Sally Lemmo—known to most stylists as @clevelandhairboss—is a hair color and placement educator built for the real world: packed books, tight foil counts, and clients who want lived-in results that still hit. Based in the Cleveland area, she teaches stylists how to think in strategy, not steps—so placements stop feeling like guesswork and start feeling like control.

Her work lives inside Hair Boss University, where she breaks down her “Placement with Purpose” approach: customize placement to the round of the head, understand the why, and you’ll move faster with better outcomes. Courses cover modernized highlight placement (including techniques aimed at cutting foiling time dramatically), gray blending strategy, balayage and reverse balayage, dimensional bob work that connects cut to color, and a formulation guide that makes the chemistry finally click.

Sally’s story has range—she started in the industry as a barber, went on to own salons, and speaks openly in interviews about the chaos and comeback lessons of salon ownership. That lived experience is why her education lands: it’s equal parts technique, efficiency, and the mindset that keeps you standing when the industry gets loud. Work with her online, catch an in-person class, book an in-salon training, or shadow her for a day—then take the notes back to your chair and make them pay you back.