Selina McManus

Professional Hairstylist | Salon owner | Educator

My earliest memories of hair were in between dreams while laying in my grandmother’s lap. I’d wake up with a braid and request one from her every Saturday. Beauty was influenced into my life at birth by the Indigenous women that raised me. I am an enrolled tribal member of the Tohono O’odham Nation, with a bloodline from the Paiute of Owen’s Valley thanks to my late grandmother, Iris Mendez. I am a mother, community activist, educator, salon owner, and professional hairstylist. I have over 15 years of experience in the beauty industry, but my real hustle came from 18 years of motherhood. I was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. An east bay kid to the fullest.

In 2010, I became a licensed cosmetologist after searching for stability for my young son. Shortly after graduating, I was doing house calls while expecting my daughter. My career has seen many paths; commission, booth rent, private suite ownership, and now as a full salon owner. Story telling through hair has become a staple in my life. Whether it be on set, with my amazing clients behind the chair, teaching other professionals through education, or through collaborations with talented friends.

Staying true to myself and my values has aligned me with incredible opportunities. It has also protected me from spaces that do not value my worth, my craft, or my roots. I believe in decolonizing hair and creating safe spaces for everyone. Unlearning what expectations colonization set on Black & Brown folks is the work I love to do. Taking care of natural hair and giving people the hair color of their dreams is healing. I am incredibly thankful for all of the amazing people I’ve met on this journey. Thank you to each and every one of you who have been on this path with me.

I look forward to where life takes me next. May we heal from the colonized harm our ancestors weren’t able to.

-Selina