Linda Deason Founder, Master Colorist
Hair has been both my passion and hobby for more than 54 years. It’s been such a privilege to build West Coast Hair Design into Jacksonville’s Balayage and Color Experts over these past 31 years.
I began my career in San Diego, where I owned The Hair Connection for nearly 20 years before moving to Jacksonville and opening West Coast Hair Design in 1995. Today, my focus is building a salon where every guest receives the same thoughtful experience, consistent standards, and advanced education, no matter which stylist they see.
My time behind the chair is limited these days, but I’m in the salon every day, on every formula, every consultation, every guest experience from start to finish. When I’m not here, I’m usually in my garden. Guest ask for photos of what’s growing on my tower garden, bring me their struggling houseplants to revive, and often leave with a cutting of their own.
Several of our senior colorists began their careers as my assistants, learning consultation, formulation, and color directly from me before ever working with guests on their own. Several colorists trained here have gone on to open or lead their own salons.
Throughout my career, I’ve devoted as much time to improving my consultations as I have to improving my technical skills. I’ve continued my consultation training through Bumble and bumble University, Redken, and Daniel Mason Jones because I believe the consultation is where great hair begins.
Most guests know how they want to feel when they leave, even when they don’t have the professional language to describe it. My role has always been to listen, ask the right questions, and turn that into a plan we both understand before we ever begin. It’s the first thing every stylist here learns.
Education has always been the foundation of this salon. Every assistant completes a minimum of two years of personalized training before working independently with guests, observing thousands of appointments and learning consultation, formulation, color placement, gray coverage, balayage, corrective color, and guest communication under our education team. That consistency is one reason guests are comfortable seeing more than one stylist here, every one of them has been trained to the same standard.
EDUCATION & PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Balayage, Dimensional Color & Advanced Color Theory
- The first salon in Jacksonville certified by The Business of Balayage
- Masters of Balayage education beginning in San Diego in 2016, with continued advanced national training on going
- Completed all five levels of Jamie Sea’s SALT Society balayage education program, studying advanced technique, color theory, formulation, and Shades EQ
- Advanced balayage, painting, and color theory education with Ashlee Norman. She does not typically train at small salons; this August marks the first time she has ever come to West Coast Hair Design, training our entire staff directly
- Completed Lisa Walker’s Lisa Loves Balayage advanced education program and color theroy
- Advanced dimensional brunette education with Mika Rogerson in North Carolina
- Ongoing education through Candy Shaw’s French Painting Boot Camp in Atlanta, with her team also training our full staff in-salon on multiple occasions
Gray Blending & Modern Gray Coverage
- L’Oréal Professionnel French Gray Blending Certification
- Continuing education in modern gray coverage, dimensional gray blending, and transitioning guests from traditional color to lower-maintenance dimensional color
Haircutting & Design
- Bumble and bumble University, New York, completing the full level progression from foundational styling through basic and advanced cutting with both scissors and razor, along with consultation and salon business training. Bumble and bumble returns to train our entire staff in-salon a minimum of twice a year, covering hair pattern reading, growth direction, and tool selection
- Ongoing education through Candy Shaw’s French Cutting Camp in Atlanta
- Advanced education through Vidal Sassoon, Toni & Guy, Paul Mitchell, and Goldwell
Professional Color Education
- Advanced education through Redken University, New York
- Continuing education with L’Oréal Professionnel and nationally recognized independent educators
Consultation & Communication
- Advanced consultation education through Bumble and bumble University
- Consultation training with Daniel Mason Jones
