Biography

 

Hi everyone!   Let me introduce myself, my name is Chimena.  I own a salon in Jacksonville, Fl called Chisam Hair.  I relocated from Ft. Lauderdale about two years ago after selling one of my locations there.  Before I begin answering your questions, let me tell you a little bit about myself. 

I was born in the Dominican Republic, but went to High School in Miami.  Hair has been my passion since childhood.  The women in my family have been teaching me since I was a little girl.  Something about making people feel beautiful, man or woman, has attracted me to styling hair since I was 6 years old playing with dolls.  I guess you could say it's in my blood!  While in high school in Miami, I took the necessary courses to get licensed as a cosmetologist in the state of Florida.  My experience from doing hair in the Dominican Republic gave me the edge that I needed to succeed in class in spite of my young age.   Soon after I turned 18, I was fully licensed. 

I started my career 13 years ago in a hair salon in Miami called M&M's as a stylist.  My first job as a stylist there taught me a great deal.  Catering to different looks was something I had to learn in order for me to reach to the next level of my young and blossoming career.  My desire to learn more about my craft led me to New York.  I worked in a salon called Soketa.  New York was incredibly different than Miami.  The abundance of diversity in New York taught me to adjust to the needs of all the different types of clients that would come to see me on any given day.  I had clients of all different ethnicities from Asian to African.  That's when I knew I was ready and I moved back to Ft Lauderdale and started my own salon called Chisam Hair. 

 

Owning a salon was a totally new experience for me.  I am sure I don't have to tell you how challenging owning your own salon is.  Between dealing with the landlord, hurricanes, personalities, and staff, it consumed the majority of my time the first two years.  However, through perseverance, effort, patience, prayer, and a lot of emotional support from my loving family and friends, it slowly but surely started to succeed.

 

 My goal was to differentiate myself from the others by providing long term hair care techniques, products, and services.  That ideology has proven to provide me with a steady stream of clients that are tired of just “doing their hair”.  My staff and I take care of your hair.  That way you have more of it, it's healthy, and it's easy to manage.  Healthy hair is established by consistently cleaning your scalp and using products compatible with your hair type and texture.  Harsh chemicals, glue, and over-bleaching all lead to damaged hair.  That is why my clients only get the best products and services that are compatible with their hair type and texture.  My goal is to educate women on healthy techniques and products that they can utilize even when they are not in my salon.  Taking care of your hair is an ongoing process 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

 

What's my specialty? Hair Extensions! I developed a technique called Threaded Hair Extensions to get rid of the glue and unnecessary chemicals associated with attaching hair extensions.  It lasts for 3-4 months which is twice as long as standard hair extensions last in your hair.  With this technique, you can still maintain your hair and scalp because there are no tracks or glue.  This technique is our most popular service and offered exclusively at the salon.  I was also able to develop a training class and kit to teach it to other stylists as well.

I sold the Ft. Lauderdale location shortly after Hurricane Wilma hit South Florida.  I was tired of all the hurricanes and moved to Jacksonville, which is in North Florida and they don't usually get hurricanes.  I kept the same name because I still get clients that fly from all over the world for the Threaded Hair Extensions.  I love doing hair, even after all these years.  I learn new things every single day.  I fly throughout Latin America to learn new techniques, procedures, and products to acquire and bring to my salon.  I take pleasure in making people feel beautiful like the movie stars I used to fantasize about being when I was a little girl at an affordable price.  I have male and female clients.  Believe it or not, men need to take care of their hair and feel beautiful too! 

Thank you for reading this.  It will be my honor to answer any of your questions: