Being Married to a Cosmetologist

Being Married to a Cosmetologist

 Being married to a cosmetologist is unlike any other marriage possible. When I met my wife, her life was so busy that I had a hard time keeping up with her schedule. She was working in a salon while getting her hours to become a cosmetology instructor and raising her daughter and driving across Kansas between work and training. It was a little much at first, but I saw her passion and supported her the best I could. As we dated, I found that she changed her hair color and style on a very sporadic basis. It was hard to keep up with, but I just made it a point to express how I loved her hair everyday. (Yes, this is a classic “guy thing to say”, but sometimes that is all we’ve got as men.) I also found that she was very skilled in men’s fades and as a Marine veteran, that was an absolute bonus. Not only was I saving $25+ bucks every other week, but I was getting a better cut than ever before.

As our relationship evolved, so did my understanding of her career. She got so excited over new products that would come out for different hair types and styles. She would be glued to her phone watching tutorials about new styles and trends being revealed. Most of all, she would watch competition after competition that featured amazing styles and colors I had never seen anything like. I genuinely was a bit shocked at these competitions as the themes were sometimes dark and the music was electronic rock-it looked like something from the very distant future. All of this was odd to me until my wife entered a competition and was then selected as a finalist to be on stage in LA. Seriously, I have never been so proud of her minus her giving birth to our son. She rocked it, and absolutely lit up the stage. Her passion and drive and talent really paid off for her. It was incredible.

I have learned that when we go on trips to see family, we have to have her Sassoon bag with clippers, shears and all the tools that she uses to make her family look amazing. (Note, she does all of this for others and is always last to treat herself.) I swear, she would give a haircut on the L in Chicago if she was given the chance. She just loves to transform! Speaking of transforming, I have learned that I have to use professional hair products. No more dollar store shampoo from the bachelor days. I am now using Wella shampoo AND conditioner. My hair is all silky smooth and stuff… Here is the real kicker; when I travel, I have to check my luggage because of my hairspray. Yes, I am a bearded and tattooed man and I proudly use hairspray. (My USMC tattoo on my arm evens out the score…right?)

Being married to a cosmetologist means you will likely have to pick the kids up from daycare. You might have to start dinner. You may even have to cut a trip short so she can get back in time to help that client that tried to use box color on her hair and now needs a color correction before her interview the next day. But, when you are married to a cosmetologist, you are married to someone who is creative, who loves to make people feel special (including you) and has an absolute passion for what she does. Plus, she makes pretty good money doing it!

Tyler Paulson is the husband of Ashley Paulson, Hays Academy of Hair Design-Salina Campus Manager. Tyler and Ashley have two children and live in Salina where Ashley works at both the school and one day per week in a local salon.