Today we’d like to introduce you to Optulie Heriveaux.
Optulie, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I am an up and coming hair stylist who specializes in wigs. My niche is creative styles and creative colorways on wigs, yet I also focus on more basic looking installs for the clients who may not want a bolder look.
My company’s name is Hairiveau (pronounced HAIR-EE-VOH), and it’s a play on my last name which is Heriveaux. A few years ago, I would have never imagined that I would have turned myself into a brand, expressing myself creatively through wigs and helping women heal and be more confident; but here I am! I absolutely love what I do and wouldn’t want to be doing anything else.
Ever since I was a child, getting my hair done has been a bit of a traumatic experience for me. My mother did my hair as a little girl, yet she was always so impatient while doing so, and it would lead to her being too rough. She would complain when it was time to do my hair, which pushed me away from wanting to get it done altogether. As I got older and started exploring different options, I’ve ran into stylists who lacked so much empathy for their clients. A lot of stylists don’t really care too much about what the client wants, rather how much the client is paying them. After many run-ins with a bunch of different hairstylists, I decided to just try doing my own hair. The first time I did my own hair led me to be very emotional because I realized that I was never asking for too much and never being an inconvenience; it was just that many people who have touched my hair had no real desire to do so.
I started wearing wigs during my junior year of high school. I went to a predominantly white, all girls private high school. Being one of about ten Black students there, plus not really receiving the emotional support from home made it all too easy to become insecure with myself and my looks. I’ve always struggled with my confidence, yet being in high school really amplified everything for me in the worst way. By the time I got to college, I felt lost. I had no clue who I was because I spent the past four years people-pleasing and searching for validation, at school and at home. Comparison was constantly the thief of my joy, and any time I tried to express my genuine self, I felt so blocked. I ended up ridiculing myself before anybody else got the chance to, and it became a viscous cycle of self-sabotaging and negative self-talk. It was one of the hardest times of my life.
COVID hit during the Spring semester of my freshman year, and the whole world stopped. Everyone was forced to go home and stop everything they were doing, and it was the first time that I was actually able to sit with and get to know myself. I was able to address my confidence issues and start to solve the puzzle of why I was so upset with myself. Being that lockdown prevented me from being able to go out, I was always in my room just playing with my wigs. I noticed myself getting better, but I also noticed how therapeutic it was for me. Not to sound dramatic, but it truly was the only thing that was able to keep me grounded at the time. Once I found myself getting more confident in the styles and colors I was trying, I didn’t recognize myself both internally and externally. Being that confidence was always a struggle for me, it was a strange feeling to see myself in a positive light (at first). It was then that I immediately had the idea of wanting to do this for other women, but I wasn’t too ready for that yet.
The negative self-talk and the self-sabotage still was taking more control over my life than I wanted it to, despite me slowly yet surely learning to properly love myself. Doing hair was the only thing I enjoyed at the time because it was the only way I knew how to express myself. I didn’t care for school or much of anything else, yet, I knew if I had branched out and trusted myself that I would not have received support and encouragement from my family, which was so important to me at the time. Despite me being good at what I do, I’ve also had people from my city (Philadelphia) tell me that I wasn’t good enough or that I would never be able to do it. Hearing those things from other people only validated what I was thinking subconsciously, so I just continued pushing the status quo.
Over time, my confidence within myself (generally, not just with hair) continued to grow. I improved with my installs and noticed I would receive a lot more “who did your hair?”, “your hair looks great” questions/comments. It wasn’t until my closest friends started asking me to do their wigs that I went “Hm, maybe I really can do this”. Coming from the family that I come from, school always had to be the first priority. Yet, I realized that I have never been living for myself. Between my school choices, where I was living, even my career choices; all aspects of my life were almost always dictated by my family, and my opinion never really mattered. The newfound support that I was receiving + my increasing resentment towards the way that I was living pushed me to bet on myself. I bought my LLC, “took a break” from school, and just started pushing myself. I am back and forth from my hometown to Atlanta, but I am planning my permanent move to Atlanta this year, so I’m very excited for that.
I’ve noticed/learned so many things through doing other Black women’s hair. One of which being that a lot of us have that shared trauma of our mothers or grandmothers doing our hair way too rough, which in turn has led us to neglect our natural hair. Black women take their hair so seriously, as it truly is our crown. When our hair isn’t done correctly or we don’t like how it looks, it extremely alters our confidence. Some women may even go as far as not wanting to go out or leave the house because their hair isn’t done, or they don’t like it/know what to do with it. Many Black women have also ran into the terrible hairstylists, who either ruin their natural hair, their desired hairstyle or just altogether create a horrible experience for their clients.
Doing hair has also showed me that there are still so many Black women out there suffering silently from so many things. I have honestly had the honor to work with my clients, as they trust me enough to open up to me about things that are going on in their lives. It is a blessing to be able to provide and maintain a safe space for women, especially Black women. Seeing the impact I have on my clients– whether we’re talking throughout the appointment or them just seeing their final result and being so happy, is what pushes me to keep going. I feel that Black women are the most neglected group in society, and to be quite frank, we need more healing. I provide my clients with an experience where they can just relax and talk about or do (almost) whatever they please when they’re in my chair with no judgment. My clients enjoy themselves every time they come and see me, and I’ve established real, genuine relationships with many of them.
Moving forward, I’m most excited about my expansion. As I grow, I want to start to focus on many other things that cater to the needs of Black women. Of course, hair will always be the forefront of my brand, yet I want to expand in so many ways and do so many great things to help Black women learn to love themselves properly. I’m extremely excited for what’s to come, as I only continue to see my potential grow exponentially. Everything about my brand has pushed and encouraged me on my self-love journey, and I am so ready to help be that light/push for other women who need it.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Absolutely not. I could sit here and list so many things that made this journey hard, but I am still grateful for all of it.
My first main roadblock was building up the confidence to drop everything I had already known and trust myself enough to start a business. I discussed my confidence issues earlier, best believe they trickled into the thought of being an entrepreneur. Looking at where I am now (even completing this interview) is a huge shock for me because it only solidifies that I am here because I believed in myself. I am growing and succeeding because I believe in myself. The fact that I was actually able to truly and fully believe in myself after years of being my own bully is absolutely astonishing. I still haven’t fully processed that I did it.
My second biggest challenge was/is the lack of leadership/mentorship. I am a first-generation entrepreneur in my family, so literally nobody has done this before me. It’s difficult not being able to go ask my family (and friends) for advice because I know they won’t have the answers. I quit my 9-5 and replaced it with a 24-hour job, which is my brand. Everything from marketing/advertising to crunching numbers and figuring out my tax write-offs, I’ve taught myself. Hairiveau has shown me that I’m not only a hairstylist, yet a creative director, photographer, financial advisor (sarcastically speaking, but not really LOL); the list can truly go on! It gets a little rough and overwhelming at times because sometimes I feel that all I have is myself. Even when I’m not working with a client, I’m at home working on something behind the scenes. I’ve lost a lot of relationships over time as well, between both friends and family. However, despite the stressful times, I still love doing what I do. It has shown me that I’m limitless and that I can successfully achieve anything I put my mind to. It gets hard, but I still would rather do this than anything else.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a hairstylist! I specialize in wig customization and wig installs. I love bringing my clients’ hair dreams to life; whether they want a more basic look or something extraordinary, I’m gonna achieve it for them! Even with the most creative look, there is still a natural element to my installs. A lot of people would never be able to tell that my clients are wearing wigs, and I think that’s the most satisfying part for me.
I believe that my empathy sets me apart from others. I have such stable relationships with my clients, to the point that they are becoming my friends. I let my girls come as they are and as they please, and they know they can be their most comfortable and authentic self around me. My girls enjoy coming to me and know that even outside of the chair, they have a confidant. I make it my prerogative to be gentle with my client’s hair and make sure that each look is catered uniquely to them.
What matters most to you? Why?
Being happy and proud of what I do matters most to me. I’ve spent the majority of my life so far trying to please others that I have lost myself. It was a long and hard journey to be able to find myself, and I’ve vowed to never lose myself in anything or anyone ever again. Being my most authentic self has been more beneficial to me and other people than people-pleasing ever has been, and I want to help teach other women that. I receive so much positive feedback from my clients, yet I know for a fact that if I wasn’t happy or didn’t care about what I was doing, the narrative would have been the complete opposite. Loving myself and trusting myself has provided me with countless amounts of opportunities within Hairiveau and has helped me make amazing connections. People have often told me during my childhood that it was selfish of me to put myself first, yet as I’ve gotten older, I realized that putting myself and my emotions first is the way that I’ve been able to have this impact. When you pour into your own cup, it’ll eventually overflow. With that, you’ll be able to properly help/take care of those who need it because you’re not depending on anyone else to fill you. My love and happiness spill over to everyone who comes around me, and it pushes me to keep going.
Contact Info:
- Email: contact@hairiveau.com
- Instagram: hairiveau
