It took him several years to mature his project. From now on, Manuella Mona is at the head of her own salon in Sarcelles, in France. In Cayenne, the hairdresser opened the Manu & Dany salon, rue Schœlcher.
When she was seven years old, in Rémire-Montjoly, Manuella, now 43, already said it: later, she would be a hairdresser. The little girl of Clear Souls made her dream come true. “I saw a former professor from Dédé College again, Mr. Caristan. He told me that he was proud to see that I had been able to do what I was already talking about at the time.”, she remembers with emotion.
After training as a fashion designer and then a hairdressing school in Guyana, she left for France. In Bobigny, she obtained her CAP in hairdressing. A great experience to hear it. “It was a very nice class. We were all from different professions. » Manuella Mona doesn't stop there. Eager to learn more and more, she joined a private school for a BEP and trained to be a colorist and permanentist. “At that moment, I was called by the Rive Droite salon in Cayenne. I returned to Guyana and stayed in this salon for two years. »
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In 2013, mangrove trees fell on the coastal fringe of Cayenne, according to the mangrove cycle. The view of the sea is splendid from Rue Schœlcher. It is there, opposite the Léon Gontran Damas kiosk, that Manuella Mona opens her salon, Manu & Dany, where she strives to welcome trainees as soon as possible, in a desire to transmit.
Although she works with all textures, Manuella Mona recognizes that when it comes to Afro hair, her training came with practice. “At the time, Afro hair was not as valued. I learned on the job, notably during an internship in an Afro-European salon, because I wanted this experience, because I was curious. » Today, there are specific training courses for afro hair… But this is additional learning. The specificities of frizzy hair still do not enter into the initial training for hairdressing. However, the market is there. Moreover, some large companies do not want to miss the boat. “L’Oréal is developing more and more training on this, testifies Manuella Mona. During training, they explained to us that they estimated that Afro hair represented 58% of their turnover.”
In 2018, eager for new challenges to take on, Manuella returned to France. From 2019 to 2023, she works at Franck Provost. But she keeps in the back of her mind, this desire, again, to open her own salon. This time in the Paris region.
In 2023, his project begins to take shape. Sarcelles, the town in which she lives, is launching a call for projects. “The town hall wanted to revitalize the neighborhood and asked residents what they were missing. They wanted a hair salon. »
Five candidates present their files. That of Manuella Mona will be retained. “It’s a mixed salon. He is neither North African or Afro or Caucasian. All audiences are welcome, women, men, children. »
On November 30, the salon, called Mona' M hair, was inaugurated in the presence of the town hall. A success, according to the hairdresser. « The population was waiting for this moment. People kept filming themselves, they were surprised at the classy side of the show. They didn't expect it. »
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Having barely opened her salon, Manuella Mona is already looking towards the future: “I'm going to develop this salon and offer nail services… And why not open a second salon in the future? I would also like to become a trainer…” The future will also mean continuing to develop her activities with the Chérubins, the gospel group of which she is the assistant manager.
