salons we love: Hair by Wyss Salon
One of our most beloved communities is our salon and stylist friends. If you didn’t already know, amika is Brooklyn-born + salon-raised. We celebrate our heritage by bending rules that don’t make sense and pushing beauty boundaries. The brand may have been born in Brooklyn, but it was brought to life in the salon. That means all our haircare and tools are effective, high performing, and kind to your strands.
In our “salons we love” series, we’ll be highlighting some of the amazing amika salons and salon owners that continue to inspire us to make great hair products for all. We also do a deep dive on how they got into the hair industry, what made them open their own salon, and what advice they have for new or existing salon owners.
introduce yourself + tell us about your salon!
"My name is Wislynn Cosmay and I own Hair by Wyss Salon in Tampa."
how long have you been a friend of amika?
"I've been a friend of amika for four years."
how did you find out about amika?
"I found out about amika through a woman who was shopping in the store. She asked me if I had ever tried amika products and demonstrated how to use silken up dry conditioner on her hair. I was amazed, and from then on, I started using amika products. This was back in 2016!"
amika means "friend" in Esperanto. what does amika mean to you?
"amika does mean friend to me as well. Every person that I encounter and we speak about amika we make a connection. The funny thing is, you would think we were friends for years and we just met."
what inspired you to get into the hair industry?
"I always knew I wanted to help people. So I even tried nursing, was an elementary school teacher, and a social worker. I always did hair on the side, but when I decided to take that leap of faith in to the hair industry, I never looked back. Not only do I love doing hair, but I get to be around creative and talented artists. I can’t ask for a better career!"
what led you to open your own salon?
"Honestly, when I opened my salon I didn’t think I was ready. I was hungry and there was no plan B, only plan A. I said to myself, "this is going to work" and have been a successful salon suite owner for the last 3 years. This coming October I am getting a bigger salon and rented out a chair!"
do you have any advice or words of wisdom for other stylists on how they can open their own business?
"Yes, I would say don’t be afraid to fail. If you are afraid to fail, hurry up and fail so you can get up and keep moving forward with your dream."
what are your main specialties + services, and what are your hopes for the salon in the future?
"I specialize in color and extensions."
what are your 3 desert island amika products?
The wizard detangling primer, silken up dry conditioner, and un.done volume and matte texture spray. I also have to sneak in the shield anti-humidity spray.
what's your go-to styling trick or pro-tip?
"Silken up dry conditioner is my go to. I use it as a finisher. The way I close the sale is to let your client touch their hair before and after using the product and brushing through. Let them run their fingers through their hair and they always say 'oooo what was that, I need it'. I say silken up!"
We love having thought provoking dialogue with our amika family + friends. If you want to be part of the conversation, don’t be afraid to reach out in any way. For the chance to be featured on The Strand and be part of our ever-growing community of salons, click here.
