Today we’d like to introduce you to Mia Wallace.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Towards the end of my senior year of high school, I was kind of lacking direction, and I didn’t know if I wanted to go to college or do something else. I had been thinking about maybe looking into hair school because I am creative and I like to make people feel good about themselves, so I convinced my mom to let me go to hair school instead of college. My mom found my cosmetology school here in Columbus. I went to the Aveda Institute of Cosmetology, and shortly after that, I was working in a salon at the front desk while I was in school. I really enjoyed speaking to people daily, being able to let out creative expression, making others feel good, and I also enjoyed being able to do solo work while being around others. After school, I started working a full-time as a hairstylist at Square One Salon and Spa, where I went through an assistant program and got tons of education. After a few months of being an assistant to high-level stylist, I got my own chair and started building up my own clientele. I worked at Square One for several years and eventually wanted to pursue a clientele that was more similar to be. For me, it was important as a black woman with natural curly hair that I made other women of color and other women with hair-textured Hair feel catered to and validated to where their textures however they pleased. With that being said, I started working at Synergi Salon, a natural hair salon, and I was trained under the owner Karen Hill, who helped me broaden my experience with textured hair and helped me really feel comfortable knowing how to cater to women of color and helping reach their hair goals. I worked there for a little over a year, and while I was there, I went from being a salon employee to an independent stylist and paying booth rent. After I started working for myself and paying booth rent, I realized that I could really be successful working for myself, and I decided to move into a private salon suite where I am now. I’ve been in my suite for almost 2 months, and while it has been challenging, I believe that it was probably the best fit for me, and I’m excited to see how much I can grow from here.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It definitely has not been a smooth road up until this point. When I first started doing hair full-time, it was challenging to keep up with current hair trends, continued education, and also learning to retain my clientele. I got a lot of support from the salon that I was at, and they taught me how to be professional in front of and behind the chair. It was also challenging moving to a new salon. I knew that doing that would mean that I’m somewhat starting over. When I moved to Synergi most of my clients stayed at my old salon because Synergi is exclusively a textured hair salon. So, even though I have been doing hair for going on six years, I made a sacrifice to start over so that I could really get education and hone in on the type of clients and the type of hair that I wanted to do. Even though it’s difficult, I’m really glad I did it because I now have a clientele that is really relatable for me. Most of my clients are women of color and have textured hair, and it is really gratifying to be able to make them feel confident with the hair that they were given. It’s also been a learning curve going from working for a Salon that is commission based or hourly to working completely for myself. Having to buy all of my supplies and products also having to pretty much be my own receptionist and booking my clients myself, and dealing with financial responsibilities has been challenging, but also really rewarding. I know that the longer I work for myself as an entrepreneur. The more confident I’ll be coming all of these areas.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I really pride myself on being a hairstylist that is comfortable working with all textures of hair. Because I worked in a salon in the suburbs for most of my hair career, I am really well trained in technical haircutting and hair color. After I moved to work at Synergi I was able to really combine the technical haircutting and hair coloring skills I had had from my old salon with my newly acquired natural hair knowledge. So now, while I am a stylist who welcomes all women and all textures of hair to my studio, I specialize in catering specifically to women of color and helping them maintain and love their natural hair. I do services such as silk presses, two-strand twists, flat twists, updos, and more. I also specialize in hair color or natural hair that will give the client the results they want without damaging or compromising their natural texture.
I believe that I provide affordable yet high-quality services to all my clients. Every client that comes to sit in my chair will receive an in-depth consultation about their goals expected outcomes for their hair, an invigorating and relaxing shampoo, and a conditioner partnered with a steamer to give extra moisture to their hair. All my clients also will receive a complementary mini-facial with every service just to give a little extra moment of relaxation to a woman who needs it. The mini-facial involves a light cleanser on the face, a hot towel, a toning mist, and a moisturizer to the face. After all of that, I work hard to execute the style that my client is asking for. Also, every service comes with a trim no matter what. My clients don’t have to pay extra to get their ends trimmed. This is really important to me because I really advocate for healthy hair, and I don’t want my clients to pay extra to maintain the health of their hair. All in all, I want my clients to leave looking and feeling their best feeling relaxed, and feeling cater to.
What are your plans for the future?
In the future, I plan to stay in my private studio and really build my clientele further. I am always pursuing continued education and trying to stay up-to-date with the most current hair trends, but specifically the most current natural hair trends and education. I’m excited that at the beginning of May, I’ll be adding more curly-cutting services to my menu to cater to clients that only wear their hair and its natural state and want to get trims and cuts without applying any heat to it. I also hope to be adding extension and wig services to my clients as well, in the very near future.
In the long run, though, when I am done with my career behind the chair, I plan to open at least one salon, maybe even a few, across Ohio to cater to all women with all textures of hair at any stage of her life.
Pricing:
- New Client Appointment- $90
- Silk Press- $65
- Two-Strand Twists- $90
- All Over Color- $125+
Contact Info:
- Website: Negritasalon.com
- Instagram: @negritasalon_
