If you look up in the Urban Dictionary, a hair slayer is a hair stylist that can “slay,” any hair style and does such a great job on hair that they make people look beautiful just by doing their hair. They also come up with revolutionary hair styles. And that has been what Tanya Alfaro, owner of Hair Slayers Studio on Broadway has lived for since she was in school when she bought the fictitious name.
“I can take you from really bad COVID hair, do a total makeover, and you would leave looking like a million bucks,” she said. “A hair slayer is a stylist that can do anything with your hair and make it look beautiful. My daughters call me a hair-gician.”
Hair Slayers Studio held its grand reopening on May 15, joined by Equality Business Alliance Executive Director Eddie Reynoso.
“They are all about equality whether it happens to be race, sexual preference, LGBTQIA+, an alliance for all,” said Alfaro. “Everything that I am looking for, the Equality Business Alliance represents.”
But getting to this point was not an easy task for Alfaro. She said that when she got out of school, she tried to get a job, but no one would hire her because she had bright colored hair and tattoos.
“I finally was hired by Robert Cromeans, which is the global artistic and business director for Paul Mitchell Systems, who owned a $2.1 million salon in downtown San Diego,” she said.
“His culture was artists for artists. They see you as an artist and the hair is your canvass. I wanted to bring that down to Chula Vista so people here would know what it feels like to have that type of experience, a luxury hair salon.”
Alfaro said the grand reopening was twofold. First due to delays from the pandemic, and second, her coming into the business as an owner. She partnered with Martha Mondragon, who owned Mon Style Salon. Alfaro bought out the name, knew what theme she wanted, and what she desired to bring to the Chula Vista community.
“It used to be more of a mom and pop boutique, where it was mostly older women working there,” she said. “When I came in, they all left because my style was so different for them.”
But Alfaro emphasized it is still basically a hair salon with a twist.
“We do everything from basic colors all the way to our mermaid and rainbow hair, which are semi-permanent vivid colors,” she said. “Anything that has to do with hair, color, blonding, cool haircuts, we do it all. Mermaid is my favorite because I love color. If I could be a troll, that is what I would be.”
Alfaro said she has a stylist that specializes in vintage hair styles, with the whole pin up look with Betty bangs and bright pink hair. Another came from Super Cuts, and another from Gio & Gio in downtown San Diego. She said that the diversity of her team is what makes them strong and believes that they were brought together for a reason.
“We are all in the culture of being artists,” she said.
Alfaro said the salon offers something that other salons do not. It is a vegan salon.
“All of our hair products and color products are vegan,” she said. “Everything we use is PulpRiot, and it is an amazing brand.”
Alfaro said Hair Slayers Studio cultures an environment where it is okay to be different.
“We have many LGBTQIA+ people here and people that are afraid to come into salons because they fear that they will be judged,” she said. “I want to give everybody in South Bay or anywhere in San Diego the opportunity to come down to a safe place, whether you have any disability, you are different, or if you feel uncomfortable at any other salon. I want to make sure that you feel safe here with us.”
Alfaro said that it is important to her to be part of the community and that her daughters see that being different is okay. Living in Chula Vista for 10 years, she said this is not what she has seen in the community and wants to make a change.
“We are so close to the border. Many people are still so into the machista state of mind,” she said. “It has to be a certain way, and if you are not that way, who cares about the LGBTQIA+ community and they make fun of it. My mom is gay and so is my sister. I have stylists here, one has PTSD, another is bipolar, one of my clients has Tourette syndrome. We have had other clients come in and tell us that they went to another salon and they questioned their sexuality and their transformation. They said they just wanted to cry because they were just there to get their hair done, not to be interrogated.”
Alfaro said that these people felt so comfortable coming into her salon, and that is what she wants to bring to the Chula Vista community.
“I want to make sure that my daughters see a different place,” she said. “I want them to be accepted for who they are. I have raised my children to be open to anything. I want the ignorance and mindset that people have here to change. I am Hispanic, and I can say that I grew up in a machista family. I understand that, but it is 2021, come on. It is ridiculous. I want everyone to know that we are here, we are here for you, and you will get the same experience that you would at a high-end salon. I am really passionate with what I am doing.”
Alfaro said that she loves the location and believes that the salon will grow and is excited about the upcoming Chula Vista Bayfront expansion, but most important, becoming part of the community. The business is part of Envision Broadway: The Gateway to Chula Vista’s Bayfront.
“I want to have more events,” she said. “One of our stylists used to do Haircuts for the Homeless. At the beginning of next month, we are going to do Cosmic Blowouts. We have a lot of vivid hair colors. We have neon electrics. I plan to make Chula Vista and this area more open minded to everything. I want to open their minds to all the new things that there are. They are not only black and white, but there are also so many greys in between.”
Hair Slayer Studio is located at 750 Broadway. For more information visit www.shesahairslayer.com.
