Crowning glory

Photographs courtesy SHE by SO.CAP.USA

You’ve exercised your body into its best shape ever.

The fashions of the moment are ready in your closet.

So why not heat up your look even further with one more step?

Finally get the hair you’ve always wanted – even if you’ve not been able to grow it yourself.

Ron Cardillo Sr., the president of a hair-extension company headquartered in Mahopac, says the perception continues that a style created with hair extensions is just for special occasions.

“The reality is it looks great for everyday wear,” he says. “It’s a great way to give yourself a little lift.”

And he should know.

Available at more than 10,000 salons across the country, SHE by SO.CAP.USA Hair Extensions are the fashionable offerings of the company, which traces its roots back to Italy. SHE got its start 30 year ago in Yonkers, the North American branch of a 40-year-old Italian company.

And in the world of fashion and design, that’s quite a good starting point, Cardillo adds.

“Europe usually sets the trend in styles, especially Italy.”

Cardillo says the trends for spring and summer are clear, with a real move on “getting away from the one color.”

“The newest trend is sort of combining the colors,” with a darker tone near the scalp and hair graduating to lighter tones as it ends. “It sort of breaks up the monotony.”

It’s also trendy to mesh colors together, with a darker and lighter blond side by side, for example.

Finally, he says, a burst of unexpected color, whether it be red or green or blue, can really create an impact.

Scary? “To be honest with you, it looks good on most anybody’s hair,” he says. What he admits sounds “far-fetched,” isn’t. “Once it’s into somebody’s hair, it gives them a little more personality.”

As he says, “Color is the way to go.”

With hair extensions, especially those from SHE, people don’t have to worry that their hair-color formula is being correctly mixed or applied.

“It’s guaranteed because whatever they see, that’s what they get,” he says of the SHE extensions.

“Once it’s in their hair, it becomes part of their own hair. It’s washed and styled the same way.”

The key to the company’s success, Cardillo says, is its comprehensive training program that puts an unwavering emphasis on education and certification.

“Once the client goes to one of our certified salons, they’re guaranteed these people know what they are doing,” he says.

And SHE has a star-studded following, though Cardillo won’t name names.

“Several celebrities out there are using our product but they’re very … hesitant,” he says.

“Trust me,” he continues. If you look on television, you’ll see “a lot of it is what we do.”

Hair extensions, he adds, aren’t just for glamour – or for women.

The product, he says, can work on men with many in their 40s and 50s becoming clients.

“We come in and we actually give them back what they were looking for, or we give them what nature never gave them.”

Cardillo, whose own background is as a hairstylist, a licensed trichologist (working with those with hair and scalp problems) and an EMT, has always had a great respect for what hair means to people.

What Cardillo is passionate about is helping those going through chemotherapy. As hair begins to grow back, extensions can help them quickly restore their hair and change their perspective.

“Wash it, style it, swim,” he says. “There is total freedom and tremendous security.”

Of note, the company’s Pink Hair for Hope campaign has included the participation of more than 1,000 salons and raised more than $2 million to fight breast cancer.

Throughout the company, Cardillo says, there is a commitment to quality and variety. There are more than 90 shades available in textures including straight, medium wave and curly. Only the best hand-selected, 100-percent European-type human hair, pre-bonded with 100-percent Keratin tips to ensure a long-lasting and healthy bond, is used.

“Our technology keeps improving all the time,” he notes. “Our company spends a lot on research and development.”

Next up, he says, is reintroducing the cold-fusion technology (a new ultrasonic approach), “which is going to be great.”

And there is always the day-to-day way Cardillo conducts business.

“Everything is hands-on,” he says. “We don’t hide behind the desk.”

This family-owned business includes not only Cardillo and his three children, but also grandchildren who help out in the warehouse after school.

As Cardillo says, it’s the “old-fashioned way to run a company.”

And everyone helps with the company’s mission, Cardillo says.

“We just want to help people to look better and feel better, because that’s what it’s all about.”

For more details on SHE by SO.CAP.USA Hair Extensions, visit socapusa.com.

Written By
More from Mary Shustack
ARTFUL LIVING, INDOORS AND OUT
Photographs by Bob Rozycki and Tim Lee From the moment you drive...
Read More
Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *