Inspiring Conversations with Shawna Enright

Today we’d like to introduce you to Shawna Enright. They and their team shared their story with us below:

When asked by others what Shawna’s best quality is, the majority will answer her passion. Shawna’s passion is what determined her to offer the best, unique services to her clients. Not settling; Shawna began her hair extension education journey.

Traveling the country to become a certified hand-tied hair expert, Shawna became a leader; she was the first hairstylist in her area to offer hand-tied extensions. Challenges were presented, and hurdles were overcome along the way but in one short year Shawna was nominated “SKW Extension Artist of the Year” at the Tied Together conference.

Shawna’s success and determination have opened up new opportunities. A few of them being; opening up a chair rental extension salon named “Kalon Salon + Extension Bar”, becoming a mentor to build up her team, working behind the scenes at NYFW, opening up a second business in Phoenix during a pandemic, becoming an SKW educator, and newly launching her very own mink eyelash line and hair extension brand, Kalon Extensions.

Kalon, meaning “beauty that is more than skin deep” connected her passion for all things extensions and her desire to build a community of confident clients and educated stylists around the country.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I dealt with a lot of “good luck” or “no one will do that here” mentalities. It only gave me fuel to make sure that I was successful. When I started out, I remember having to work at Starbucks at 4:30 am and then go to hair school. When I was done with cosmetology school I drove 45 minutes to work until 800pm.

Everything I have done was because of an opportunity that I worked for and decided to push through an uncomfortable zone. It’s never been easy but it was all created because I did the work to get to where I am today.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Kalon Salon + Extension Bar | Kalon Lash Extensions | Kalon Hair Extensions?
My business started in Wisconsin. I started out renting a chair here and then it eventually grew into me flipping my first 3 chair storefront. This is where Kalon came to life. 2 years later I bought the building we are in now. We flipped it from an accounting firm to a salon with 7 chairs in three months.

When the pandemic started I realized that I needed to address 2 pain points- services that couldn’t be fulfilled and money that wasn’t coming in. I did a lot of research and created a line of 6 styles of reusable ethically sourced Mink eyelashes. Kalon lash extensions have been a great resource for people all over the country.

During the pandemic, I realized that I needed to gain new confidence back into my life and prove to myself that I was able to do anything I could set my mind to. I did a lot of research and connected with a lot of people out in the Phoenix area and decided to be bicoastal and start a business also in the valley. I flew back and forth every 6-10 weeks and marketed myself and my brand with clients in my specialty, extensions.

I did this for 2 years and then it got very difficult to travel with the flight bans so I made the decision to leave the valley. I also spent a lot of time making my brand into a hair extension line. We have a 25-color hand-tied and influential weft hairline that’s ethically sourced from India. We sell this hair to professionals only all over the country.

I love performing extension services on my clients because it’s solving a pain point for many of them. It gives them life back into their hair. Some clients suffer from thyroid issues, some just want long hair, some clients need more fullness, and some suffer hair loss from chemo. There’s no discrimination with this service and it has changed woman’s lives which gives me a bigger purpose.

What was your favorite childhood memory?
I was lucky enough to grow up on the lake. My grandparents owned a small cottage on Shawano Lake in WI. We would spend our weekends fishing off the pontoon, riding jet skis, and water skiing. There’s something about the water that just makes time stand still. To this day I feel so blessed to be able to have experienced life outside and with little worries.

Pricing:

• Lashes- retail for $35-40 a lash
• Hair extensions- pricing is available once an application and license are submitted and approved
• Hair extension services are by consult only- they are packaged at a special price that is custom to the client

Contact Info:

• Website: Www.shawnaenright.com
• Instagram: @Shawnaenrighthair | @kalonextensions_ | @kalon.hairextensions
• Facebook: @Hair by Shawna
• Linkedin: @Shawna Enright

Image Credits
Sophia Savage Photography