Who is she

hi..

Meet Airika: The Woman Behind the Chaos

Hi, my name is Airika, but most people know me as Hairika. I’ve been in the hair industry for over 20 years, and if you’ve ever sat in my chair, you already know it’s never just about the hair. It’s deeper than that. It’s about community, the therapy, the laughs, and sometimes the tears that come with it.

I started my own salon suite because I wanted a space that felt like me: no bad vibes, just real connections and good energy. And now, I’m starting this blog for the same reason. Instagram captions are cute, but they don’t give me enough room to rant, reflect, or share the stories that deserve more than a photo and a hashtag.

So about me…

I’m 42 years old and I feel like I’ve seen it all. I started my career in Chicago at the ripe age of 20, studying and working with Vidal Sassoon. That experience gave me the kind of education you can’t buy twice; sharp technical training and even sharper life lessons.

From there, I spent the better part of my Chicago days at a men’s salon. It was honestly the best time.  I learned everything about men’s styling and how different that side of the industry is. At 30, I moved to Los Angeles for a fresh start, not realizing that move would define my whole life.

I worked at a barbershop in LA, blending everything I’d learned from Sassoon with my men’s salon years. It was there that I met my husband, Danny. I still remember the day we met. I thought he was SOOOO COOL (but that story deserves its own blog post). Eventually, we got married and had our first child, Ocean, in 2016. Being a working mom in the city was expensive, exhausting, and flat-out hard. So, like any girl who needs her mom, I decided we needed a change. In the summer of 2018, we packed up, scared and excited, and moved to Texas to be closer to my biggest supporter, my mom.

In Texas, I landed my last corporate gig in the industry, and I’ll always be grateful for it. My managers trusted me, believed in me, and gave me room to grow. During that time, I had my second child, my daughter, my angel, my bully, our last puzzle piece. That job gave me the balance to be a full-time mom while still keeping my hands in hair.

By late 2024, I knew I needed to make a bigger change. My motto has always been: Nothing changes if nothing changes.  So I took a leap on myself. I started my own business. And in the past year, I’ve found a community in my clients-turned-friends that feels unstoppable. I’ve built something impenetrable to negativity. I said “fuck it” (and honestly, “fuck you”) to the haters and now, I feel like I’m thriving.