Pickett Street Properties is dedicated to serving the community and is highlighting businesses and community members that are dedicated to doing the same. In this highlight we are excited to share about Jered Burton, a Master Hairstylist in the Seattle area! Here’s his story:

It’s kind of funny actually- the story of beginning my career. So I was born in Northern MN in the 80’s. We didn’t have a lot of money and we lived in the middle of nowhere. Consequently, it was about a 45 minute bus ride to kindergarten… every day. I rode that bus with a few other kids, one of which was my cousin, Amber. She would often get on the school bus each morning and her mother would have French Braided pigtails into her hair. The thing was Amber had bangs, and her mom (my aunt) would manage to braid them back into the style so that her forehead was exposed and I didn’t like it. So for weeks I would take my water bottle out of my backpack and (with her permission) wet her bangs down and move them foreword over her forehead. Finally, one day I got home from school and my mom sat me down to have a talk about this. I was told that Auntie Denise worked really hard on Amber’s Hair every morning and I needed to stop changing it every day… I WAS A 6 YEAR OLD HAIRSTYLIST.

All through school I was the “alternative kid” and had every hair color and style you could imagine. It was a constantly changing flow of hairstyles, some really cool… some not so much… but I tried everything. By the time I went to my senior prom I spent the morning cutting and coloring my friend’s hair, as well as my own, and then styled them for the event as well. Basically, not a single person was surprised when I announced that I would be attending the local beauty college; aptly name Cosemtology Careers Unlimited, fresh out of High school. By the time I graduated that school a couple years later, I had obtained a job at the “fanciest” salon in town and had a job offer to be a regional educator with the Logics, the brand of color used by my beauty school (and consequently the one still use to this day). I never accepted the education job, I wanted to be in a salon.

I worked for a few years behind the chair, and finally made the decision to move to Seattle to start a new life. After a brief hiatus from hair (while I waited to get my WA state license) I started work for Headlines Salon in the University Village. It was here that I truly thrived. I was sent to New York multiple times for training, which lead to trainings in LA, San Francisco, and New Orleans, among other places. I basically traveled the United States and gathered a lot of amazing skills. Ultimately, this lead to my current position as Education Director at Headlines Salon. This year celebrated 11 years at Headlines- It’s really become part of my life and the staff there, including the owners and my boss are truly like family. I love it.

I have a genuine interest in people. I love to learn about everyone. I love their stories and adventures. I also really love the exchange of information. I cannot tell you how valuable some of the advice and even support my clients have given me has been in my life. Relationship building is probably my strongest asset in my career, and I believe that it’s because I actually listen. I actually care about each and every person that sits down in my chair. And then obviously making them look their best is also mixed in there somewhere as well.

The person that inspired me to take this leap is from my childhood actually. She became a hairstylist right out of High school just as I did. She is a couple years older than me so I watched this develop. She did my hair and many others and was super talented. I idolized that path. Jennifer Davis is my longest standing friend (and we are talking since grade school here) and she is also a brilliant hairstylist back in MN. She has always been someone I look up to. 

My favorite quote is from another hairstylist friend and it was made during Jen’s wedding back in the MN days. My friend Kris Belgarde was giving her “maid of honor” speech at the reception and it was this heartfelt and funny speech. At the very end when all the mooshy stuff was said she ended it with “Peace and Hair-grease Baby!” That has stuck with me for like 20 years. I like it. It’s not profound or complex. It’s simply stated and to the point. It sums things up perfectly for my way of living. It’s like “Don’t bother anyone, be nice, do hair… done.”

Thank you for sharing your story with us Jered!

You can follow Jered on Instagram @jeredshair

Want to get your hair styled by Jered? Call him at 206-527-2400.