Meet Kristina Bynum | Owner & Cosmetologist at Salon Le Volume

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kristina Bynum and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kristina, can you share the most important lesson you’ve learned over the course of your career?
I’ve repeatedly been reminded that the beauty business is a people business – while we all rightfully spend a lot of time and effort on techniques and trends, the foundation and roots always strongly rely on building trust and relationships. It can be a juggling act sometimes keeping a keen focus on achieving the exact look and result a guest is wanting while also making sure to be present, emotionally available, and participate in building a genuine connection. It’s a privilege and a real opportunity to connect as guests often open up and share stories about their kids, vacations, personal experiences, hopes, tragedies and dreams — but if you’re not taking some time and energy to actively listen then you may really miss the mark on the personal connection that is such an important and integral part of the business and the job satisfaction. The human connection is what makes being in this industry rewarding and uplifting for the stylist and the guest.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I like the saying attributed to Vince Lombardi — Practice does not make perfect. Only perfect practice makes perfect. Where I’ve gotten to has definitely been the culmination of significant hours put into the craft – and that covers the “practice” piece of the quote. I’ve done volume of volume type practice at men’s haircutting places sometimes completing upwards of 20 cuts a day and then participating in area development training programs for these franchises. I’ve also had to privilege of performing high volume of high end services – some of the volume came from large numbers of regulars at busy salons needing repeat root-touchups and then some of the high end volume has just come through 20 years of performing services involving complex color formulations, balayage, and specialty cuts. The “perfect practice” part of it comes from being fortunate enough to have several master stylists take an interest in me as a person and an interest in my hair styling career – working with these master stylists along the way injected the right amount of knowledge and feedback to make the practice worthwhile and impactful.

My unique contribution is a summation of how I channel my art and music into providing hair services & education combined with intuitive and engaging conversation fueled by extensive travel experience whether that be the City of Lights or a volcano in Costa Rica.

My “superpower” in the hair realm is similar to how a musician can “play it by ear” by hearing something and then pick up an instrument and play it – in my case particularly with haircuts and matching face shape and natural hair flow I can see a picture of what a client is wanting and then I’m able to translate that into all the techniques and physical micro motions needed to pull it off to achieve a great match. Because so much of this process happens inside without really fully knowing how it’s done the new challenge with owning a salon has been to figure out how to more fully verbalize this and take in information from other stylists so that we can all grow together.

Perfect practice makes perfect and I love working with stylists and clients to share knowledge and information so that we can use our craft to maximize the outward expression of our inner beauty.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I love being in the Dallas metroplex and we’ve done a little entertaining of out-of-town friends over the years. There is such a variety of different interests and styles, and I think mixing it up over the course of a week would be a lot of fun. Here is a 5-day itinerary:

(1) Day 1: The nature and relaxed vibe. Check out the Dallas Arboretum near White Rock Lake and maybe even pop over to a portion of the Katy Trail while nearby. Then that evening check out the Mi Cocina right there in Uptown off of McKinney Avenue – great spot, friendly and relaxed.

(2) Day 2: The Upscale Vibe: Go shopping at Highland Park Village – so many great shops and life feels grand walking around and interacting with the very friendly and attentive shop workers. End the day by eating at Nobu inside of The Crescent Hotel in uptown.

(3) Day 3: The Art and Play Vibe: Browse the art at Dallas Museum of Art and then pop over to Klyde Warren park and play some chess or just soak up some sun.

(4) Day 4: Frisco is fun! (and it’s where our salon is located!): In the morning head to PGA Headquarters and do some pitch & putt at a world class facility and then head to The Star and do a little shopping and afternoon cocktails at Snowbird Cocktail Lounge & Kitchen.

(5) Day 5: Party In the Burbs (I’m 40 so that’s where I do my partying!): Several great spots in the Frisco Star including Pete’s Dueling Piano Bar.

Honorable mention to other spots I love: Heard Museum and Wildlife Sanctuary in McKinney; Arbor Hills Nature Preserve in Plano; Frisco Rough Riders; The Dallas Farmers Market; Grandscape; Top Golf.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My creative drive and energy have always flowed through art and music. I can channel that into hair, fashion and the marketing and outreach that goes along with it. My family has always encouraged me on my creative journey, including recently when my parents helped organize a 3 hour recording session just to experience the process and have some fun. On the art side I took every art class that was offered at my high school which fueled me at a young age to keep pursuing creative results.
One of the biggest influences on my journey has been surrounding myself with mentors who challenge me to grow. I’ve always sought out individuals who are more experienced or have perspectives I can learn from. One way I have done this is by reading and one of my favorite books is “Start with Why” by Simon Sinek. Books like this have helped open my mind and spur thought to new ideas and perspectives and I have always enjoyed challenging myself in this way.
I think the combination of seeking out inspiration from others and pushing myself to stay curious and open-minded has been key to where I am today.

Website: https://www.salonlevolume.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/salonlevolume/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristinabynum/

Twitter: @salonlevolume

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SalonLeVolume

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/salon-le-volume-frisco?osq=salon+le+volume

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLePQ2kR_HlQz_Km2suIJaQ