It has always been harder for women to make it big in the hair market and to make their mark with the media. Sally has done that and more. She has her self-titled brand of hair products, which are sold across the U.S. and Canada. I do believe Sally Hershberger is the very first female hairdresser to achieve this. She has a style that women around the world love to have and hairdressers love to copy.
Known for her trendsetting vision and extraordinary skill, Sally Hershberger is one of the most influential and sought-after hairstylists across the globe. As the first female hairstylist whose talent and business acumen enabled her to reach celebrity status, Sally is a personal favorite of directors and celebrities alike and is equally in demand in the world of fashion.
She has been the top choice for the world's most renowned photographers and models, styling multimillion-dollar ad campaigns along with covers for elite fashion magazines. In addition to her work with top celebrities and photographers, Sally travels back and forth from New York to Los Angeles to work with personal clients in her salons. In 2008, she created her self-titled hair care line, Sally Hershberger.
Born in Kansas and raised in California, Sally began styling hair at age 18, when her mother told her it was time to get a job. At her friends’ urging, she decided on beauty school. While still in training, Sally landed an apprenticeship in Los Angeles with esteemed hairstylist Arthur Johns. It was at this well-known Hollywood salon that she began working with celebrities and establishing relationships that would help lead to her success.
She was given the opportunity to go on tour with pop singer Olivia Newton-John and was introduced to legendary photographer Herb Ritts. Over the next several years, Sally and Herb combined their creative talents on numerous editorial pieces, elevating each other’s work and contributing to the success of their individual careers.
Since then, Sally's list of photographers has grown to include Steven Meisel, Annie Leibovitz, Helmut Newton, and Patrick Demarchelier. She also consults on film sets, designing and coordinating looks for award-winning directors and the world's most popular actors.
Celebrated for her innovative abilities and techniques, Sally’s work has appeared on the pages of Vogue, W, Vanity Fair, and Harper’s Bazaar. She has styled celebrities and style icons, including Michelle Pfeiffer, Julia Roberts, Sandra Bullock, Cindy Crawford, John Mayer. and Zac Efron.
Sally is probably best known for creating the “Shagg,” a modernized, tousled version of the shagg layered cut, which exploded after she styled Meg Ryan in French Kiss. While clients still request this signature cut, ultimately they go to Sally because her innovative approach to styling is unparalleled in the industry. With homes on both coasts, Sally maintains an active role at her three salons: Sally Hershberger Uptown located on New York’s Upper East Side, Sally Hershberger Downtown in New York’s Meatpacking District, and Sally Hershberger Los Angeles on Melrose Place.
In addition to opening salons in New York and Los Angeles, Sally realized her goal of offering every woman across the country the tools to recreate the aesthetic of her coveted styles when she launched her Sally Hershberger hair care collection in 2008. The ultimate in luxury hair care without the price tag to match, all products undergo testing by Sally herself at her eponymous New York City salon to ensure high-quality, high-performance formulations at a price everyone can afford. She started selling her line in Walgreens locations nationwide in 2008, and also offers it in her three salons, in Ulta stores as of April 2009, Target stores as of May 2009, and Shoppers Drug Mart stores in Canada.
Where does Sally get the inspiration that fuels this intense career? She says, “Inspiration in the hair care business really comes from within. You have to love what you do. When you believe in something, that's when the creativity happens.”
Looking at the future of hair and hair products, she believes that women will always want affordable yet effective hair products. More and more of these products will be created in the future that not only are affordable and effective but will also minimize the amount of time women have to spend on their hair.
