Life & Work with Nicole Oheb

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nicole Oheb.

Hi Nicole, 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, I was never an academic child. I loved arts and crafts, sports, and being social. Anything but being home studying. When the time came to look at colleges I was questioning what I even wanted to do with my life career-wise, and why I would go to college when I didn’t have a path I wanted to follow. My mother knew of my disinterest in college and she helped me look for alternatives. At the time, I had a love of makeup. I would do all of my friend’s makeup for prom and class pictures, even for fun. That’s when my mother found a cosmetology school for me. I have been lucky enough to have parents that support a maybe untraditional career path that didn’t involve a college education. Cosmetology school seemed like the perfect option and what would be the start of something amazing. I moved to Santa Barbara to start cosmetology school at Santa Barbara City College, and the journey began from there. I found my love and natural skill for hair and left the makeup dream behind. Going through school I for once was the star student with perfect attendance and a deep interest in what we were learning. I finally found my passion. I never thought I would find chemistry interesting, but there I was.

Once I graduated I was assisting at many different salons and with free-lance stylists to find my niche. I’ve worked on magazine covers like Playboy, Maxim, Harper’s Bazaar, and Glamour magazine as a hairstylist’s assistant. I’ve done weddings and other events while also working in a traditional salon setting. I loved the exposure I was fortunate enough to get through my mentor who was ready and willing to take me under her wing, and to this day encourages me in my personal endeavors.

When the time came for me to go solo, four years in, I decided I loved the traditional salon setting in my private suite where I can see clients one-on-one. I love the experience of getting to know my clients in the sanctuary I have created. Being able to have the relationships I hold with my clients is something I will never take for granted. Their trust in me is something I didn’t think I would have as part of my life. I truly have found my passion in life.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
For the most part, I have been lucky enough that I have not encountered many challenges in my rise in the hair industry. Of course, there were times where people doubted me because of my age and they felt I was too young to know what I was doing, but that has been rare. My biggest obstacle if anything has probably been my own self-esteem. Imposter syndrome in this industry is real especially with all of the online presence of many other hairstylists and successful artists. It is something I have to often overcome to know that I have worked tirelessly to get to where I am today and I deserve to be where I am.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
As a hairstylist, I do all of the traditional services. Haircuts, root color, blowdries. However, my specialty and what most clients come to me for is balayage. Balayage is known as a handpainted technique that creates a natural blended lightness to the hair, similar to where the sun would naturally land to create shadows and light. I have been trained and taught the most efficient and effective technique to achieve what I believe to be a beautiful balayage. The thing that I am most proud of in my career has to be the environment that I have created in my salon. I greet with a hug and say goodbye with an even longer one. My clients look to me as more than a hairstylist. I am their friend, and they are mine. We laugh and cry together and they look to me for advice or just someone to talk to. It is a safe space where we learn about each other, and they leave feeling like they have someone on their side. That is something I take great pride in. I want everyone who comes into my salon to feel comfortable and welcome, and I try my best to create that home for them. I believe what sets me apart from others is the way I empathize with my clients and offer my best support and friendship. My salon is much more than just hair, that is what sets me apart.

Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
My advice for those just starting out would be to try everything. Exposure is so important in where you end up. Seeing different perspectives and environments makes it easy to see and feel where you fit in best. And most importantly, where you feel most comfortable.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @styledby_nicci

Image Credits
Elle Rama