Our stylist community is our family. We love sharing with you our brothers and sisters who not only support Virtue, but also help share our vision that everyone deserves to have truly healthy hair. They inform and enlighten us, and in turn, we continue to deliver the most revolutionary hair care they could ask for. What we’re trying to say is, we couldn’t do it without them.

For stylist Christina Viers of Rosé Beautique, her love of styling began first at home with her mother, and next, through wigs. Christina has dedicated her life and her salon to providing support to those suffering from hair loss due to illness, in honor of her mother, who was taken by illness, and her sister, who is a breast cancer survivor. This, coupled with growing up in her mother’s salon and her work in the theater led her to a career in styling and service.

“Everything we do has to have a double benefit: either give back directly or support nonprofits. ‘Love thy neighbor, pamper yourself’ is our motto,” she says, noting that 10% percent of all services go to Pink Heart Funds, who donates wigs and prosthetics to women who can’t afford them. Here she talks about her love of giving back, what her mother taught her behind chair, and why she believes in Virtue with all her heart and soul.

Q: Can you tell us more about your background and your journey?
My mom was a hairdresser, so my whole life has been about cutting and coloring hair. I didn’t want to be a stylist growing up, I wanted to be a scientist. I’d been managing salons for years, so when my mom passed, I went to beauty school, made connections, and went to work. I had worried that if I made my hobby my job I would be miserable, but it went the opposite way—I was obsessed.

Q: What made you decide to open your own salon / become a stylist?
I was dismissing all these signs that I was supposed to open my own salon, when, one day, I got a random phone call from a beauty school friend. We hadn’t talked in a few years; she was the reason I made it through beauty school. She’s incredibly talented, but she wasn’t working in a salon at the time because the cattiness had run her away. She told me, “People keep asking me when I’m going to do hair again, and I tell them I am not going to work at a salon unless a friend of mine opens a salon with like-minded service providers with a servant's heart.” I felt the exact same way. It felt like destiny. And her name is Destinee. I knew I needed to create a space outside of a salon suite, a space of positivity.

Q: What is the most challenging thing about owning your own salon?
Our business model is unique because we donate 10% off the top, and that's what definitely determines who is or isn’t a good fit. I wanted my salon to be a haven of like-minded women who strive to improve themselves and give back to the community. I created this business model for working-moms. A few of them are newbies, and I feel lucky to be able to open my arms to new stylists and support them. It’s never a cake walk, and this is not what I thought my life would look like, but I’m thankful for where I’ve ended up.

Q: Is there anyone in the industry or beyond, that you really admire, or someone who inspired you in your career?
Everything I do is in my mom’s memory; everything I learned about hair, and about connecting with clients came from her. She taught me that the health and integrity of hair is just as important as the health and integrity of your relationship with the client. She never gave a price to any service, she just said, “Give what you can afford.” People would show up to our house at 11 p.m. with round brushes stuck in their hair, and she would spend all hours of the night working them out, so that they didn’t have to chop off their hair.

Q: How do you define a “success” after a client leaves your salon?
Our goal is for our clients to leave looking and feeling more beautiful than when they entered the salon. A win is when someone leaves in a positive light. When, the next day you get that “I love my hair!” text. I pride myself on the integrity of hair being the #1 priority. I love ColorKick for that reason!

Q: What is your favorite trend/style?
Natural hair––hair that is individual to the person. I do a lot of redheads, which I love.

Q: What was the worst haircut you ever had?
I’ve always had long hair, but once I cut my hair off when I was the lead singer in a rock band. It was an asymmetrical bob; I was managing a salon at the time. I learned a lot about styling short hair that I didn’t know before. I don’t regret it, though I wouldn’t do it again.

Q: What other things are you passionate about that aren’t hair related?
Animals, faith, non-profit work, outdoors, theater, singing: playing the Sweet Potato Queen in the show Sweet Potato Queens.

Q: What’s next for your career?
I just signed a lease and expanded the salon to be all about overall wellness, including spa services in addition to haircare. Another one of our mottos is “Live local, look fabulous.” I’m excited about supporting local businesses and clients. The eventual goal is that everything we carry or support at the salon will either give back or be locally sourced/made––from the coffee to carrying approved color lines. I want everything in the salon to give off that warm, fuzzy feeling.

Q: Why Virtue®?
When I went to the Behind the Chair in Austin, Virtue had just come out and I really nerded out over the technology. I have clients who I met through styling their wig, and after using Virtue®, some chose to not even wear a wig anymore. I believe in this product with my heart and soul.