When I first opened a suite, I was trying to think of a cute name. I was re-reading the Harry Potter series at the time and Lumos Nox came to mind…because from the moment we flip on the light until we turn it off, we’re creating magic! I went on to open a salon and I almost rebranded, but thought the reference might have a really good built-in advertising mechanism about it….and it did! My salon is calledLumos Nox Salon, after a spell in the series. Lumos means to light or to give light and Nox means to darken or take away light. They’re two separate spells that counteract each other – a perfect metaphor for how we are as a team.

I wanted to build a culture and salon that would feel comfortable to walk in to, where the stylists could all be artists and the clients could all take a deep breath and be themselves. I spent a lot of time reflecting on previous jobs questioning “professionalism.” There are so many salons with calculated, uptight atmospheres and we want it to feel like you were hanging out with a bunch of friends you love and respect when you come to our salon. I want people to feel like they can talk about the nerdy or weird parts of themselves that they might feel too judged or looked down upon to be open about. We also wanted a safe space for the queer community in our area to come and not feel judged.

So needless to say, when I thought about the pinnacle of nerdy things that has a huge subculture around it with people from every walk of life, it made sense to keep the Harry Potter reference as part of our branding. I’m tickled every time a new client walks in in house-themed clothing—knowing they pulled that out of the closet just for us!

Logo: We wanted something that would continue to speak to our light/dark theme, so we have a half moon/half sun. It’s familiar and tells its own story that is open to everyone’s interpretation. When team members come in, we ask if they know what house they’re in and we make sure to list it on our website. I laugh at the emails we get from clients like, “They’re a Slytherin and so am I!” or “I’m not a Hufflepuff, but I love Hufflepuffs, and I resonate with this stylist.”

Social Media: I am very active on Instagram and TikTok and the cloaks became a kind of funny thing when I was trying to differentiate my little voice talking to me. I had an all black cloak and a Hufflepuff cloak and I thought—wouldn’t it be funny if these were like the angel/devil voices in my head (or the Lumos and the Nox, if you will ;). My dark cloaked figure is usually suggesting something bad or giving bad advice, while my Hufflepuff is the hype person, talking me off a ledge, or sticking up for a stylist.

For example, Check out this TikTok post.  and this TikTok post. 

Authenticity: The most important thing when trying to attract like-minded people, isn’t even the branding, although it helps give an image to what’s inside. It’s the communication. We hold each other accountable; we allow the team to have bad days, we don’t make them leave their problems at the door. We allow them to come and talk to us or cry with us. Just the same way we let clients share themselves with us in the chair. We’re not afraid to have hard conversations when there’s turmoil. We’re always looking to clear the air when gossip or them-said-they-said comes our way. We coach the team to work through their problems inside and outside of work. We give people grace when life is hard, and we let the team know when they need to give their work pals some grace as well. We’ve experienced death, sickness, breakups, accidents, recoveries and all sorts of things in our two years being open. We try not to let anyone suffer their hardships outside of work alone.

Sometimes I start to think that we’re really lucky—but we know it’s not luck, hard work built this really cool team of individuals who love and support each other and all the dope clients that come into our salon to be served. We really don’t have a lot of the drama between team members or clients that I’ve experienced in jobs prior—and a lot of that has to do with the boundaries we’ve learned to set and the communication we continue to make a priority.

Sometimes I start to think that we’re really lucky—but we know it’s not luck, hard work built this really cool team of individuals who love and support each other and all the dope clients that come into our salon to be served. We really don’t have a lot of the drama between team members or clients that I’ve experienced in jobs prior—and a lot of that has to do with the boundaries we’ve learned to set and the communication we continue to make a priority.

About the Author: Tywlla Jane is the owner of the Lumos Nox Salon in Naperville, Illinois, and a Sam Villa Ambassador. Learn more from Twylla Jane and the Sam Villa and team here. Including “Mannequin Mondays,” “Transformation Tuesdays,” and “Wellness Wednesdays” on Facebook @SamVillaPros and YouTube @SamVillaHair. Quarterly “Show Must Go On” events can also be accessed on the same channels for FREE!