Bland enjoys helping people look good

Cut, color, style, shampoo, and smile.

It's been 30 years of hair business for one Linton stylist who just wants to make her clients feel good.

LuWanna Bland started "doing hair" in the kitchen of her home years ago when friends would request her help.

"Then I decided to go to beauty school," she explained.

Since then she has styled hair locally and in Texas and Florida.

"I want to make people look and feel good ... I don't want to stop," Bland said.

Currently, she is an independent hair stylist at Brandy's in Linton where she has an average of 15 clients per day.

"I love to make people feel good and look good. That's the whole thing," Bland explained. "I love doing people's hair. I don't find that hard at all."

The only downside is the long hours, she added.

"You just get into it and you don't want to stop for anybody," Bland said. "I do care about my clients, and I want them to look good."

Her advice to women is to find a hair stylist who is trustworthy and cares about you.

"I think it's wise to get a stylist that you can communicate with and form a relationship with," Bland stressed.

Another tip is to buy products that are formulated for your hair, she said.

"Good products are like medicine for your hair," Bland explained. "The hair tells it all."

But, overall, Bland said that looking good and feeling good are relevant.

"I think every woman should treat herself and take good care of herself," Bland stressed. "Having nice, pretty, healthy hair makes you feel good about yourself ... it's like having an expensive outfit on."

Throughout the years, Bland has seen many changes in hairstyles.

"Many come from TV," she said, noting Meg Ryan and Jennifer Aniston brought hair trends to middle America through pop culture.

But the biggest change in her years of business is the switch from rollers to curling irons.

"When I first started everybody rolled hair and then all of a sudden they're blow drying and using curling irons," she said.

As a stylist, you are always learning about new products, techniques and styles, she said. It is always changing and you have to keep up on the latest trends.

"At one time everybody got perms, now it's foils," Bland explained. "Hair is just like clothing, it is always changing."

But one thing that won't change is Bland's ability to always make her clients look and feel their best.

"I have no intention of quitting. I'm good at what I do," she said.