Today we’d like to introduce you to Brooke.
Hi Brooke, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I have been in the beauty industry for 17 years as both a licensed cosmetologist and cosmetology educator. Hair extensions have actually been part of my career for much longer than most people realize. I began offering them only two or three years into my career, working with the glue-in extension methods that were available at the time.
Over the years, I watched the extension industry evolve. The methods, materials and level of customization changed significantly, but my interest in creating length and fullness never went away. Around COVID, life shifted and I stepped away from the industry for a period of time. When I returned and opened Conceited Beauty Bar in Lancaster, I came back with a much clearer understanding of the kind of work I wanted to do and the experience I wanted to create.
As I looked more closely at the women sitting in my chair, I realized that many of them wanted more than long hair. Some wanted their ponytail back. Some needed coverage through the top or crown. Others had fine, thinning or changing hair and had either been told that extensions were not an option or had been given a method without enough consideration for what their natural hair could safely support.
The work also became personal. I have navigated significant changes in my own hair more than once, so I understand the quiet worry that can come with watching your hair change and not knowing what to do next.
I began investing more deeply in advanced extension education, custom toppers, mesh and meshless integration systems, cosmetic hair restoration, and trichology. That eventually led me to create The 6-Cause Restoration Method™, a cosmetology-based framework that helps me understand a client’s history and design a cosmetic plan around her individual needs.
Today, Conceited Beauty Bar is a private, application-only studio specializing in premium hair extensions and nonmedical cosmetic hair-restoration solutions. I work with one client at a time and design every transformation around the result she wants and what her natural hair can comfortably support.
My work has also inspired me to create Rian & Mane, a professional hair brand built around the concept of Restoration-Grade Hair™. The idea is simple: added hair should be made for the hair a woman actually has, not an idealized version of it.
What began with glue-in extensions early in my career has grown into a much larger mission. I want women with fine, thinning or changing hair to have thoughtful options, honest guidance, and a private place where they feel understood.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has definitely not been a smooth road. COVID interrupted the direction of my career and led me to step away from the industry for a period of time. Coming back meant rebuilding my confidence, reestablishing myself behind the chair, and creating a business from the ground up.
When I first opened Conceited Beauty Bar, I offered a much broader range of services because I thought being successful meant being able to do everything for everyone. As a solo business owner, I was also the service provider, receptionist, marketer, inventory manager, and decision-maker. Learning how to balance all of those roles while still giving every client my full attention was challenging.
One of the hardest parts was trusting myself enough to narrow the business. Specializing in extensions and cosmetic hair restoration required a significant investment in advanced education, products, systems, and equipment. It also meant turning away services and clients that no longer fit the direction I was building. There were many moments when I questioned whether I was creating something too specialized or whether people in my area would understand it.
The work itself also carries a great deal of responsibility. Women often arrive after feeling dismissed, embarrassed, or confused about the changes in their hair. Some have complicated histories involving hormonal changes, medication, autoimmune conditions, trichotillomania, or previous extension damage. I have had to learn that being a responsible specialist sometimes means saying, “Not yet,” recommending a different method, or referring someone back to her physician, dermatologist, or therapist before moving forward. Protecting the natural hair has to matter more than making a sale.
At the same time, I have navigated changes in my own hair and the demands of becoming a mother while continuing to build the business. There have been seasons of exhaustion, self-doubt, and wondering whether I was doing enough in every area of my life.
Those challenges ultimately gave me clarity. I stopped trying to build a salon that looked like everyone else’s and started building the kind of private, thoughtful experience I believed was missing. The road has not been smooth, but every difficult season has helped shape the specialist, business owner, and woman I am today.
We’ve been impressed with Conceited Beauty Bar , but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Conceited Beauty Bar is a private, application-only studio in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, specializing in premium hair extensions and nonmedical cosmetic hair-restoration solutions. I work with one client at a time in a closed-door setting, so every appointment is personal, private and designed entirely around the woman in my chair.
I offer K-tip extensions, wefts, tape-ins, custom hair toppers, and mesh and meshless integration systems. This allows me to work across the full spectrum of added hair. Some clients simply want more length, density or fullness, while others need more significant coverage because their hair has become fine, thinning or otherwise changed.
What sets my work apart is that I do not begin by asking which method a client wants. I begin by looking at her natural density, strength, history, lifestyle, coverage needs and long-term goals. From there, I determine what her hair can comfortably support and design the transformation around that. Sometimes the right solution is an extension method. Sometimes it is a topper or integration system. Occasionally, the most responsible recommendation is to wait or involve a physician, dermatologist or therapist before moving forward.
I also created The 6-Cause Restoration Method™, a cosmetology-based framework that helps organize cosmetic planning around six common contexts in which women experience changes in their hair: medication and GLP-1 use, hormonal transitions, genetics and pattern hair loss, autoimmune hair conditions, trichotillomania recovery, and mechanical or chemical damage. It is not a medical diagnosis or replacement for medical care. It gives me a more thoughtful way to understand the client’s experience, stay within my professional scope, and design appropriate cosmetic options.
I am especially proud that Conceited Beauty Bar gives women a place where they do not have to choose between a traditional extension salon and a wig shop. A woman can come to me because she wants longer hair, because she needs discreet coverage or because she is not yet sure what category she belongs in. She does not have to arrive with the right terminology or feel pressured into a label.
That same philosophy led me to create Rian & Mane, a professional hair brand built around Restoration-Grade Hair™ and the belief that added hair should be made for the hair a woman actually has.
More than anything, I want readers to know that beautiful added hair should never come at the expense of the natural hair underneath it. My work is about creating fullness and coverage thoughtfully, honestly, and with respect for the woman wearing it.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
My family matters most to me. Becoming a mother changed the way I define success. I still want to build something meaningful and ambitious, but I no longer believe success is simply having the fullest calendar or constantly working toward the next accomplishment. I want my son, Rian, to grow up seeing his mother create something she believes in, while also knowing that I was present for his life.
That balance is something I am still learning. Owning a business can easily consume every available hour, especially when you are the person providing the service, making the decisions, and carrying the vision. My husband and son remind me why I am building all of this in the first place. Rian is also the inspiration behind the name Rian & Mane, so a piece of my family is woven directly into the future I am creating.
Integrity also matters deeply to me. Women often come into my studio carrying fear, embarrassment, or years of frustration about their hair. That kind of trust is not something I take lightly. I want every client to know that I will be honest about what her hair can support, even when the answer is not what she hoped to hear. I would rather recommend waiting, involve another professional or turn down a service than create a beautiful result at the expense of her natural hair.
Ultimately, what matters most is building a life and a body of work that my family can be proud of, and that makes women feel genuinely cared for. I want to be successful, but I want that success to be rooted in honesty, presence, and doing work that means something.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://conceitedbeautybar.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conceited_beautybar/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/conceitedbeautybarbybrooke
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@conceited_beautybar
