tool for me and my clients. It has allowed that communication barrier between guest and cosmetologist to be lessened. It has encouraged people from my past to see what I’m up to in life and produce them to come see me for their color/cuts which then gave me their friends and families as potential clients.

The first time I was featured on MODERN’s Insta: I was sitting at the front desk of the salon with our receptionist, and it was the day after I had balayaged, cut and styled her. The sunlight was glistening her fresh blonde and I snapped a quick shot of her on my phone. I remember getting to my phone a couple days after I had posted it to my page and I had an abnormal amount of followers to my page and likes on that picture. I couldn’t figure out what was happening but I sure wasn’t mad about it. It wasn’t until I scrolled down pretty far to see that @modernsalon had reposted that picture to their page. I immediately freaked out with joy and ran around the salon showing everyone that I had been featured on their page. That memory and feeling will last me forever.

See the full 2018 MODERN SALON 100 here!