Meet Raine
Honestly, I didn’t have some crazy love for hair growing up. I just found myself doing it—mostly for friends and family. But early on as I was deciding what career path to take, it was like everyone was telling me to go be a doctor or a lawyer and it just didn't seem to fit. Then one day, my own hair stylist told me, “You should study hair.” That’s what planted the seed.
I had a friend in high school who was going through chemo, and they don’t prepare you for losing your hair. She asked me to help her with her hair. I had to shave her head, and I was crying right along with her. As time progressed she beat cancer, but it was tough for her to grow her hair back. Helping her with extensions, I was able to help her get a pixie cut and then a bob, I realized then that this is what I’m meant to do.
It’s More Than Just Hair
It’s about how people feel. Going for a new job or rekindling things with their partner, it amps up who they are and how they feel. For me, it’s instant gratification to see that transformation happen. It gives me such a high.
After more than 15 years in this industry, working with hundreds of clients— I know this is where I’m meant to be.
This isn’t just a job for me; it’s my purpose. In a way, I feel like a doctor—not in the lifesaving sense, but in the way I assess what someone needs, diagnose, and problem solve. A lot of women deal with stress or hormonal stuff that impacts their hair health, and I become a problem solver for them. My main goal is healthy grow-out, but the extensions provide an immediate solution.
What’s amazing is that my clients often take on new personalities—it’s not that I’m giving them a new identity, but the extensions bring out something that was already inside them. They become empowered, ecstatic, relieved, confident—overjoyed, really.
Doing things the right way is everything to me. I can’t cut corners, and I won’t use crap hair on you. I make sure the hair I use is high quality because I know the investment people are making, whether it's hair extensions or classes. I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night if I didn’t do right by my clients.
The industry right now is flooded with people who don’t really know what they’re doing. Instagram makes it look like anyone can do this, but it’s not a one-size-fits-all thing. I’m a correctionist too—clients come to me in tears, helpless, after getting terrible extensions. Some are even losing their hair or dealing with bleeding because there’s no regulation on extensions. Anyone can do them, technically. That’s why it’s so important to go to a vetted source. I want to be that source—a guarantee that people will have a good outcome.
For me it’s all about taking the narrow road.
There’s a Coco Chanel quote I love:
“In order to be irreplaceable, one must always be different.”
That’s how I approach my work—being different, doing things with integrity, and always focusing on quality.