The experiences I have acquired throughout my life have led me to see myself as an agent of inner and outer change, thus I call myself a hair and a soul dresser. During my life, I have experienced much hair trauma. In suffering and surviving this trauma, I have cultivated immense amounts of love, compassion, and understanding not only for myself but for my clients and the trauma they have experienced with their hair. I have firsthand knowledge of what it feels like to be ignored when expressing the vision and desire I have for my hair.
Today, I encourage my hair to grow long and healthy and I am in complete control over my wishes. Taking control over my hair has led me to be extremely passionate about helping others to nourish and grow their own hair exactly as they wish. I listen to my clients’ needs and desires and use my skills and vision to create a hairstyle that gives them great joy. With my hair and soul dressing, clients feel more confident, satisfied, and, most importantly, they feel special and heard.
My Journey…
When I was a child, I grew up in a time of war and genocide in Cambodia. I lost both my parents at three years old and was cared for by many strangers until my father finally found me when I was thirteen.
Growing up in Cambodia, my childhood was spent sick and dirty due to a lack of care and resources. Adult strangers would find me itching and scratching because my hair was infected with lice, and many, many times, I was forced to have my head shaved. With every shaving, I experienced humiliation and devastation as I longed to have the long, thick, shiny, and beautiful hair that I saw on others.
The hair of my dreams was not an option, so I improvised. I gathered banana leaves, shredded them into thin long pieces, and tied them around my head to make me feel as if I had long hair reaching down my back. I dreamed that when I grew up, I would have hair as long as I wanted, and NO ONE would take that choice away from me. But as a young teen, after my father brought me to America, I somehow attracted the energy of family members who would not allow me to choose to have long hair. They would force me to cut it often and keep it short.
Once I grew older and was able to pay for my own haircuts, I thought I would finally have a choice over my hair. Instead, I continued to attract hairstylists that wouldn’t listen to what I asked for and would instead cut my hair much shorter than I wanted when all I asked for was a trim.
When I was in my early twenties, I was on vacation with my best friend in San Francisco. On a whim, we decided to go to a very fancy, high-end salon to have our hair done. We splurged hundreds of dollars to get a hairstyle we thought would be amazing and unique. When we left the salon, neither of us could even tell that we just had our hair done, making us feel terrible for spending so much money. It was at this point my intuition told me to become a hairdresser. At the very least, I thought, I could learn to do my own hair and finally have the control I so desperately wanted.
In 1998 I started my journey in hairdressing by becoming a hair assistant in an upscale salon in Atlanta, Georgia, to see if I would even like hairdressing. Not only did I LOVE it, but I found myself obsessed with helping people look and feel good about themselves. Nine months later, I enrolled in a cosmetology school.
My love for hairdressing and my obsession with helping others encouraged me to put all of myself into my training. I never missed a day of school, didn’t take lunch breaks, and worked as hard as I could. I excelled and finished the one-year program in nine months, graduating with honors and an award for the most creative and artistic hairstyles.
After getting my cosmetologist license, I continued to assist at different salons so I could learn as much as I could before taking on my own clients. I did not want to “fake it until I make it” as many schools and salons teach their stylists. I feel that hair is one of the most important aspects of a person’s identity, and not having the right skills could result in hair trauma for my clients. During the many years I assisted, I gained an in-depth knowledge of the chemistry of hair colors and styling techniques. The most important thing I learned was to listen to the client’s hair. Hair speaks to me and tells me how it wants to be cared for, cut, and styled.
After working in Atlanta for a couple of years, I moved to Denver and started working in salons in Cherry Creek. A few years later, I decided to leave the drama of the salon world to create a home studio. Having my own studio allowed me to focus on my passion for my clients’ hair and hearts.
In January 2019, after 17 years in Denver, I moved my home studio to my new mountain retreat just West of Idaho Springs alongside a beautiful river and majestic trees.
Book Your Experience Today!
Helena’s Studio and Forest Oasis is just West of Idaho Springs. The short drive from Denver will transport you to your calming and rejuvenating visit.
To schedule your experience with Helena, please call or text 303.296.6170 or fill out the form below.