From Love is Blind to Transformations She Loves: Meet Casandra

Fortune favors the bold, they say, and Casandra isn’t one to say no to an adventure. She brings a sense of passion to everything she does—from her work as a master stylist and colorist to her globe-trotting exploits, and even an opportunity to experience reality TV firsthand.

Curious about Casandra’s experience on Love is Blind Minneapolis? Want to know more about where she finds inspiration, the tools and products she can’t live without, and what brings her joy?

We invite you to get to know Roseville JUUT Salonspa Master Artist, Casandra.

So, what prompted you to apply for Love is Blind?

I didn’t apply, actually—they reached out to me. They were casting in Minneapolis, liked what they saw on my Instagram, and said they’d love to chat with me. I thought, what a cool experience. I wanted to give it a go. It was exciting and different from the traditional dating scene—kind of a once in a lifetime opportunity.

They probably got half of their cast by looking for people on social media and then the other half applied.

Did the actual experience of being on a reality TV show match with your expectations?

No, it was wildly different.

I had this preconceived notion that the production would try to guide you to say certain things and steer you in one direction, but they left it really open ended. They really did want you to stay true to yourself. I had a very positive experience with production.

Do you feel like you were fairly represented on the show?

I don’t know, I haven’t seen it yet. I’ll watch it on Valentine’s Day with everyone else.

Are you a little nervous about watching it with no idea of what’s coming?

Yeah, I am. Just to see how you’re perceived? I can’t remember anything I said. I feel like I completely blacked out. But the cool thing is, since the cast is all from Minnesota, I’m watching it at 2am with a couple of the other girls from the show when it first gets released. It’ll be fun to watch the show with them and see it through their eyes.

(Want to follow Casandra’s lead? Love is Blind streams on Netflix, and the first six episodes have already dropped.)

So, what was your favorite experience on the show?

The fact that I got to make these connections with some of the girls, for sure. They’re from very different walks of life, from all over Minnesota, and just such amazing characters. I probably wouldn’t have met them if I hadn’t done Love is Blind, and now we’re extremely close.

I walked out of the show with some of my new best friends.

Let’s change course here. What initially attracted you to your work as a hairstylist? Is it what still keeps you motivated and inspired today?

I have people in my life who are in the industry. My grandma. Two of my aunts. I always knew I wanted to be somewhere in beauty, if I’m being honest. I just didn’t know what lane I wanted to take. So I went to the Aveda Institute at 18, and, honestly, just loved it. My career took off from there.

I did some advanced education for about a year, and then I found JUUT in 2015, and I’ve been with them ever since. Truly, I love JUUT, and I choose to remain there because of the education and the room for growth. There are always new opportunities coming to us—from education to teaching at our New Artist Salon. I feel like JUUT has kept me motivated and passionate about this industry. I get to do what I love, but still really have a lot of life balance.

What drew you to mentoring at the New Artist Salon, and what do you enjoy most about that experience?

I initially took on the role about five years ago, because I wanted to shake things up and do something different that wasn’t strictly behind the chair.

I think it’s very inspiring to see the new artists. They come in so fresh and wide-eyed and eager to learn. They keep me on my toes. I learn a lot from them—I get to see the new trends, dive deeper into color theory, and all those little things that you don’t think about on the day to day.

What are the transformations that excite you most?

Oh, hair extensions. On the show, I wore extensions, and all the girls kept saying, “Your hair, it’s perfect.” And when the cast list was announced and people were making TikToks, they were saying, “You can tell she’s the hairstylist.” That comes from the extensions I was wearing, because they just make your hair so amazing.

That’s my favorite transformation to do, because you can just see the confidence in a client when you put in a couple wefts or tape-ins here and there, all the way to a full transformation where they have waist-length hair. It’s my favorite thing to watch a client’s face light-up when they get all this additional volume.

It’s just beautiful.

What is it about color that attracted you to this specialty?

I really like the balance of being creative, yet you still really have to be detail-oriented. A lot of what I do is following a pattern, but there’s also this element of creating something specific to the client.

I did start cutting, as well. I would still say my specialty is color but it’s nice to now create the look as a whole.

Is there a particular type of hair color service that gives you special satisfaction?

I typically lean towards blonding services—high impact foils to really nice and beautiful lived-in color.

My biggest specialty, the thing I enjoy most, is doing lived-in colors, because I like to give a service to a guest that doesn’t feel high maintenance. They can live with it, and it’s beautiful through every stage. I want them to feel like they’re not tied down to the hair salon—where they can go eight to 12 weeks, and they have a color that has a lot of longevity to it.

What would you say to clients trying to decide between one-step and dimensional color?

I actually think doing a dimensional color, even though it costs more upfront, you’re probably spending less. Say you do a one-step color, you typically get four to six weeks out of that service. And at four weeks with a one-step color, you have a line of demarcation when your roots are coming in and you feel tied down to the salon.

If you do a dimensional highlight, you might get anywhere from eight to 12 weeks. It’s double the cost, but you get two to three times the longevity. And I think it looks better throughout. If you get to that eight-week mark with dimensional color, you haven’t booked your appointment, and you know you can’t get in for three or four weeks, you’re not going to be self-conscious about the color you’re living with.

Do you have a hair styling tool you can’t live without?

Truly, my go-to is a three barrel waver. I got it on Amazon for 30 bucks, and it’s my favorite hot tool.

What I love about it is it creates these soft waves in your hair, which are super popular right now. It might not be the same for everybody, but when I do this to my hair, if I use the right styling aids to get the look I’m going for, it will last four to five days, and then I don’t have to put heat on it. For some reason, with a curling iron, I have to touch up my curls here and there. But when I do this wavy look, I can get four to five days out of it. And, honestly, as the days go by, I like it better. That said, I do have to use a dry shampoo.

Okay, what’s your favorite dry shampoo product then?

I have two, actually.

On day one, I might use something a little lighter. But on day three or four, I use Aveda Shampure Dry Shampoo. It’s a powder, so it almost creates a little bit of volume and a little grit at your root to get you that lift and soak up the oil.

Back to the personal. Now that you’ve done the show, people are going to be very curious about you. So, what brings you joy outside of work?

I really love the restaurant scene. I like to try all the new cool spots in Minneapolis and St Paul. I’m a northeast Minneapolis native, so that’s definitely my go-to area. I also love the outdoors. I spend a lot of time at my family cabin—we like to go boating and do anything out on the water.

But really, I work to travel. That’s what my savings typically goes toward. I want to be on an airplane going somewhere fun.

Travel? What’s the best place you’ve ever been, and what’s the place you’re most excited about going to next?

I went to London last summer, and that was really amazing—just something totally different than what I’ve done in the past. So that’s definitely top of the list. I love a city and exploring what other cities have to offer. I think, because I grew up in the city, they will always hold a special place for me.

As for this coming summer, I’m most excited about going to Wales. I’ll see the sights, go to all the castles, and they’ve got amazing beaches.

I’m super pumped for that.