Daily Inspiration: Meet Leslie Aguilar

Today we’d like to introduce you to Leslie Aguilar.

Hi Leslie, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I grew up in salons and barbershops thanks to my dad who has been doing hair for 45 years. I however never saw myself following in his footsteps until I was two years into college studying music and architecture and feeling depleted.

Neither field gave me the creative outlet I craved so I got burnt out and finished out my classes and quit. I took a couple of months off, I was living at home at the time and struggling with my first severe depression, and just really thought about what would make me happy. Making people feel taken care of makes me very happy. I decided to admit that I wanted to shift my focus toward cosmetology. After I finished school I started out in a salon and spa and quickly learned that the traditional salon wasn’t for me. I transitioned to a barbershop atmosphere after that and did “strictly men’s grooming”.

This worked for me for a long time and I built up a loyal following, had a studio, and even bought my first house. I was happy and comfortable with what I had but I have always had this deep hunger for education and pushing myself out of my comfort zone. I also didn’t like limiting myself by gender. The idea of gender in hair is ridiculous. The hair is to be an outward essence of the person, and I wanted to accommodate everyone in my chair. As a gender-fluid, pansexual person myself this drove me to want to do more in my own community and build a following there as well. Eventually, I also studied razor cutting, shags, mullets, and intuitive cutting. I love nothing more than to help people express themselves and their identity through cutting.

This has also brought me such a safe space to meet beautiful people and talk about real shit. I’ve never been one for small talk and found quickly that I’m not the only one. I am diagnosed with Bipolar 1 with Psychosis and I feel like this goes undiagnosed so often or is something people are made to feel ashamed of. No honey! We have beautiful minds that just take a little disciple to hone. In being transparent about it I learned that my career in cutting hair could also be the platform for education surrounding mental health. I couldn’t be happier with the path I’ve chosen and somewhat fallen into.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Creating boundaries for myself as a stylist with clients, co-workers, and people I do business with in general has been a challenge in the past. Through trauma recovery therapy I learned how not to over-extend myself and speak up during moments that make me uncomfortable.

Firing clients is definitely a thing for me but it takes a lot of nonsense to make happen and I’m here for the shade of it all.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Haircutter specializes in intuitive cuts and precision clipper work. Softly lived-in and natural, sexy, textured hair is what I strive for. I love to throw all the rules out the window and co-create a look with my clients that feels like them.

Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
I have a love-hate relationship with social media but it has helped me find all my mentors aside from two who I found before Instagram. Also finding mentors within my exact realm isn’t necessary. I more so gravitate toward a certain type of person that has an ability to express themselves wholeheartedly and inspire.

Pricing:

• $50 Haircuts, all genders/ all ages

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: Lesliecutshair.com
• Instagram: @Lesliecutshair