We were lucky to catch up with Salina Peña recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Salina , thanks for joining us today. Is there a heartwarming story from your career that you look back on?

In the hair world most people just think of the outside presence. It goes beyond that from the moment you connect. I had a guest that was really going through a lot. After working magic on them, they were ecstatic. They felt so amazing about themselves. Their story was just finding a place in the world and how hard it was being of change. They thanked me with a hug and said they had never had a stylist go beyond just the technical, but became a person who cared about their story and took the time to get to know them beyond just a client .

Salina , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am a hairstylist and have been doing hair for about 7 years. I have always been a creative person and wanted to get into an industry where I could do just that. I worked in salons as a service coordinator to really undertan the process of the hair industry, at least the headache portion of it. After that I decided to go into cosmetology school. My school of choice was The Aveda Institute Denver. I fell in love with their mission statement, their beliefs of the service wheel and all around culture. I was in high honors in my phases and became a part of Premier Takent. That was the top of students and they would get recommended for alone looking to hire new talent. Fast forward, I then wanted to venture in mens grooming. Cutting is my jam, the instant gratification of seeing the shape and style come to form, I have learned to take and accept constructive criticism as part as me growing to be a better stylist/barber. One thing about me is I go beyond just seeing my guests as a number, I build relationships with them.

If you could go back, would you choose the same profession, specialty, etc.?

Don’t get me wrong I love my perfession . But just getting to know people and sometimes them trusting in you, I think I would’ve studied psychology . Understanding people comes from more than just listening but being genuine to listen without judgment .

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

Social media is the new portfolio for any creative infield . I stay on taking pictures of my work . Always offering to set up future appointments, handing out business cards, and following up to see how the cut/color/ is doing . Communication and being reliable .

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Hairbysalinap