2026 40 Under 40 Honoree: Danielle Oriola (32)
“Pittsburgh is a city of pockets. If you stumble into the right one, it can change you.”
Danielle Oriola
Owner, Rooted Hair Studio
Danielle Oriola remembers Pittsburgh salons where her full, curly hair was celebrated — and others where she was referred elsewhere because her hair was considered “ethnic.” She doesn’t necessarily attribute those experiences to malice. Often, she says, they reflected a lack of knowledge and exposure. “That experience gave me a reason to become part of the solution,” she says.
Oriola built Rooted Hair Studio in Crafton around that idea. The multicultural salon serves clients with varying hair textures while teaching them how to care for their hair, guided by what Oriola calls C.P.R.: consistency, patience and regimen. “I want you to know your hair so well that you can have fun with it,” she says. “You’re not fighting against it anymore. You’re working with it.”
Her work extends beyond the salon. Rooted has provided free haircuts and donated necessities at Light of Life Rescue Mission, while Oriola mentors young people and speaks to future stylists. She now hopes to pursue trichology certification and eventually bring Rooted’s hair-education curriculum into schools.
“The dream isn’t simply to build a bigger salon,” she says. “It’s to build a bigger impact.”
