With a brand-new salon in Mexico City, several international trips planned with Truss Professional and a global campaign project on the horizon, salon owner and Truss Ambassador Gabriel Samra is quickly taking the world by storm. American Salon caught up with the renowned balayage expert to talk about his ever-flourishing career.
When and how did you start working with Truss?
This October will be two years since I started using Truss products. I was in LA teaching a class, and one of the organizers came up to me and recommended that I use it for the class. I had never heard of the product, but she convinced me, and I decided to take the chance. When my assistant washed out the product, I was shocked at the integrity and the shine of the hair. I thought it was impossible—bleached hair that was both healthy and shiny. I started using Truss products after that, and I reached out to them on Instagram to tell them how much I loved them. A few weeks later, I got a DM from the head of their influencers and social media, and before I knew it, I was invited to be an ambassador.
What is your favorite part about being a Truss Ambassador?
I love traveling around the world talking about the product. I just found out I’m going to London and Ukraine soon because Truss is launching over there. I’m super excited because they chose me to be the ambassador, and I'll get to do what I love which is sharing all my knowledge.
In your opinion, what sets Truss apart from other brands?
The ingredients! The water used in the products comes straight from the rivers in the Amazon. They also use oils in their bleaching products—I’ve never seen anything like it. When I use just one of them, like Air Libre and rinse it out, I can see the oils washing out. It's so nice to come out with healthy hair after bleaching because of the ingredients.
Is there anything big you’re working on or looking forward to in your career right now?
We’re relaunching our photo campaigns for 2020 and I’m going to be part of the hair coloring and styling team for the campaign. I’m so excited to be putting my signature on that hair—people from all over the world are going to see my work in ads and in catalogs and in magazines—it’s beyond what I ever expected. The second thing is I just opened my second salon in Mexico City, and besides being a beautiful new salon, it’s also going to be a bleaching academy. I opened less than 60 days ago and it’s already packed.
What has been your proudest moment as a hairstylist?
The most important thing for me is when women see the result and it’s exactly what they wanted. It’s a hard thing to do—you have to read people’s minds and actually achieve the right haircut, the right color and the right style for that person. So, just putting everything together—their personality, type of hair, facial features—and achieving the right look for that person is the best part about being a hairstylist, and with Truss I can do that.