Napthali Crouse of Blend & Bright Salon Spa
Writer: Hailey Evans
Photos: Duane Tinkey
“All of us want experts to help tell us how to look our best,” said Naphtali Crouse, who owns Blend & Bright Salon Spa in Ankeny.
She’s right. Just ask the millions of people who pay attention to #coloranalysis on Instagram and TikTok. The notion of having someone else suggest what to wear, of outsourcing at least one of our daily decisions, seems like a small but welcome luxury.
To the salon!
During 20 years as a hairstylist, Crouse made it her personal mission to make each and every client in her chair feel as beautiful and confident as possible. She discovered color analysis through her friend Ally Van Iten, who was working as a stylist for House of Colour, based in the U.K. It totally changed her game.
“It helped me be a better stylist,” she said. People loved that she tailored their haircuts and color to their personal seasons, be it True Winter or Light Spring. The personalization reminded Crouse of the personality quizzes she loved.
In August of 2020, Crouse made the jump to become a certified color expert through House of Colour, taking the company’s online courses during some of the early pandemic lockdowns.
“2020 was an explosive year for growth,” Crouse said. She and Van Iten teamed up to open Blend & Bright in July of 2021 as a first-of-its-kind salon with in-house color analysis services through House of Colour.
The salon “blew up after opening,” Crouse added. “We had about 500 people come to an open house.” The place became so popular, in fact, that the Ankeny salon became the most profitable House of Colour franchise out of 350 worldwide, a ranking it held for three years. Van Iten became CEO of the U.S. brand, whose headquarters are now based in West Des Moines thanks to the local salon’s success.
Smile for the camera
When Crouse first had her own colors done, the results surprised her. “I had been a hairstylist for so long, so I thought I knew color theory and what looked good on me,” she said. “I had platinum hair at the time and wore really dark clothes and lipstick.” If you meet her now, chances are she’s in bright oranges, peaches, warm greens or other autumnal colors.
Before her color analysis, most of her favorite photos of herself featured her in a Green Bay Packers jersey. “I was accidentally wearing my colors and I didn’t even realize it,” she said. “Now I know that I liked the way I looked because I was wearing that color green.”
Crouse calls her team the “curators of confidence,” because confidence is their main goal. That’s true no matter how closely a client follows the “rules” of the color wheel. “I’m not the color police — even I break my color rules sometimes,” she said. “I’m never going to tell anyone they can’t wear something if it makes them feel good. I’m just guiding people to help them find their best look.”
Even if a color technically suits someone, not everyone feels comfortable in bold colors, for example, and other people dislike neutrals. During her consultation sessions, Crouse accounts for personality traits along with body structure, accessories and individual style goals to help each person reach that “best look.”
“I’m 43 and I’m way more confident now than I’ve ever been,” she said. She believes that feeling is exactly why the service is surging in popularity. “Almost 90% of our clients are referrals. People are getting this service and they’re talking about it in their circles because it’s that powerful.”
