Meet Shaylee Strauss of Raw Rooted Beauty

Today we’d like to introduce you to Shaylee Strauss.

Hi Shaylee, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers.
My career and love for the beauty industry first started in makeup artistry. In 2016 after graduating high school I moved to Toronto, CA to attend CMU College of Makeup Art and Design. I learned all forms of makeup including Special Effects, Theater, Fashion, Film and Television, Prosthetics, and Creature Design. I moved back to Toledo, OH in 2017 and started working heavily in Bridal Makeup and as a Beauty Advisor at Sephora. That same year I also got my Master Lash Extension Certification in Detroit, MI with LuxGlam Co. and started doing eyelash extensions as well.

My passion for helping women feel confident only continued to grow, and I decided in 2019 to go back to school at Toledo Academy of Beauty for my Esthetician License. I always had an interest in skincare as I believed it went hand-in-hand with makeup, but I had no idea how much I was going to love everything else my esthetics license brought me. After graduating in February 2020 I started my business known as Raw Rooted Beauty. I now offer skin, lash, brow, and makeup services and could not be more grateful for where I am today. I have also moved on to become an Advanced Licensed Esthetician and a Licensed Esthetics Teacher. I created Raw Rooted Beauty with the intention of creating a space where people felt comfortable and safe to be their true, raw, and authentic selves.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I think anyone starting a small business has the struggle of learning how to operate one in general at first. It’s something they don’t teach you in school, and at the beginning of this, I had a hard time finding a work/life balance.

I love what I do so much that sometimes it was very easy to burn myself out. Running a business solely on your own can be a lot. I am very fortunate to have an extremely supportive family, fiancé, and friends along this journey which has been so helpful in the process of creating Raw Rooted Beauty!

As you know, we’re big fans of Raw Rooted Beauty. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Raw Rooted Beauty offers luxury skin, lash, brow, and makeup services. I specialize in Acne Clients by providing results-driven treatments with botanical, backed by science, and cruelty-free products to reach skin goals. What sets your experience here apart from others is the different intuitive practices used to enhance your treatment so you can feel how it was intentionally crafted to be exactly what you needed, beyond just the service you booked.

I call that “energetic esthetics” which is my belief that what is happening on the inside will reflect on the outside, so my mission is to help clients create balance and total well-being to achieve healthy, glowing skin and confidence on all beauty levels. That is the Raw Rooted Beauty difference. Brand wise I am most proud of the community and connections that this small business has created. I want readers to know that Raw Rooted Beauty was built on my love for helping others, and was able to collide with my love for beauty, to bloom a business that is rooted in providing a relaxing space for everyone to feel welcome and cared for.

The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and are any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
I had the pleasure of launching my business in 2020 which was the peak of the Covid-19 crisis and what I did learn was that after being closed down, people will return to your business for the connection you built between yourself and them before they will return for whatever service you offer.

Being a master at the services you provide is extremely important, but your ability to create genuine relationships with each of your clients is just as much. That is what we as humans all crave and especially after being isolated from each other for as long as we were. I am forever thankful for the clients who came walking through my business doors as soon as they could! That meant so much to me as a small business.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.rawrootedbeauty.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rawrootedbeauty/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rawrootedbeauty/
• Other: https://www.vagaro.com/rawrootedbeauty

Image Credits
The Moon Flower Photography, Katherine Pappas