Life & Work with Chanel Manhard

Today we’d like to introduce you to Chanel Manhard.

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?
I didn’t always envision being where I’d be today, but it’s a true testament to follow your dreams. After pursuing a college degree to in social work, I quickly realized that I was destined to pursue my passion in the beauty industry. I put myself through cosmetology school and never looked back.

I became a hairstylist in 2013 and have always had a passion to make women feel empowered with their beauty. I started my career working in large salons, assisting top colorists and stylists in Los Angeles and Orange County, CA. It was then I realized that there was a lack of extension specialists in the salon I worked in and wanted to grasp at the potential to build my clientele by offering luxury hair extension services.

I invested into learning new hair extension methods which has now blossomed into a lucrative business in my own salon studio. While working behind the chair building my clientele, I also traveled the country as a platform artist for five years with a professional hair extension brand. I educated stylists about hair extensions in small classes and also at major beauty trade shows. In 2019, I joined the largest globally recognized hair extension brand, Bellami Hair Professional, as a Senior Regional Educator.

It’s my goal to make everyone who sits in my chair feel beautiful, bold and most importantly, like themselves…but better!

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?
My family wasn’t always behind my decision to enter the beauty industry. My parents were both corporate executives and there seemed to be a stigma that if you were a cosmetologist, it wouldn’t be a lucrative career. I worked so hard to show that this was a serious industry to them and if you put the work in, you can be more successful than those with a college degree.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I specialize in hair extensions and also teach other stylists how to incorporate these services to build revenue behind the chair. I’m know for transformative work both with hair color and hair extensions. I’m most proud of the way I make women feel once they leave my salon. My people think that hair extension services come from a place of vanity, and I like to show that it’s the contrary. Clients I’ve worked with before are women who had suffered hair loss from cancer, accidents or who genetically are blessed with normal hair. Inner confidence is priceless and with hair extension services, I’m able to give women the ability to love them self from the inside out.

Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
Ive never stopped wanting to learn! I always hungry for more education, whether in color, cutting or extension services. I ask a lot of questions and practice refining my skills on my time off. I would recommend finding a stylist whose work you love and introducing yourself through social media or email. Attend classes they offer and reach out to other stylists who might use your same products to establish a group to build ideas with.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.hairbychaneloc.com
• Instagram: Hair.By.Chanel