Better known as "The Hair Saint" by clients and followers, Ona Diaz-Santin is a celebrity stylist and educator who has dedicated her career to curly hair. Growing up, the CEO of 5 Salon & Spa spent a big part of her childhood at Dominican hair salons. Since her mother was a stylist herself, watching clients come in with curly locks and leave with pin-straight hair became the norm. When she turned 18, she remembers, she turned to God and understood her crown was heaven-sent and that her Dominican heritage is tied to Blackness, so she began to embrace her natural coils. Now, you'll find her sharing inspirational hair stories and career wisdom within the stylist community, and encouraging Black and Brown folx within her community to embrace their roots, physically and spiritually.
"There is nothing rarer, nor more beautiful, than a woman being unapologetically herself," Diaz-Santin says. Among her inspirations to celebrate Black beauty, Diaz-Santin cites working with singers like Chaka Khan and entrepreneur Lisa Price of the hair-care brand Carol's Daughter. She also turns to books like "Pelo Malo No Existe" and "My Hair Comes With Me" by Sulma Arzu-Brown. The author is a proud Garifuna woman from Honduras and celebrates Black beauty through children's books. "One of the things I am most passionate about is teaching our children to love what they see," says the stylist.
