Our mission at Harper Ellis Hair Co. is to support stylists in their quest for personal success. We elevate our hand-tied artists not only by providing them access to the highest quality hair extensions on the market, but also in offering an unparalleled stylist support network and industry-leading hair education.
In this spotlight, we chat with Rachael Hager, one of the amazing stylists at Hair + Co in Oklahoma City! We’re so excited to share her success story and some photos of the hair transformations she's done with you, as well as her hear all of her exciting plans for summer!
Can you tell us a little about yourself?
I am married to my best friend and we have 3 rescue fur babies (foster failed 2 and we brought 1 in from the streets): Lucy, Jack and Callie. When I am not in the salon, I am usually streaming on Twitch, playing Call of Duty, or just hanging with my community - check me out twitch.tv/Lezgorach 🤪 Some of my favorite things to do include traveling (especially to a beach), drinking Alani Nu energy drinks, and reading a good book.
We would love to know what brought you to where you are now! Tell us about your career as a hairstylist — how you started, all that fun stuff!
I am originally from Texas and moved to now Oklahoma City in 2013. I started doing hair at a small salon in 2015 and quickly gave up because I thought hair wasn’t my career path. I bounced around with sales gigs (beer distribution) and bartending. I finally found my way back to the beauty industry working for a makeup/skincare company and realized how much I missed making people feel good about themselves. I decided to get my feet wet again and reached out to my friend @BrandieHairCo, who was looking for a new assistant at the time. I thought that would be the perfect ease back in after being out of the scene for 2 years! Plot twist…I didn’t get the job. 🤪 instead, Brandie instilled confidence in me and encouraged me to work on my own and shadow her and Hillary as needed at the salon they currently worked at. She even vouched for me to the owner of the salon and got me a part time booth, beside them! As I became a part-time stylist again, hand-tied extensions were just surfacing. I signed up for the hand-tied extension training (that Brandie and Hillary were offering), and before I knew it, my books were filled and I was a full-time extension and blonding stylist within 2 months of coming back. Fast forward to now, 4 years later, I was just voted the Best Hairstylist in the 405 and I was given the opportunity to assist one of the best stylists in our field, @linsonhair, during his New York City and Miami lived-in blonding classes. I am certified to train 2 different extension methods, I have a full-time assistant, and I work at the Best Salon in the 405, owned by Brandie and Hillary, who inspired and encouraged me to get back into the beauty industry!
What advice would you give to other stylists starting their careers?
Hustle your little heart out. Don’t be afraid to put the time in and step out of your comfort zone. Never stop investing in your education. Don’t compare yourself to others--success happens to people at different times and in different ways. GET ON SOCIAL MEDIA and promote yourself. Don’t get discouraged by failure and most importantly, love what you do because you are making others feel more confident about themselves. Always have fun.
Can you tell us why you choose to use hand-tied extensions and why you use Harper Ellis hair?
Hand-tied is the least damaging method of extensions, as well as the most natural-looking. I chose Harper Ellis because I’ve always been about supporting small businesses (though they are known around the world now), and they have the most bad-ass customer service around. They truly care about the stylist, they even know me by my first name, and they care about what I have to say. I’ve also been following Terra for a while and I really look up to her.
Tell us something you're excited about this summer!
My wife graduating nursing school, warm weather, and pool days!! Usually we have trips planned, but with my wife being in school, no time off!! 🤪
Thank you, Rachael! We absolutely adore you! Be sure to follow Rachael on Instagram!
