Today we’d like to introduce you to Melissa Sanchez.
Hi Melissa, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Growing up with hard working parents and raised by my aunts on my mom side, I never saw my parents most of the day. They both worked two jobs each so my brother and I could have food and a roof over our head. My mom comes from a family of eight. Safe to say she had many babysitters available to her. One of the youngest siblings was my aunt Elia who was in beauty school when I was 2 years old. This was back in the 80s when everyone had bowl cuts and I was her guinea pig for this trend. She’s still a hairdresser to this day and has guided me in the beauty industry. You can even say I got to repay the favor as she was my guinea pig when I went to beauty school.
Throughout the years, I’ve always enjoyed styling hair for school dances, braiding hair for the girls on my soccer team, and eventually styling hair for all the family parties.
Fast forward to senior year of high school I knew I wanted to go to beauty school but knew that hairstyling couldn’t be the only source of income to survive our economy. The plan was always to build clientele part time with the hope to be able to afford going back to college, without getting into student debt.
That plan didn’t work. I truly loved styling hair. I dove into cosmetology and put in the work. I would ask a million and one questions to other passionate stylists willing to share their knowledge with me. This also included my aunt Elia. I had the pleasure of working at her side for 2 years.
I eventually moved to the Big Island of Hawaii with my cousin who was accepted into the University of Hilo. Our backyard was basically a rain forest. Since I had a friend who was living on the island, we got the advantage of scoping out where we wanted to live and where I wanted to work. We lived in Hilo but I was crazy and decided to work on THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ISLAND. I decided on working at a hair salon in Waikoloa. This was a two hour drive just to get to my destination. I would leave my house at 7am and arrive at the salon at 9am, clock out of work at 7pm and arrive home at 9pm. You can call me crazy all you want but the drive itself came with amazing views that I got to experience everyday. The beautiful sunrises, sunsets, and driving through Mauna Kea felt like driving through the galaxy at night. You’re guaranteed to see more than one shooting star.
Although I didn’t get to stay on the big island very long, I really got to find myself when we moved to Oahu. I ended up finding work in Waikiki at a blowout bar. I styled hair and met people from all over the world.
There were a lot of struggles living in Hawaii, mainly affording the life style I wanted. I love to eat and consider myself a huge foodie. My friend Katie and I would love to order several things off the menu multiple times a week. To be able to afford fine dining, I needed to work 3 jobs.
One of the jobs I ended up working was for a mobile service provider, which ended up being the best move I could make because 2020 was hit with COVID and the world shut down. Many of my fellow hairdressers struggled financially and were slowly unable to afford living on the island without assistance . I’m a true believer that everything happens for a reason and that job kept me on a salary with a guaranteed commission that eventually let me work from home.
I didn’t love that job because I’m an artist at heart but we have to continuously make decisions that will benefit our lives and that was a sacrifice I had to make. With the fear of being stranded in island, I ended up moving back to California to be close to family and start over.
The world was still very shut down, especially for hairdressers. They had to be creative and find ways to bring in passive income. I knew I had a choice to make and although I was getting paid decently I did not love that job and ended up working for a local credit union.
I knew I couldn’t go back to doing hair trying to rebuild a clientele when no one was getting their hair done so I had to wait until the time was right.
Five years of working at a credit union and slowly taking clients on the weekends, I finally quit my job and began rebuilding my brand, my clientele, and my career in the beauty industry. Hair has always had my heart and I enjoy making my clients feel beautiful. The confidence change is quick when they have a fresh blowout.
In my area there is a million salons and I really wanted to set myself apart. We see clients throughout the day who struggle with hairloss and always ask, “what products can I use to grow my hair?” To be honest, as a cosmetologist, we are instructed to refer our clients to a doctor or dermatologist but I wanted the answers for myself to be able to better guide my clients. So, in this new journey of mine, I plan to become a Trichologist- a scalp expert studying the skin on top of our head. I want to be that hair doctor for my clients. Although I may still refer them to their doctor or dermatologist, there are other holistic services I can now provide to help them in their hair loss journey. I have been double certified by USTI and the AMCA as a hair loss practitioner. I provide scalp facials and treatments to help exfoliate the scalp and provide salon grade products to help bring moisture back into the hair follicles.
I’ve had a long journey as you can see and I’m only getting started.
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?
Every year comes with new challenges. Since I quit my 9-5, I wasn’t only walking away from my job, I was walking away from the financial security, the health insurance, and the benefit of working from home. However, I became a mom in 2025. I didn’t have the support from my manager and I felt like I was failing at both jobs, The one that paid my bills and being a full time mom. My husband really helped by supporting me emotionally and helping in every way he could. I don’t believe I had postpartum depression but I can’t imagine what other moms go through having to leave their child in the arms of someone else. I know sometimes it’s the only choice we’re given when we have to go back to work but I felt extremely guilty. I know from my own mother you must push through it but mentally I was exhausted and running on fumes. I cannot be more grateful that I have a trade that allows me to work only 3 days a week and be able to be fully devoted to my son the rest of the time. I occasionally feel guilty leaving him with his grandma for those 3 days and I don’t know if I’ll ever get over the guilt but I like to think that it’s my way of feeling love for my son. I knew becoming a mom would be challenging but I have no regrets. Yes, we will face financial struggles but money comes and goes. My time with my son won’t.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
I’m an independent contractor running my own brand that best represents me but I rent a booth at Lavish Beauty Salon located in Arroyo Grande.
I’ve been certified to provide HeadSpa services and as a Hair Loss Practitioner to help people with their everyday scalp issues. Approximately 40% of adults suffer with a scalp condition and never see a doctor. I provide scalp facials to help exfoliate and deep cleanse the follicles to encourage hair growth.
I have 3 different treatments that you can chose from but all treatments are customized per our consultation after identifying what will be the best treatment plan. The main difference in my treatment is the timing. You have the choice of 45 minutes, 60 minutes or 75 minutes of treatment.
Plus, who doesn’t love a good scalp massage?
I plan on continuing my education and doing extensive research on products for my clients to use for their at home care. This treatment is created for everyone because we all are dealing with some type of hair condition. Even when you think this is something you “might” not need, I invite you to come get a scalp analysis where I show you, with my scope, what your scalp looks like in 200x zoom.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
When I first started doing hair I really underestimated what it would look like behind the scenes. I would have appreciated it if my beauty school helped guide us on business accounts, 401k/ retirement plans, and tax payments. My advise would be to speak to a financial advisor and/or CPA to help guide you in the right direction and set you up for financial success. Yes, being an artist is fun but this job can be very physically demanding and I can’t stress enough how important it is to set aside funds for taxes and retirement. I didn’t know that when I was a baby stylist and look back at the money I had to pay out of pocket each year to the IRS without realizing I wasn’t doing enough to set aside for my retirement. I learned a lot working at the credit union and I can only learn from my own mistakes.
Pricing:
- 45min Detox- $125
- 60min Revive- $145
- 75min Nourish- $165
Contact Info:
- Website: https://independentmay29.glossgenius.com
- Instagram: Independentmay29
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063872260883&mibextid=wwXIfr&mibextid=wwXIfr
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@independentmay29?_r=1&_t=ZT-99F5kOZYN2M
Image Credits
Vanessa Marie Photography
Sarah Kathleen
Nikkels Photography
