Tell us about yourself!

I'm originally from Denver. I moved to Seattle just a few months ago from Nashville and I've been working in the beauty industry for more than 10 years. I have two sweet little animals, a dachshund mix and a sphynx cat and I love living by the ocean!

What inspires you to work with Davines?

Oh my gosh, where do I start. What initially inspired me was the product performance. I've been absolutely blown away by the quality and consistent results from every single thing that Davines creates.

The second thing that made me fall in love was the education. I believe we have the humblest, talented education crew around—and the energy is contagious! On top of all of that, they put so much love, passion and thought in to everything they touch, including all of their customer and employee relationships. I truly found a hair family in Davines and, to be quite honest, everything about them inspires me creatively and personally every day. Why wouldn't you want to be a part of something like that?

What is your favorite part of your job?

Another hard one because there are so many great things! The beauty industry is ever changing, which gives me an opportunity to push myself out of my comfort zone daily. There are so many different aspects to being a hairstylist and so many opportunities to be successful that the growth potential is really limitless.

I also really value the relationships and personal interactions that this job continues to present. Every day is different, each day has a new set of rules. The variety is always fun and always keeps things fresh and interesting.

What exciting things does Davines have planned for 2017?

I think 2017 is really going to be a great year to work with Davines. We have some new things coming out that you'll have to keep your eyes open for—though I can't say much more than that. We have a lot of new education opportunities coming down the line. Our National Master Team has been working really hard on some new formats that I think you will all love.

I'm especially excited to have Chelsey Pickthorn coming to our market in April for the We Color Live Tour—you definitely don't want to miss that! And of course, we are all patiently waiting for the big reveal of the new headquarters in Parma, Italy, for World Wide Hair Tour. They have broken ground and are expecting to host the show some time in 2018.

Favorite Davines products you can’t live without?

If I had to narrow it down to a few, I don't think I could ever go without our Hair Refresher, the Your Hair Assistant Blow-Dry Primer, More Inside Medium Hold Hairspray, Oi Hand Balm and the More Inside This is a Dry Texturizer.

What advice do you have for stylists and aspiring educators?

Realize early on that you will never know everything. Be open to learning from everyone that you can. Invest in yourself, your value and your education. Don't be afraid to be uncomfortable or to work hard for what you want.

Order Davines from Salon Services and see some of Katie Vellman’s work below: