Beautiful, healthy hair is Mane Attraction's Specialty

“Sometimes I work 12 hours without stopping,” says Gina Barlow. At five feet, 10 inches, she’s the tallest and youngest of the Barlow sisters. “When I first came here, people worked from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Not any more,” says Trisha Barlow Sehnert, an imposing whirlwind of energy and the oldest Barlow sister. Middle sister Elisha Barlow Pellanda bubbles with enthusiasm, “I’ll work with a client until he or she is happy.” What business consumes these Fallbrook High School grads and former FFA and 4H members? It’s not agriculture, as you might think, even though they excelled at pig raising and won awards at the Del Mar Fair and other competitions. No, it’s an occupation far from raising pigs.

The Barlow girls specialize in hair and skincare at Mane Attraction Hair & Nail Salon, 1676 S. Mission Road. Dressed in sophisticated black, they move in a graceful blur of efficiency inside the pastel peach salon, scissors snipping here; checking a color treatment there; moving clients from shampoo basins to styling chairs to dryers; stopping to deliver a cup of coffee, a magazine, a cold drink. Trisha and Elisha are hair stylists; Gina an esthetician. While the two hair stylists preside over the main salon, Gina’s clients, who come for facials and waxing, are ushered into a quiet sanctuary where the murmur of water in a small fountain sets the stage for their relaxing treatment.

For all the pampering their clients receive, the Barlow girls admit it’s hard work, but it’s a career they love. Each is in business for herself. They’re good businesspeople, too. They learned the skill through their involvement in agriculture. “I had a bank account in third Grade,” Gina says. “Being in 4H and FFA teaches you business skills.” The beauty business is a $90 billion industry, Trisha says. “I knew I wanted to do this when I was eight years old.” She enrolled in beauty school three days after high school graduation. As the most experienced hair stylist, Trisha conducts business training at the salon. “We also discuss taxes. We all want homes and retirement,” she says.

Trisha and Elisha each work with an assistant, enabling them to give personal attention to each client and in the process train the assistants to take over on their own in the future. Elisha is a color specialist. “I like doing color,” she says, “especially weaves. Did you know when hair is lightened the hair cuticle becomes 20 percent larger, adding body and brightness? This is especially good for older women who have thinning hair.”

All three Barlow girls contribute their expertise to the Fallbrook Chamber of Commerce’s annual Fantasy Wedding, which gifts an engaged military couple with a complimentary wedding each June. “We are also the recommended hairstylists and skincare specialists in the Grand Tradition and Pala Mesa Resort wedding packages,” Trisha says. But, the Mane Attraction wedding services are extended to everyone. The ‘I Do-Hairdo’ for brides and bridal party members include fancy up-dos as well as blowdrys and styling. They’re available for Sunday weddings, too. This unique service, in addition to cuts, styling, perms, color and color weaves, facials and waxing, are all available from the Barlow girls at the Mane Attraction Hair & Nail Salon, where beauty is a business — a business they take seriously. For an appointment or more information, call (760)731-6263.