Mary Lea Dominick

Originally from Lexington, SC, Mary Lea has called the Piedmont Triad area home since 1993. Her journey into the hair industry started off unconventionally compared to many other stylists. Mary Lea actually came from the tech world, where she enjoyed a successful career in IT consulting. 

Her IT background doesn’t mean she wasn’t beauty-obsessed though! Rest assured, fabulous hair has always been a love of hers. In 2015, Mary Lea decided she wanted to have a career in something she was truly passionate about. She thought about how happy it made her to get her own hair done, and then it dawned on her. She wanted to make others feel the way she did when she left the salon. At first she wasn’t sure if she should or was even able to. But Amber, who was her stylist at the time (and now boss!) gave her the encouragement to give it a shot. And the rest is history! She said goodbye to the IT world and never looked back.

While she adores color, Mary Lea’s absolute favorite hair service is haircutting. She likens it to creating a sculpture. And that’s how she treats every haircut or color—as a work of art! When it comes to hair products, her favorite is Oribe's Volumizing Powder because it seems to magically infuse her fine hair with body and volume. As far as tools are concerned, Mary Lea wishes every client would invest in a good hair dryer. Once you see the difference it makes, you’ll never go back!

One of the biggest hair challenges Mary Lea has ever faced was when a client got a comb so entangled in the front of her hair, that it was flush with her scalp. Many hair dressers would have ended up cutting it out. But to Mary Lea, this just wasn’t an option. It took four hours, but she finally got it out—and saved her client’s hair!

Her own biggest hair goof was when she got an accidental and very bad pixie cut in cosmetology school. Another reason why she wanted to do hair—to make sure that didn’t happen to anyone else. It took a full year to grow out! Her favorite style, on the other hand, was a permed, shoulder-length bob from back in her college days. It was a great perm that gave her the naturally curly look she always wanted out of her super straight hair. But alas, perms grow out.

If she could makeover any celebrity, Mary Lea would choose Connie Britton. She has such beautiful hair, but it’s been the same for 15 years. She’d love the chance to switch it up.

Mary Lea's top three hair tips would be use quality professional products, ALWAYS use a heat protectant if you use hot tools, and invest in a shower head water filter. It can make a huge difference in your hair and skin!