Good Neighbor Podcast: Pittsburgh

E15: Redefining Beauty, one Painless Braid at a Time with Boss Hair Studio

• Leila Carter & Rachel Strader • Episode 15

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What makes Rachel Strader with Boss Hair Studio & Esthetics a good neighbor?  

Ever wondered why beauty and pain seem to go hand-in-hand? Rachel Strader, owner of Boss Hair Studio & Esthetics, is challenging that notion one client at a time. Born into the craft as the daughter of a hairstylist, Rachel was handling clients by age nine. Though she pursued higher education, graduating from Point Park University, her passion for hair never waned – it just evolved.

"Beauty is not pain," Rachel states emphatically as she describes her salon's specialization in painless braids and gentle protective styles. This philosophy stands in stark contrast to cultural norms that have normalized discomfort, particularly for Black women who regularly wear protective styles. At Boss Hair Studio, clients discover a refreshingly different approach alongside a vegan hair care line designed to promote healthy growth.

Rachel's journey from beauty school graduate to business owner wasn't without challenges. She candidly shares the isolation and mistakes made without proper mentorship, which now fuels her vision to establish educational opportunities for emerging stylists. Between managing her salon and raising five athletic children (including a son headed for the NFL draft), Rachel still finds time for her own artistic pursuits like DJing and playing saxophone. Her story demonstrates how setting proper boundaries became her greatest professional breakthrough, allowing her to create a business where clients don't just get beautified – they leave empowered, educated, and elevated. Ready to experience beauty without compromise? 

To learn more about Boss Hair Studio & Esthetics go to: 

https://bhse.glossgenius.com/

Boss Hair Studio & Esthetics

(412)706-1482


Speaker 1:

This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Lila Carter.

Speaker 2:

Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast. Are you in need of a multicultural hair salon? One might be closer than you think. Today I have the pleasure of introducing your good neighbor, Rachel Strader, with Boss Hair Studio and Aesthetics. Rachel, how's it going Good?

Speaker 3:

morning. It's going well, it's going well.

Speaker 2:

Awesome. We're excited to learn all about you and your business. Tell us about your company.

Speaker 3:

I'm the owner and stylist at Boss Hair Studio, and at Bosser Studio we're redefining beauty painlessly. A lot of salons just focus on certain things, but for us it's just a matter of feeling beautiful, confident and courageous, naturally, Excellent. How did you get into?

Speaker 2:

this business.

Speaker 3:

Actually, I think the business chose me. I was I'm a child of a hairstylist, so I was just surrounded by hair and then moving forward, I think I was about nine or 10 when I started having my first client with my mom and it was something that just couldn't escape me. I finished a four-year degree at point park university and all the while I was still doing here, then I had my own children. At this point I have four children and, um, that's when I decided to actually take myself as a business, because before it was mostly just doing hair and it was fun for me, it was a way of life. And I guess I was about 25 when I finally decided to go into beauty school and then I just took like a deep dive. After that it was just like everything here.

Speaker 2:

Excellent. So what are some myths or misconceptions in your industry?

Speaker 3:

That's a good question. There's plenty of myths and it's not so good A lot of. The number one for me, I would say it's just a huge misconception where people believe that beauty is pain. We specialize in painless braids and gentle, protective styles, healthy hair. We have a hair care line that's vegan and it promotes healthy hair growth and a lot of people don't. It's just one of the things like in our culture um, a black woman and most of us wear braids and then it's like you know, you just take whatever just to look good and it's. That's. That's the biggest misconception. For me, beauty is not pain. In fact, your hair is your glory, so how are you able to walk confidently if you're in pain or you know? So that that's one misconception.

Speaker 3:

There's lots of other stereotypes that come along with the business Industry. Wise, I would say we, we do stick together. You know a lot of people. There's not a lot of. I think it's an oversaturated market. There's a lot of women who we all do the same thing. So I think it's a stereotype mostly that you know we're all bosses, and I'm one myself where I can say after beauty school, I had no direction, I had no, I didn't work in a hair salon.

Speaker 3:

I just kind of I wanted to get into it, but there wasn't the support that maybe you know, a young future professional would need. And so I made a lot of mistakes and I had a salon suite I had. I worked at home, you know, supporting my children and I do wish that there was more academies or, like you know, after school education, you know, once you graduate. Now what? Because that's where I fell in and I made a lot of mistakes. I fell for the myths, even like in my salon suite there was no growth, it was lots of development, but it was at my cost. So I would go into my suite. I can't hire anybody to work with me. It's literally was just me by myself, or anybody to work with me. It literally was just me by myself. Um, so the only way to grow was retail. So I had that was like a whole nother dive into the business, but I had no education in terms of the the business part. So, um, I'm thinking about, uh, starting my own. So that's my next step in my journey.

Speaker 2:

That would be amazing. So who are your target customers, then, and how do you put them to the business?

Speaker 3:

I have right now Instagram, facebook, tiktok. The social media seems to be the way I had a target target my clients, my target audience. I welcome everybody. I am actually in the process of hiring more future professionals, like I said, just going back, giving back and just kind of reestablishing the mentorship and building the brand. So Instagram, mainly Boss Hair Studio PGH. On Instagram, facebook is Boss Hair Studio Aesthetics and I'll be building up my TikTok so you'll be seeing more.

Speaker 2:

Excellent. Yeah, it seems like you have a heart for educating others and supporting others in maybe a way that you weren't supported coming out of school, so it totally makes sense that, like building out a school or an educational program would be your next step. Have you ever thought about doing your own podcast?

Speaker 3:

I never thought of a podcast. Some of my clients and some of my family have suggested in the past like oh Rach, you got a good thing going here, you should try it out. And speaking public speaking was always like a big fear of mine, so it was never really a thought to do it myself. But, um, I guess that's where, that's where this, this route, has hit it right.

Speaker 2:

yeah, I mean a lot of your clients are on social media already, right right. So, outside of work, what do you do for fun?

Speaker 3:

My husband and I travel a lot. We have five children, all student athletes from two years old to almost 21. So we spend a lot of time traveling. We spend a lot of time with football games. Both my daughters are in track and wrestling and both my boys are in their junior year one high school and one college, and, um, they are both top of the top of the charts. My oldest, he'll be going into the NFL draft next year too. Um, he was freshman all-american. Um, he just signed to Auburn University. So we got a lot going on with outside of behind the chair.

Speaker 2:

Oh, congratulations to him. I bet that makes you proud mama.

Speaker 3:

Yes, all of them. Yes, oh, very good, yep wrestling track. I think I'm just an artist at heart, naturally For myself. I like to DJ, I like to play saxophone. You might find me coloring somewhere, so that's my idea of fun Overall art, oh excellent.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, so let's switch gears. Can you describe a hardship or a life challenge you overcame and how it made you stronger? What comes to mind?

Speaker 3:

Hardships in the industry would be my number one would be boundaries and learning to just say no if I can't, I think my heart's just been so big that it kind of it hurt. So that would be like one of my biggest hardships and overcoming it feels so good, so good, just being able to say, hey, no, this is my schedule, you know, just just taking back, and I'm sure my family will appreciate that as well in terms of time.

Speaker 2:

Right, absolutely.

Speaker 3:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

And it's hard to find the balance, sometimes as a business owner and a mom, right, right, right, absolutely yeah, and it's hard to find the balance, sometimes as a business owner and a mom right.

Speaker 3:

Right, right. That was definitely a hardship for me.

Speaker 2:

So, rachel, please tell our listeners one thing that should stick with them, and that they should remember about Boss Hair Studio and Aesthetics about Boss Hair Studio and Aesthetics.

Speaker 3:

Boss Hair Studio is a place where you can not only just get beautified, but you'll also be empowered, you'll be educated, you'll be elevated and your hair will be taken care of.

Speaker 2:

Excellent.

Speaker 3:

How can our listeners learn more about your business? To find out more again, you can follow me at Boss Hair Studio, PGH. That's where I usually have a lot of my content and things that I have coming up.

Speaker 2:

Well, Rachel, I really appreciate your time today and you being in guests on our show. We wish you and your thank you yes, thank you.

Speaker 1:

Thank you so much thank you for listening to the good neighbor podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to to GNPPittsburghcom. That's GNPPittsburghcom, no-transcript.