Helena Gibson of Unveil Restorative Hair Care On Five Things Anyone Can Do To Have Fabulous Hair

Maintain Scalp Health with a Scalp Stimulating Brush like Unveil №0 Brush. Did you know, our scalp ages, too? A scalp brush will turn over cells and increase blood flow to the scalp. This activity helps the environment to support healthy hair growth. Plus, it feels great!

As a part of our series about “Five Things Anyone Can Do To Have Fabulous Hair”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Helena Gibson.

A serial entrepreneur and licensed cosmetologist trichologist, Helena Gibson’s journey to transform the narrative around hair loss began 21 years ago by helping her mom who struggled with thinning hair. She earned certifications for wig and hair replacement, seamless extensions, hair augmentation, and medical hair loss. She created the 7-Figure Salon Academy, founded Strut Hair Solutions in Fresno and San Diego, and authored “Lead Like a Woman: Tales from the Trenches” and “Secrets to Beautiful Hair.” Most recently, Helena created Unveil Restorative Hair Care, a line of non-toxic, clean, sustainable, cruelty-free products that restore confidence and personal wellness with thicker, fuller, and healthier hair.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn a bit more about you. Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?

My desire to help others regain their confidence started over 20 years ago by helping my mom who was struggling with thin fine hair and looking for solutions that looked natural and she felt comfortable in. When I accompanied my mom in the wig stores, the shop owners were missing the empathy piece and didn’t see the emotional toll this was taking on her. I knew if she felt this way, other women must feel the same. This lit the spark for me to create Strut Hair Solutions, and then Unveil Restorative Hair Care.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?

Ha, that has to be when I moved to San Diego to open my second location. The owner of a shopping center I was interested in offered me the space, but because I had moved from Fresno and was a single mother, she didn’t think I’d make it. So she offered the space with a double deposit.

I told the broker I was not interested in taking it with the negative energy around this conversation. I passed on the space. That was 12 years ago, and funny enough, it’s flipped over at least three times since. I, however, have been in the same space in the center I picked for the last 12 years.

Big mistake she made.

Are you able to identify a “tipping point” in your career when you started to see success? Did you start doing anything different? Are there takeaways or lessons that others can learn from that?

2006, I remember it clearly: the Dukes of Hazzard movie had just come out with Jessica Simpson wearing hair extensions, and Dancing with the Stars was a hit, and the dancers had hair pieces. These things in pop culture made alternative hair more mainstream, and women were beginning to want these looks for themselves.

In your experience what were the most effective ways for your business to generate leads and sales? Can you share a story or give an example?

With Strut Hair Solutions, I went where my clients were. When I first moved to San Diego, I went to meet the nurse navigators at the oncology clinics. I also joined the Chamber of Commerce and attended local charity events. These things got me in front of my ideal client.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person to whom you are grateful who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

I just shared with you the story about the shopping center that wanted the double deposit. Well, the center I ended up in was meant to be. The landlord took a chance with me. He loved that I moved to the area, was scaling my business to multiple locations, and wanted to create a better life for my daughter. He required a 10-year lease but at that time, but he waived the deposit and generously helped with my build out. All which gave me a huge head start, and I am so grateful for it.

Can you share a story with us about the most humorous mistake you made when you were first starting? What lesson or take-away did you learn from that?

When I signed my first commercial lease, I did not fully understand what all the terms meant.

The glass at the store was broken and I learned the hard way about “as-is” space rental. At this point, I have to laugh about it. I was so upset and didn’t understand how I was responsible for such major repairs.

You have been blessed with great success in a career path that many have attempted, but eventually gave up on. Do you have any words of advice for others who may want to embark on this career path but know that their dreams might be dashed?

With both business ventures — my Strut Hair Solutions stores and my Unveil Restorative Hair Care products — there have been many times I’ve wanted to quit.

There will always be challenges. That’s part of doing business and being an entrepreneur.

As we all have heard, your “why” has to be bigger than the obstacle you are facing.

For me, when I told my grandpa I was pregnant, he said I had just ruined my life. In retrospect, that was the catalyst to my success because I had to prove him wrong. He made that statement just in passing, and it stuck with me when I wanted to quit. For me, failure was not an option. I was determined to make these ventures successful and provide a better life for my daughter.

Find your “Why.”

Ok super. Let’s now shift to the main part of our discussion. Can you please share “Five Things Anyone Can Do To Have Fabulous Hair”. Please share a story or an example, for each.

1. Avoid Excessive Heat Styling. When using heat styling tools, apply a heat protectant spray to minimize damage.

2. Take a Supplement like Unveil №5 Hair Nutrition Vitamins to Support Hair Health. Most people are not eating as healthy as they should. Diet is important, and you can help by supplementing.

3. Trim Regularly. It removes damaged ends, preventing them from splitting further up the hair shaft.

4. Avoid Tight Hairstyles. This can cause stress on your hair and scalp, leading to breakage.

5. Maintain Scalp Health with a Scalp Stimulating Brush like Unveil №0 Brush. Did you know, our scalp ages, too? A scalp brush will turn over cells and increase blood flow to the scalp. This activity helps the environment to support healthy hair growth. Plus, it feels great!

Can you share 3 ideas that anyone can use “to feel beautiful”? (Please share a story or example for each.)

1. Self-Care Rituals. When you take care of yourself, it really makes a difference on how you feel by enhancing your sense of well-being. I know I feel more beautiful when I take time to care for myself.
2. Dress with Confidence. Wear clothes that make you feel comfortable and confident. Choosing clothing that aligns with your personal style can boost your confidence and enhance your perception of beauty.
3. Physical Activity. No one ever regrets a workout. That’s because you feel so amazing afterward!

You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

Changing the narrative around women’s hair loss. For far too long, we have ignored the mental

toll that hair loss can have on our confidence, self-esteem, and negative self-image.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

Get 1% better every day, and in one year, you are 365% better.

I love the simplicity of 1% better. I do my best to live by this, everyday 1% better than the last.

Then it’s amazing to see how far you’ve come in five years!

We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world with whom you’d like to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this. :-)

This is easy: Oprah! When I ran television commercials for my stores, my goal was to have a time slot during her show. My target audience watched her show. This was huge for new customer acquisition.

When I was finally able to run during this time slot, it was a huge accomplishment for me.

Then when Oprah went on to air Super Soul Sunday, I was hooked on her. Her journey has been so inspiring to me. I’ve love to spend time just in Oprah’s presence.

How can our readers follow you online?

@strutwigs and @unveilhaircare

Thank you so much for this. This was very inspirational, and we wish you only continued success!

Thank you!