Looking around Cameo Hair Design, you might not spot Mackenzie Shilling at first. She’s one among a few different hairstylists there, cutting away at a child’s long, brown hair.
Mackenzie is tall, blonde and has the mark of a hairstylist, meaning she completely embodies what she does in who she is. But Mackenzie didn’t become a hairstylist by chance or because she looks like one; she was born and raised into it.
“My mom started cutting hair when she was about my age,” Mackenzie says. “I just remember literally growing up in the salon, and I loved it.”
Her mom often had to keep Mackenzie and her siblings around her hair salon when they were younger; though Mackenzie never minded.
“I just followed in my mom’s footsteps,” she says. “And I loved watching her, and I love making people happy and feeling good about themselves.”
Mackenzie has a cosmetology license through Edge Salon Academy, though her mom has taught her a lot about being a hairstylist.
“Whenever I’m doing her hair, she’ll teach me something new every single time,” Mackenzie says. “That’s what’s cool about this business. It’s a continuing education.”
The education has paid off. Mackenzie is now skilled in various aspects of hair styling. Her favorites are colors, though, she has fun doing it all.
“I love to do colors,” she says. “I love to do literally everything; colors, highlights, balayages, and perms.”
Mackenzie’s prices are preset at Cameo Hair Design and additional charges are rare.
“I stick to the price list just because it’s a lot easier for me and a lot easier for my clients,” she says. “It really all depends on the service you’re wanting, too.”
Mackenzie can also cut and style for men’s haircuts, do eyebrow waxing, perms, and spray tans.
She also regularly offers discounts to her customers for birthday weeks, holidays, and sometimes just for fun. During Halloween last year, she offered a “Trim or Treat” $10 off discount for a trimming or conditioning treatment.
Mackenzie is still looking to expand her cosmetology buisiness, possibly adding eyelash extensions to her list of services.
“That’ll be really fun,” Mackenzie says.
Overall, Mackenzie’s goals are to keep her clients happy and stay with trends. “If they’re not happy, I make sure they come back and I’ll fix it for them,” she says. “The hardest thing for me is that I want my clients to be happy,” she says. “I want to make sure they leave the chair in my salon feeling good and like a brand new person.”
Mackenzie takes appointments Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. until her last scheduled client is finished.
You can follow Mackenzie on Instagram @hair_by_mackenzieshilling
Mackenzie Shilling – Cameo Hair Design
