Issue link: https://beautysense.associatedhairprofessionals.com/i/917211
µ associatedhairprofessionals.com 9 before after all the tangles out of the client's hair. They took a couple breaks, during which Tiffany's client opened up and admitted that she hadn't brushed her hair for about a year due to continuous depression for multiple reasons. She had been hiding under hoods from her friends and family. Throughout the transformation, the sweet client would randomly cry and Tiffany's big heart would cry with her. When it was all said and done, though, Tiffany was able to salvage an adorable hairstyle for her client, despite the knots being flush to the client's scalp in some places. The client's hair was previously long in length, so she was a bit surprised at the new length but told Tiffany, "You gave me my life back in so many different ways." Tiffany's social media post concluded with, "Lots of tears from both of us, but the end result was amazing … and I would totally do it again even though my body does not agree with me right now." Tiffany Storla epitomizes the selfless heart of a hairstylist. ■ Who doesn't love a good makeover? There's a reason more than 3 million #makeovers have been tagged on Instagram and #transformation has been tagged more than 13 million times, with #TransformationTuesday racking up an additional 11 million- plus uses. But there are some before- and-after shots that stand out from the crowd. There are some makeovers you can immediately tell changed far more than what a picture could ever show. Tiffany Storla, a hairstylist in Aberdeen, Washington, shared a transformation on social media that stopped my scrolling thumb in its track, squeezed my heart, and nearly made my eyes spill. Part of the caption on Tiffany's post read, "This is what mental illness can look like. This is serious depression, embarrassment, guilt, not wanting to reach out for help because she was ashamed of herself." One of Tiffany's on-again, off-again clients, who she hadn't seen in a while, sent her a message that she hadn't been feeling herself, and her hair was in a tough situation because of it. Tiffany encouraged the client to come in, reassuring her that she could and would help. That "tough situation" was a giant mat encompassing the client's entire head of hair. The sweet girl had fallen into a depression and hadn't gotten out of bed for days. Between Tiffany's encouragement to come into the salon and the client's desire to travel out of state to visit her son, she finally came into MasterCuts, where Tiffany has been working for the past 11 years. It took Tiffany and her coworker, Brandy Koomrab, five-plus hours to work More Than a Makeover B E Y O N D T H E S H E A R S Tiffany Storla posted her client's transformation in a private Facebook group for hairstylists to show other stylists how she was able to help the client so they can do the same if ever presented with a similar situation. The post was well-received with over 500 likes and an outpouring of love for the client, kudos for Tiffany, and similar stories of heartfelt client transformations. Good for you. Sometimes all a human needs is another human's patience and compassion. This is why people will cancel their doctor appointments before they cancel ours—we will take five hours to help them. Great work! Kerrie Henriques DARMOUTH, MASSACHUSETTS You did exactly what you should have done! We do our job to help people not just look good, but feel good as well! It's wonderful you took time to do that and didn't take the easy way out. WONDERFUL. Leslie Dorothy FORT SMITH, ARKANSAS This article was written with the client's enthusiastic permission. She hopes that it can encourage anyone else having a difficult time in life to reach out for help.