Lorraine Osorio is a Long Island, New York-based hairstylist who broke through barriers as a woman in the barber industry and takes on multiple roles in her MLJ Artistry Salon from CEO to barber and hairdresser. She specializes in women’s haircuts and colors, men’s grooming, and even offers children’s services. Osorio is constantly learning and open to developing more skills to offer her clients. She finds her creativity by being inspired by vacationing in other places.
Osorio has been involved in several competitions, in which she took first place in a Product Runway Fashion Show in 2015. That same year, she was a competitor on CW’s “Cedric’s Barber Battle,” hosted by actor and comedian Cedric The Entertainer. She’s also made an appearance on Telemundo’s “Caso Cerrado.” The New York native worked at an Austin City Limits Music Festival, where she cut artists’ hair during the festivals. She also attended the International Beauty Show in New York in 2019, where she showcased her skills. Osorio finds herself networking and making connections with people that lead her to more opportunities, like becoming a brand ambassador for Martell liquor through their barber program.
When she’s not helping a client in the chair, Osorio is on the educating side, where she trains other stylists to learn different methods and techniques. She is currently an educator for Gibs Grooming, a men’s product line, and Lisap color line based in Italy. Osorio also enjoys doing charity work, where she goes once a month to cut hair for people with disabilities. She’s also planning on working with an organization to help homeless men receive a haircut for interviews and personal care. Osorio also enjoys spending time with her two sons, Julius and Isaac when she’s not in the shop or educating.
Osorio is a Latina with roots from El Salvidor and comes from a family of hard workers. Her mother worked in the cosmetology field when Osorio was a young girl, which is what sparked Osorio’s interest in cosmetology. It wasn’t until Osorio saw the respect barbers received from people that really caught her eye to want that for herself. However, her mother didn’t want her to start at her shop because it could have possibly dissatisfied established clients. She ended up coming across a barbershop one day, as her car broke down and spoke with the owner, which led to her landing her first barber experience. She began cutting hair at 16-years-old and later went back to her mom’s shop to work.
The now 33-year-old stylist opened the doors to her own salon, MLJ Artistry Salon, in February 2016. She went from working by herself in her shop to operating a full salon with several different services from fashion coloring, nails, and eyebrow waxing. She describes the name MLJ Artistry Salon as the art of hairstyling and making her clients’ hair a beautiful canvas. Osorio aims to create a comfortable and family environment, where it’s a one-stop-shop for everyone.
Some goals that Osorio has for herself are establishing a career as a hairstylist in the movie industry, expanding her business with a product line, and opening a school. She is even planning on starting a networking community where people from all types of industries can come together and give each other opportunities. A fun fact is that Osorio was able to ask former President Barack Obama and Governor Mitt Romney a question during their debate in 2012, which focused on the immigration status of the working class. It even sparked interest from Univision that helped her land a television appearance.
You can find Lorraine Osorio on Instagram at @stylistfairy or at her official MLJ Artistry Salon page at @mljartistrysalon.
