From Salon to Product Founder: Sharon Clohesy’s Learning-Forward Journey

Sharon Clohesy didn’t set out to build a career in cosmetology. She set out to graduate high school as a “full senior” who completed her technical skills requirements.

Midway through high school, she still was searching for the right vocational “shop” and kept coming up empty. She tried childcare because she loved kids, but quickly realized it wasn’t what she expected. Next came graphic arts – she loved to draw – but sitting at a drafting table all day left her restless.

By the time she decided on a final choice midway through her sophomore year, timing mattered. If she entered most other trades, she’d graduate as a senior academically, but a junior in her trade. Cosmetology started junior year, which gave her a clear two-year path.

Clohesy walked in uncertain – and amused by her own hesitation. “I went into cosmetology, not knowing what it was – not even really knowing how to pronounce it,” she said. “All I knew was that once I graduated, I would then become a full senior. That’s what was important to me.”

The teacher who wouldn’t take ‘no’

At first, Clohesy didn’t plan to practice cosmetology beyond high school. She even told her teacher so, though she promised to do her best with every assignment. As the daughter of two small business owners, she had been brought up that you gave your best at every opportunity.

That was good, because her teacher had other plans.

Soon after, the teacher told the young student she was signed up to compete in VICA - the precursor to SkillsUSA – and handed over a list of skills practice. “I was like, ‘Whoa, whoa, whoa – do you remember the conversation we had?’ She’s like, ‘Start practicing.’ Like she just would not take no for an answer.”

As it turned out, the teacher recognized Clohesy’s innate talent. The young student didn’t just participate; she soared in competition. “Within those two years, I took home two gold medals, two silver medals, and I had the highest mark in the state two years in a row,” she said.

The ‘aha’ moment behind the chair

Then came co-op, which represented real work in a real salon. Again, Clohesy tried to pass at first, but changed her mind when she heard she’d get paid.

During one day on co-op duty, a woman came in for a shampoo and blow dry, sat down and took her wig off. The client returned weeks later and asked for Clohesy by name – then told her why.

“She said, ‘I feel comfortable coming to see you, and you explain things to me that I never understood before,’” Clohesy recalled. The woman wore a wig because she didn’t know how to care for her hair or choose products – and Clohesy had helped her understand.

That was the moment Clohesy realized the work could be bigger than the service. “This is far beyond a haircut or a color or a blow dry,” she said. “I really have some ability to make a difference and to really help people.”

So she leaned into learning – not because she had to, but because she wanted to. “I took a deep dive into continuing my education,” she said. “I started taking a lot of classes, and it just went from there.”

Building a career by learning beyond the basics

Clohesy became a licensed educator and taught full-time at a beauty career school, while continuing to work in salons. Eventually, she opened her own: Hair Studio 2000 in Lowell, which she ran for nearly two decades.

Over time, she started noticing patterns clients were experiencing, such as changes in hair and scalp health that didn’t have satisfying answers. “As a cosmetologist, I had limited information,” she said. Often, all she could suggest was that clients ask their physician – but many came back with the same explanation. “They all had the same answer… ‘Oh, they told me it was my age,’” she said. “But how can everybody’s different problems just be caused by age?”

Clohesy went looking for deeper expertise and found trichology, a study of the scalp and health care drawing in tenets of dermatology and cosmetology. “This is what I need,” she remembered thinking. “I need to study this so then I can help my clients further.”

At the same time, she was already deep into cosmetic chemistry – studying products not by marketing claims, but by ingredients. Her motive was simply to understand “how the different ingredients made a different impact.”

From ingredient knowledge to a product line

As her consulting work grew, Clohesy began seeing sensitivities tied back to common ingredients. “I started really realizing that a lot of products weren’t helping the scalp environment as we thought that they were,” said Clohesy, whose concern for safe products intensified as she lost both parents to cancer.

That insight – plus years of education – led her into product development. “I knew what I wanted. I knew the ingredients. I knew every breakdown of the product,” she said. She partnered with chemists to bring it to life, including a first attempt she ultimately walked away from because the team wasn’t as invested in making it work. Still, she decided to try again. “I can walk away, or I can take what I learned and set out on the adventure again.”

Less than two weeks later, she was on a plane to meet a new team. “Who was I? I was just a little local cosmetologist,” she said. “Now here I was sitting in a boardroom with a team of chemists, laying everything out how I wanted it.”

The result was ROgHA Hair System, a name inspired by her personal mantra. A friend mentioned Clohesy’s “mantra about choices,” and Clohesy knew she’d found it. “That’s it – choice,” she said. She looked it up in Irish, honoring her heritage: “I said, ‘That’s it. This is the name of my product.’”

Today, Clohesy and her product line are sponsors of SkillsUSA Massachusetts programs, including the same state competitions where she once medaled. That follows on nearly 20 years as events manager, working to set up stations for students competing in the novice programs, such as haircutting.

In 2023, Clohesy closed her salon to focus on broader impact through education, consulting and her product line. Her message – to students, stylists and clients – is the same principle that carried her from reluctant beginner to founder.

“Never stop learning,” she said. “There are always new things to learn. Even as much as I know today, I’m still continuing to learn myself.”

From Shop Choice to Industry Impact

What started as a practical decision to graduate as a “full senior” turned into a lifelong, learning-driven career for Sharon Clohesy. From discovering cosmetology by chance to opening her own salon and launching ROgHA Hair System, Clohesy’s journey shows how continuing to learn – far beyond required certifications – can turn a skill into a career and a career into a platform for impact.