What if a trip to the salon could do a little more than refresh your roots? At Haven by Causemetology in Lebanon, founder Hannah Sibaja has created a space where beauty and community service are closely connected.
Sibaja earned her cosmetology license 11 years ago, but her interest in beauty and giving back began much earlier. She grew up participating in nonprofit work and traveled overseas to support vulnerable children, including trips to Nicaragua.
During one trip, Sibaja visited a correctional facility that had a salon inside. The idea stayed with her: Beauty services could offer a sense of care and dignity in places where they might not typically be found.
After returning to the United States, Sibaja enrolled in cosmetology school. Following graduation, she began visiting rehabilitation facilities and homeless shelters, providing complimentary hair services to people working to rebuild their lives.
For Sibaja, it was about more than a haircut. She saw beauty services as one way to help someone feel noticed, cared for and more confident.
That philosophy eventually became Haven by Causemetology, a full-service salon built around beauty and community involvement. Other cosmetologists were drawn to Sibaja’s vision and joined the team.
Today, Haven offers hair, nail and facial services throughout the week. Mondays are set aside for special services supporting women participating in substance use recovery programs, including women from Anderson House in Whitehouse Station.
Sibaja also wanted Haven to live up to its name by creating a comfortable environment, particularly for mothers. A children’s area filled with toys gives kids a place to play while their mothers receive services nearby.
She wants clients to feel “pampered and that it is a safe space to be here.”
The salon’s focus on giving back extends to some of the products it carries. Haven sells items from Sew Free, a Thailand-based program supporting survivors of human trafficking. Its initiatives include Shear Love, a hair school, as well as a sewing program where participants create clothing, accessories and home goods.
Closer to home, Sibaja believes local businesses can strengthen their communities by supporting one another. With many mothers among Haven’s clientele, she wanted the salon to be a place where women could connect and take a break.
Some of her favorite reminders of that mission are the thank-you cards she receives from women who have visited through Haven’s programs. One client who discovered the salon through Instagram described the experience as her “dream come true.”
Haven’s coffee cart adds another welcoming touch. Clients enjoy “having a latte brought over to them,” Sibaja says, adding that those simple details can “make them feel happy just to come in and get a coffee.”
Haven is also developing beauty and wellness kits featuring products for clients to sample. For each kit purchased, another will be donated.
The kits are designed to introduce customers to brands they may not have tried before. Sibaja has also connected with local gyms and dance centers to include information and offers from nearby businesses.
For Sibaja, that spirit of giving continues at home. As a mother, she wants her children to understand that the holiday season is about more than receiving presents and says she tries to emphasize “the giving aspect of it.”
“We are a safe space and fun to hang out with,” Sibaja says.
For Sibaja, Haven by Causemetology is more than a place for hair, nails or facials. It is an opportunity to create connection, offer comfort and use the work she loves to support people inside the salon and beyond it.
For more information about Haven by Causemetology, visit havenstudiosnj.com.
“We are a safe space and fun to hang out with,”—Hannah Sibaja.