The Day Chris McMillan Read My Soul

(In Front of a Room Full of Stylists)

OK, Story Time!

In the spring, I flew to Chicago with my sister Emi (also a hairstylist and salon owner) and two of our friends to take a haircutting class with Chris McMillan.

Celebrity hairstylists don’t usually impress me. Not because I dislike them, but because so much of that world is about selling a fantasy. Yet, Chris came with QUITE the resume of looks he created on famous women in the last 40 years like the 90's "Rachel" on Jennifer Aniston, Michelle William's most famous pixie in 2006, and the current trend of Leslie Bibb's meme-able "cunty lil bob". Consider me seated and in full attention! 

When he started speaking, though, what struck me wasn’t the celebrity fluff. It was his story. He talked about the first time he understood the power of a haircut: watching a girl in his high school transform from long hippie hair into a permed bob like Sandy at the end of Grease. Her whole aura changed. And then he told us he’s still a working stylist behind the chair, still running his own salon, still teaching. That’s what got me. He didn’t retire into fame. He stayed with the people. He stayed with the craft. I deeply respect that work ethic.

The Moment I Raised My Hand

He asked if anyone wanted to model for a haircut.

I shot my hand up. Something impulsive, wild, and trusting came over me. I genuinely didn’t think he’d pick me. I had a grown-out blonde pixie from when my chemo ended a year earlier. My hair was new to me. Softer, thinner, a different texture than the coarse curls I had my whole life.

And he picked me!

I stepped onto the stage, got draped, felt the mist of water, and immediately that old, familiar fear crept up my spine, the fear anyone has when they sit in the chair with someone new:

I whispered it to him, “Please don’t cut it too short.”

And he turned me to the class and said, “Did you all hear what she said? She asked ME not to cut it too short.”

The room laughed. Nervous laughter. Stylists everywhere know what that request really means. And honestly, so did I. I just didn’t admit it until that moment.

Then he asked, “Who cuts your hair at home?” I pointed to Emi, my sister, sitting in the audience.

He turned to her and said, “Is it difficult to cut her hair?” and she started laughing, then crying.

The Sister Thread

My sister has been cutting my hair for 15 years. She’s shaved my head during my worst trichotillomania relapses. She has stood with me through cancer, chemo, regrowth, setbacks. She has held the weight of my frustration, my grief, and my shame with me. All the invisible emotional labor that comes with caring for someone whose hair holds their trauma.

So when Chris asked that question… he wasn’t asking about technique.

He was opening a wound we both carry.

This stranger on stage was reading us both deeply and instinctively. The way stylists sometimes can in the first ten minutes of a consultation. It’s a sixth sense we develop behind the chair. We read people. We see patterns. We feel the emotional undercurrent before anyone says a word.

But here I was… the client, not the stylist. The one being seen instead of the one doing the seeing.

And then he said it, “When someone asks you not to cut their short hair too short, what they’re really saying is ‘Don’t make me look ugly.’”

My eyes began to water up with emotion, the release of a quiet burden. Because he was right. I was afraid of looking ugly. Afraid of what short hair symbolized for me: chemo, fragility, trichotillomania, loss of control. I was waiting for my hair to be “long enough” again, as if that would make me whole. Chris didn’t see any of that. He saw shape, structure and movement.

He carved a haircut around my face that made me feel HOT.

I felt beautiful.

I felt proud.

I felt like myself.

It inspired me and reminded me why I do this. Hair doesn’t make you beautiful, it’s the right cut that helps you see the beauty you already have. This experience is what made me trust him and his products.

Why We Use Chris McMillan’s Products at QOS

I stopped selling products back in 2019 when the brand I trusted completely shifted and no longer aligned with my values, and honestly, the whole beauty retail model felt outdated and exhausting. 

Then I opened QOS2 and suddenly clients were walking in asking to take something home. I realized people genuinely wanted guidance and products they could feel good about. I hadn’t found anything I believed in enough to put on my shelves again, and the beauty industry has become so oversaturated it’s hard to know what’s actually good. 

After this experience with Chris McMillan it felt like kismet; someone I admire created something I could stand behind from ingredient list to philosophy to story. So here I am, bringing in retail products again, not out of pressure or profit, but because my clients asked and I finally have something I believe in.

Chris isn’t full of shit and neither are his formulas. Every product has heat protectant built in, plus shine, strength, moisture, frizz control, and flexible hold without weighing things down. Most of my curated products are great for wash-and-go, but sometimes you want polish: a sleek pony, a blowout, a moment. His line makes styling accessible without feeling fussy.

My current combo is The Mousse + Glass Blowout Spray. The hold is light, the shine is gorgeous, and every blowout looks fantastic. He also made a genius little hair wand that instantly smooths flyaways, and my clients are obsessed. We have everything at our stations now and we’ll try them during your service if you’re curious.

This isn’t about retail for me, it’s about expanding what’s possible in the client experience with products that actually support our craft. The beauty industry is only getting louder. I’m choosing to trust my hands, my instincts, my clients, and the values Queen of Swords was built on. You don’t need 20 products. You don’t need a celebrity routine. You don’t need perfection. You just need two things: a great haircut, and the will to style it.

Thanks for reading! I am grateful to have you here <3

- Elma

We’d love to stay connected with you. Join our newsletter to receive our monthly blog shares, hear about upcoming events and craft markets, and learn more about the products and hair care rituals we adore. It’s a gentle way to stay in touch and continue growing in community together.

Previous

Queen of Swords: The Origin Story