Fall in Love with your Hair with Senior Hairstylist Nicolette Rauchut

It is time to retire from hot girl summer and move into fab girl fall. When we think of fall, we had to wander to New York City to find all the inspiration to spruce up our hair game. We spoke with the senior Hairstylist at LRNBeautyNYC, Nicolette Rauchut. As a hat-lover herself, she shared her tips, techniques, and advice on all things hats and hair.

Nicolette has been in the beauty industry for ten years. Her hair journey began at the Aveda Institute in New York City. From there, she started working as an educator for Drybar in three of their top NYC locations. She also trained under several master stylists at Warren Tricomi, including Edward Tricomi himself. Her specialties include precision dry haircuts and various hair extensions, along with incredible hair care knowledge about products and tools. You can find her on fashion and editorial shoots or styling hair for brides-to-be when she is not behind the chair.

"I am the founder of You Look Stella, a place where both men and women can feel educated and supported when it comes to their hair. I have created a technique for dry haircut that improves hair growth and healthy trust between stylist and client.”

  

Say Goodbye to Bad Hair Days

The most common concern Nicolette hears behind the chair is that her clients are worried about cutting off too much length, which she refers to as “haircut trauma". We have all experienced a bad haircut and how easily it can ruin our future hair salon experiences. Luckily, Nicolette is on a mission to restore our trust in the hair industry, as she is working to educate her fellow hairstylists on the skills and techniques that leave her clients with flawless results.

“As the master stylist of LRN Beauty, I keep myself motivated by always being open to new brands and education. I am constantly trying out new products and doing further research as my clients bring me new concerns as they go through their hair journey.”

The hair industry is ever-evolving, as are Nicolette's skills and techniques. What sets Nicolette apart from other hairstylists is her attention to detail and truly understanding her client's wants and needs. She says, “I always like to ask open-ended questions to have a conversation and get to know your daily routine, career lifestyle, and general lifestyle. I need to see how you style your hair and how much effort you are willing to put into the look.”

For someone who is on the go with a busy career or perhaps has children, Nicolette recommends a low-maintenance look that requires simple upkeep. But if you are someone looking to impress, she will recommend a statement haircut and styling routine, including the right hot tool choice and hair care system for at-home prep.

Trust the Process

When it comes to Nicolette's haircut technique, she prefers to cut on dry, freshly washed hair. Following the detailed consultation, her clients are sent off for shampoo, followed by a clean, natural blowout. This haircut method adds more control and limits tension changes in hair texture that occur in a frozen state. 

“Clients become more open to coming in more often for haircuts because they learn that taking off the fuzzy stuff supports their healthy hair growth. A technique created around trusting the process.”

Contrary to popular belief, Nicolette suggests visiting the salon more frequently for ‘fairy dust’ trims to promote healthy hair growth. Clients can maintain their hairstyle and length overtime when dead ends are removed more often, which means you will also get more amazing blowouts- win, win!

LRN Beauty Hair Salon

Besides getting a five-star haircut, a visit to LRN Beauty also means supporting local, women-owned businesses (which we love). LRN Beauty is a hidden gem in the heart of the West Chelsea Art gallery district, so the salon features exclusive emerging artists. Frequent collaborations with other small businesses and indie brands help to keep the stylist inspired and knowledgeable on current trends, plus it gives clients something new and exciting to look at each visit.

“Being an independent salon, we are a small curated team of talented artists. We all have our own specialties, so you can feel you're getting top-quality services from real professionals.We offer a broad range of services from traditional hair services like cut and color to extensions, keratin, bridal, brow needs, lashes exclusive earring and jewelry line by Glitter is the new black and continually growing with more to come.We are your one-stop shop for just about anything you need!”

From time to time, you may even find an influencer in the chair beside you. And other icons such as Serena Kerrigan, Audrey Peters, and Davis Burleson have made several visits to LRN Beauty. The Founder of LRN Beauty, Lauren Paglionico, also has a bridal agency where you can inquire about on-location bridal services or special occasions with any of her LRN stylists.

  

Top 5 Products for Fall

As we transition to cooler months, many of us are looking to switch up our hair care routine. Here are Nicolette's favorite hair care products and tools to achieve luscious locks at home:

• Milbon Creative Texture Sprays 4 - great for giving volume without the sticky grit feel. Powder-based so it can reduce the look of oily roots. Soft perfume smell.
• Milbon Luminous Oil - Comes in fine or coarse for different textures. Softens and adds body without weighing down the style. It provides heat protection for dry styling. A little goes a long way!
• Virtue Scalp Scrub- Promotes scalp circulation and cleansing. Soft beads that dissolve.
• Milbon Plarmia Mousse- Perfect air drying mousse. Super lightweight but has medium hold when round brush styling. give hair high shine and detangling properties
• Loreal Root Spray- Great for emergencies if you can't get to the salon in time! A light mist that easily shampoos out. Temporarily covers grey or regrowth, with multiple colors available to choose from.

 

Spice up Your Hair Game

Fall is the perfect time to experiment with new hair colors and styles. Nicolette says, “If you are looking to switch it up with bangs or a short haircut, fall is the time to do it! With the fall season comes many celebrations and events; therefore, you can anticipate styling a bit more opposed to the summer/warmer months."

This fall, Nicolette is loving a sleek a-line bob for short hair, or a big voluminous blow-dry for long hair. If you aren't looking to switch up your hairstyle, you can still add flare will some of Nicolette's favorite hair accessories.

• Chunky headbands: “Great for a pop of color when going monochrome next day blowout.”
• Large claw clip: “Helps preserve blowouts with creases while still looking cute.”
• Silk hair scarf: “Wear it bandana style to tame the volume. Wear it in a tied-up or knotted headband for less tension at the hairline.”
• Over-sized silk scrunchies: “Great for messy buns, ponytails, and low ponies. Satin is a flexible, naturally conditioning material that can give more slip and less tension.”
• Wide brim hats: “Great for changing a look up and also perfect for bad hair days or hiding oily roots! In the fall especially, going with the cozy vibe, little woo-woo witchy, Stevie Nicks moment!”

 

Hat-cessorizing for Fall

Hats are our favorite statement piece in the fall (obviously). Not only to accessorize with, but they are a great way to prolong a blowout or reserve yourself from over-styling your hair. If you are looking to make the Wander Wide Brims and Fiddlers a staple in your wardrobe this fall, try out Nicolette's hat styling tips and hairstyles to pair with your wander hats.

• “A wide brim hat looks cute with a soft wave or a side fishtail braid. Using a wide brim hat with any braiding technique can make a boring 3-strand braid a classic, fun style for a brunch or pumpkin picking event.”
• “Creating soft waves with a wide brim hat is excellent for "less is more" style. You can place the hat where you are most comfortable and then just touch up the ends with a wand/beach wave curl, considering the hat covers up most of the top part.”
• “Let's say you are more of a fiddler hat kind of style, you can wear it with a short aline bob or any length above the shoulder to give a little more character to a shortcut without having to style.”
• “Say you don't feel like shampooing, create a slick back style and pop on your fiddler hat, let the hair peep out the back end of the hat, and you have something edgy and clean"
• "Create a simple bubble braid on long hair and dress in the fiddler cap for something cute and sassy.”

The Nicolette Experience

Giving a great haircut goes beyond the finished look. Nicolette ensures that the haircut and style cater to the client's needs and is maintainable once they walk out of the salon and style at home. If you are sitting in Nicolette’s chair, you can feel confident that you will be receiving the highest quality service that will have you already wanting to book your next appointment.

“Truthfully, the best thing about my job is when clients feel so incredibly confident and feel more in touch with hair care because they finally have the proper knowledge. Overall, I wanted to support clients who don't feel heard, giving hair care clarity to all!”

If you are not a New York resident, feel free to experience LRN Beauty virtually on Tik Tok for all the behind-the-scenes of LRN Beauty Salon and a more in-depth look into Nicolette's haircut and styling process @LRNBeautyNYC and @you_look_stella. And be sure to tag us @wanderhatco if you try out any of Nicolette's hat-styling tips in your wander brims!