Maria grew up in Lockhart, Texas. She still goes back when she can — new restaurants to check out, shops she hasn't been to yet, a hometown that keeps changing fast enough to stay interesting. She has a thing for places that are still figuring out who they are.
That probably explains something about how she ended up doing hair.
She trained at Avenue Five Institute in Austin, earned her cosmetology license, and eventually landed at Maximum FX. That was over five years ago. She has been cutting here ever since, and she has gotten specific about what she does well.
Her specialty is short cuts. Bobs, pixies, shags, and the occasional mullet she will absolutely recommend if she thinks you can pull it off. Her aesthetic is classy-meets-edgy. That sounds like a marketing phrase until you see the actual work. In practice, it means she is not going to give you something forgettable. She is going to give you something that actually fits the person who sat down in her chair.
Maria
Avenue Five Institute graduate. Advanced training in texture styling with Kijani Ball and styling instruction with Cassandra Pena. Certified in Keratin Complex treatments and brow waxing.
The Training Behind It
Maria has completed advanced texture styling training with Kijani Ball and styling instruction with Cassandra Pena. She is Keratin Complex certified and holds a brow waxing certification.
As an Aveda Brand Ambassador, her passion is educating clients on Aveda products and how to address challenges using the right one. She brings that same knowledge into the onboarding and training process for newer team members at Maximum FX.
What Keeps Her Here
"The best part of my job is seeing the light in client's eyes when they absolutely love their hair."
Her own words, on her own profile page.
For Maria, the work is about that specific moment: the client looks in the mirror and something shifts. That's what makes the consultation worth doing carefully, the cut worth finishing precisely, the whole appointment worth treating like it matters. To the person in her chair, it does matter. Every single time.
She is not interested in the version of the job where you process appointments. She is interested in the version where the person walks out looking like themselves. Only better.
Off the Clock
Away from the salon, Maria is a makeup junkie with a committed skincare routine and an anime habit she has zero plans to cut back on. Her movie taste runs from Jurassic Park to Nightmare on Elm Street, with Harry Potter and Twilight somewhere in between.
Her son Bruno keeps home life full. She also has a Great Pyrenees named Oso — Spanish for bear, and he earns it — who spends most of his time outside digging holes and sitting in them.
When she can get to San Marcos, she plays trumpet in the S.M.A.R.T. Orchestra, a nonprofit community ensemble. Most clients don't know that about her.
Book with Maria
Short cuts, real texture, and a stylist who actually listens. Maria works at our South Lamar location.
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