Juan Torres had just wrapped an Oligo Professionnel class. He was still in his salon suite, with mannequins in the background and color bowls from earlier services sitting on the counter.
Between clients, education, and content creation, the pace was nonstop, but he laughed through it easily.
Torres’s interest in hair started in childhood. Watching his mom at her salon sparked his early creativity and curiosity, leading to him helping family members glam up for quinceañeras and other occasions.
Still, he didn’t initially see hairstyling as a real career path. He went to college, did hair on the side for friends, charging around $10 for haircuts while trying to figure out what direction he wanted to take.
At 21, he finally realized he'd been doing what he wanted all along.
What ultimately pushed him to enter cosmetology school was the way clients responded after a transformation. “It made me happy that I could beautify other people,” he says. “I would see that moment of self-love. That’s what motivated me to keep growing as a stylist.”
He started with basic cuts before mentors encouraged him to move into highlights and more advanced color work. At first, Torres resisted the idea, but their encouragement gradually pushed him outside his comfort zone.
That became even more important after he moved from El Paso to San Antonio, TX, and had to rebuild his clientele from scratch.
Clients began requesting balayage, lived-in color, and modern techniques Torres hadn’t fully mastered, which pushed him to educate himself.
“That’s when I started realizing how important education was and how strong it made me feel,” he says. “I learned that knowledge destroys fear.”
What started as mentoring assistants in the salon eventually evolved into larger-scale education, while social media became another outlet for connecting with other stylists.
Rather than only posting before-and-after transformations, Torres began breaking down the process behind his work, including formulas, placement, and technique.
“Instagram, for me, is a platform to share knowledge because that is going to elevate others,” Torres says. “At the beginning, it was more before and after. Then it became, okay, now I want to showcase how I got to that point.”
That mindset shapes how he approaches education today. Instead of presenting one “right” way to work, he focuses on helping stylists understand the reasoning behind techniques so they can adapt them to their own clients and personal style.
“My goal isn’t to go there with ego and tell everyone this is the best way,” he says. “I want people to go back behind the chair with the tools and apply them in their own way.”
Torres believes the industry has become more intentional with foil placement and modern color techniques, which he’ll focus on during upcoming classes at Be+Well Las Vegas (one of which sold out quickly after announcement).
While older techniques are making a comeback, he says stylists today are approaching them with a more customized and efficient mindset.
“Foil placement and having impact foil techniques are really crucial to have in your pocket,” he says. “You’re going to know where to place a foil and where it’s going to create a big impact. That way, you can be more efficient but also more profitable.”
His advice for other stylists is simple: stay open to change and surround yourself with people who push you to grow.
“Never be afraid of change or trying something new,” he says. “If you want to grow, you have to step outside your comfort zone and try new things.
"And build a community of people who think like you — because those are the ones who push you to become a better version of yourself.”
Juan Torres is teaching “The Intentional Colorist: Precision, Pattern & High-End Impact" and "Modern Foil Lightening – A Power Session" at the Be+Well | Beauty and Wellness Show – Las Vegas (formerly International Beauty Show), taking place June 27-29. Registration is here; use promo code EDSALON20 for 20% off conference classes and hands-on workshops.