5 Tips on How to Promote Inclusivity Inside the Shop

In honor of Pride Month, we spoke with Sam Carter, an industry expert who is proud to be part of the LGBTQIA+ community. And to help beauty professionals provide equal access to resources for individuals who have been traditionally marginalized, Sam shared tips on how to promote inclusivity.

At this stage in her career, Sam is already a Booksy Ambassador with her own thriving business that’s aptly named CarterDoesHair. Inside her gender neutral space, which is safe for anyone and everyone, Sam specializes in transformations to help change lives for the better. 

Because she offers hairstyling, coloring, extensions, and barbering services for people of all backgrounds, Sam fully understands the importance of taking steps to promote inclusivity. And even more importantly, Sam takes those steps both inside and outside of the salon.

Take a moment to read through the five tips that Sam offered on how to promote inclusivity in the beauty industry. Find out ways that you can help fight for fairness and equality. And become more in-tune with the needs of clients who appreciate inclusive spaces.

We carefully selected Sam to deliver this message and participate in our Pride Month campaign. Its goal is simply to spread the message that promoting inclusivity can help change the beauty and wellness industry in the best possible way.

Offer Gender Neutral Services 

For anyone who has never met Sam, this stylist has sported a host of different haircuts, including a buzz cut, a bald fade, a mohawk, in addition to longer length hairstyles. “I've had every haircut and color you can imagine. I do identify as a woman and my pronouns are she/her. But when I want to get a haircut, I get something that suits me as a person, not my gender,” Sam said.

For that reason and some many more, when it comes to discussing ways to promote inclusivity within the beauty and wellness community, Sam started the conversation by talking about the importance of marketing gender neutral services with regards to the haircuts, styling, coloring treatments, or any other service.

Instead of charging for men’s or women’s cuts, Sam bases her prices on hair length. And that creates a more inclusive environment. She added that service providers are responsible for being accepting to people who may be learning to accept themselves. 

“By going genderless on pricing scales it creates an atmosphere of inclusion for everyone. No matter how you look or what your pronoun is or what your sexual orientation is—offering gender neutral services just lets people be themselves and be able to express themselves however they want,” said Sam.

Create a Gender Neutral Space

After talking about pricing, Sam moved on to discuss how a physical space could appear gender neutral. More specifically, Sam thinks about every detail inside her salon suite. And that includes the color of the walls, the type of furniture, and the decor. She makes absolutely sure that her space never “screams femininity over masculinity, or vice versa.” 

“Everything in my space is neutral, because I want everyone to come into my space and feel like it's theirs. I've definitely been in salons and barbershops where the atmosphere and the aesthetic was geared more towards a masculine or feminine presence. But I think that removing that aspect from your environment makes it more inviting and inclusive,” Sam said.

To make a space more gender neutral, Sam recommends using cool colors that suggest a calm vibe. Instead of pink, purple, red, or blue—she uses desert tones to help her space look soft and bright. With regards to artwork, Sam has a painterly-style image of Edward Scissorhands on the wall. That image quietly hangs next to shelves upon shelves of unisex hair products. 

“I think that it’s super important to take colors and ambiance into consideration when you are building a new base or maybe you want to update your current space, because I definitely think that aesthetics play into somebody's comfort level when they’re in the salon or shop,” she said.

Use Social Media to Promote Inclusivity 

Another way that beauty professionals can help promote inclusivity is by using their social media platforms and online resources. That could mean listing a space as LGBTQIA+ friendly. And it could also mean using different hashtags, such as #hairhasnogender, which has already been used almost 10,000 times on Instagram alone. 

“I make sure to tag that on everything I post. And that way, if anybody's looking for an inclusive space to get their hair done, they can find me under that hashtag. Things like that tell people off the bat tells that if you're queer of any sort, you are welcome here,” Sam said. 

Other hashtags that Sam uses include: #hairtransformation, #happypride, and #queerhair. Those hashtags have been posted on Instagram a combined total of over 6 million times. Remember that hashtags help social media users find information with a theme or specific content. Hashtags also encourage social media users to explore content that catches their eye. 

Sam added that using social media hashtags to promote inclusivity has undoubtedly invited more members of the LGBTQIA+ community into her space. And that’s mutually beneficial. It helps others feel more comfortable. But it has welcomed a wave of truly accepting and understanding people into her life.

Talk About Pronouns

In regards to making efforts to promote inclusivity, asking clients which pronouns they prefer is a huge topic. Sam admits that discussing pronouns with a new client may seem tricky. But she quickly adds that it doesn’t have to be difficult—just start the conversation off right. 

“When you meet a new client, for example, don't assume that person's gender or that a person uses a particular pronoun just based on how they physically look. Allow them to give you the answer to that question. And don't be afraid to ask that question,” Sam said. In her experience, most people are excited and open to talking about their preferred pronoun. 

For anyone who feels uncomfortable asking those kinds of questions, Sam said that Booksy can help. It’s easy to add a prompt on your Booksy profile that simply states, “If you're a new client, please let me know your pronoun preferences,” she said. Taking that first step can eliminate the conversation, while still respecting other people and promoting inclusivity. 

Another tip that Sam offered involves the notes section of the Booksy software. Industry professionals can use the notes features to save important details about a particular client. Make a note if somebody mentions they have a preferred pronoun. And save that information to make sure that you use that pronoun to help that client feel more comfortable, said Sam.

Celebrate Diversity to Promote Inclusivity

The final piece of advice that Sam offered was to simply celebrate diversity whenever possible. This seemingly small step of being an accepting person can go a long way to help promote inclusivity. Celebrating diversity will help members of the LGBTQIA+ community feel more welcome in your space, she said. 

According to the Dresscode Project, an international alliance of gender-inclusive salons, 93% of LGBTQIA+ clients have been misgendered while getting their hair cut. And 65% of LGBTQIA+ clients feel their hair is an important part of how they choose to express themselves. 

Remember those statistics while working with new clients or individuals who are a part of the LGBTQIA+ community. Also know that a bad haircut can trigger gender dysphoria, which is a feeling of distress when your looks don’t match the gender you feel inside. Embracing diversity and inclusion means creating an environment where everyone feels relevant and accepted. 

“The beauty industry has always been about promoting individuality. So, I love having clients who are finding themselves. Maybe they're changing their pronouns and want to physically appear more aligned. That may mean that they get a shorter haircut or they get extensions or they change their hair color. Regardless of what that change may be, that's one of the best parts of my job,” Sam Said.