Alyssia Dotson - Maneseamstress
Educator, Salon owner & Stylist, Alyssia Dotson has always been committed to sharing and education beauty professionals of all skill levels. Her unique ability to blend innovation with classic designs has lead her to work alongside some of the top beauty professionals at events such as New York Fashion Week, North East StyleWeek, as well as on set of numerous fashion photo shoots.
When she's not educating others, Alyssia spends time with her 2 dogs, loves to travel all over the world and volunteers her time with charities close to her heart.
Tell us you life story in 3 sentences
I was on a path towards psychology and took a detour into hair and never looked back.
I'm a proud elder millennial who is here for a fun time but always relish my me time.
I'm the oldest of 2 girls from a family of girls...yep, my mom is one of 5 girls...girl power anyone?
We're obsessed with the way you approach educating hair as a fabric. Why do you feel it's important to talk about hair types this way?
Because it creates community & relatability. It also is the gateway to understand cultures. The same way that we Enjoy different Foods and appreciate the culture through there should be the same place we take in hair. Not through race through different fabrics. Because just like the fabrics, we're all connected.
How can we, as an industry, start to look at hair differently, overall?
By elevating our conversation. It’s not enough to just remove the lens of race, you have to begin to look at hair as an artist.
Where do you see hair-education heading in the next few years? Why?
I see it getting back to the fundamentals and building upon that. I feel like we're almost in a reset or transition of sorts. As an industry post pandemic, we reminding ourselves of why we love this industry. It's not enough to just do great hair, it's about using that great hair to make that human feel just as dope. I mean, when you look good, you feel fabulous, right?!
Best advice you have ever been given.
You know, when I first started in the education space of hair, I had a really difficult time because I was never your average hair stylist....so becoming an educator was never something I thought would be my journey. I was terrified of speaking in front of people. Don't try to change yourself or be what you think people want to see because you rob the world of the gift of you.
What is the biggest challenge the industry is currently facing?
Remembering that we are a relationship based industry. its not just about dope hair, its about making the person that wears that dope hair feeling like they are a badass as well.
What is your non hair related guilty pleasure?
Omg, podcasts and Trader Joe's have been my latest obsessions. But, I also keep a bucket list and totally enjoy crossing things off of it! 😂
3 hairdressers (dead or alive) you'd love to work with...
Ooooh! Louis Alexandre Raimon (also known as Alexandre de Paris), Vidal Sassoon, & of course Madame CJ Walker.
What was your most recent Netflix binge?
Lol, don't judge but I would probably consider myself more of a heavy grazer😂like i watch a few episodes then come back later. lol
I am a sucker for a good documentary, though....I breezed through 3 episodes of the Animal series on Netflix...... Sooo good! Yeah, so Im probably good on "bingeing" until maybe the next break I get....lol
What is the biggest misconception about your job?
As an educator & session stylist, I'm only about the hair and sharing what I know. I get so much fulfillment from the people there to learn. It's a give and take that's happening anytime I'm doing a class or show. As a hairstylist in general...that we are all just "playing with hair"....being a hairstylist is so much more than doing hair.....you're literally "multitasking"...taken in non verbal cues as well and making decisions as to what would be best for someone based on not only their hair....but their lifestyle, location and willingness for the maintenance. It's a journey that you go on together and it's up to the hairstylist to make it as painless, informative, and enjoyable as possible.
I knew I was a Hair Nerd when...
Julia Roberts revealed her fiery red hair on Pretty Woman!😂🤷🏽♀️😍 I know that's an unexpected answer, but yeah....I mean, the first thing I thought was "why would you hide such beautiful hair?!" That's when I knew... lol I found myself describing eras based on hair. And when I could predict how long someone would be on a show based on their hairstyle.
Where can people stalk you?
You can find me at a Trader Joe's with my AirPods in listening to a true crime podcast or jamming to a new playlist. 😂 But...I'm also on IG, TikTok and twitter as @maneseamstress and I'm always looking for new podcasts to love and places to travel to. Stop by to say hi whenever!