Shanel Moe the owner of Shanel & Company, grew up in Maui, Hawaii, is the youngest of 8, and has always been into fashion and beauty. "It's like I was dropped in my family because they're total islanders. Islanders don't wear makeup. They don't do things in the beauty industry. They’re always on the go. My entire family plays volleyball. We weren't doing anything else but hanging out in the gym. And they're still that way, my siblings. And then, Shanel. And they're like, where did you come from, child?”
Shanel is a self-proclaimed ‘education junkie’. While in school at UVSC (now UVU) for behavioral science with an emphasis in family studies, Shanel worked in the beauty industry, beginning in makeup, and went through beauty schooling in different increments and specialized in everything because she wanted to really know what she was doing, spending focused hours on each aspect of beauty. She gained a thorough education, with lashes, nails, hair, and makeup, differentiating herself from everyone else at the time so customers could come to her for multiple services. Shanel originally specialized in hair color, mastering a specific sandy color for Asian hair. “At one point, I felt like a jack of all trades and a master of none. I was trying to be good at everything, but that’s impossible. So, I narrowed it down to my top three loves: extensions, color, and makeup. Extensions were something I loved doing since school. I wore them, did them for friends, and I wondered why I stopped. My previous clientele didn’t need extensions—they wanted color, or even less hair. But I always loved it.”
Shanel got certified in Invisible Bead Extensions® in December 2019, and was one of the first 300 people to do so after McKenzie Turley, the inventor of the technique, launched the IBE® certification program in September 2019. At the time, she was teaching at Paul Mitchell Hair & Beauty School. Because they knew she also actively worked behind the chair, her students asked her if she’d heard of new cosmetology techniques and developments. A few of her students told her about IBE®. “I started researching, and it addressed the issues I had with extensions—too much tension on the scalp, visible beads, poor results. I started following the creator, and loved the community and the values behind the brand.”
The IBE® technique is all about scalp and natural hair health, comfort, wearability, client-first thinking, and seamless, natural-looking results. The goal isn’t to make someone dependent on extensions—it’s to restore confidence, whether or not the client chooses to continue wearing extensions. “We’re not hiding damage—we’re preventing it. We’re making the real hair healthier so the extensions look even better.” Shanel herself has tested all the popular hair extension methods. “This one is the most versatile—ponytails, buns, whatever. It hides well. It feels light. My scalp feels good. My hair grew. It really is the whole package.”
Shanel’s vast experience in the beauty industry proves that her faith in the IBE® technique is warranted. “The method is just that good.” Shanel is now a platform artist, one of only 42 people out of the more than 5,000 people certified in IBE®. “What’s even more powerful is how this work helps people — cancer survivors, women with hair loss, people who’ve struggled for years. Extensions give them confidence. I’ve had clients cry in the chair because they finally feel beautiful again. Watching that transformation in people, watching self-love take hold in real time? That’s what makes this job so powerful. It hits your soul. And when my feet hurt, when my back aches, when I feel too old to hold a blow dryer—those are the moments I remind myself: I get to do this. What a blessing. At the end of the day, it’s the stories, the people, the connections — that’s why I do what I do.”
"At the end of the day, it’s the stories, the people, the connections—that’s why I do what I do."