A Mission to Restore Confidence

For Diana Cowan, hair loss wasn’t just physical, it was deeply personal - and it still is. As the founder of Georgia Hair Solutions in Jackson, Georgia, Diana is making a difference in the daily lives of women from around the country.

After the birth of her children, Diana began losing her hair. What started as a quiet struggle soon became a defining turning point as she was officially diagnosed with alopecia. In 2017, she discovered a hair piece topper she could clip in for volume and coverage. Before long, other women started asking her about the piece. Standing at a crossroads, she knew she had a choice: keep her story private or use it to help other women walking the same road. She chose transparency.

“I prayed for 20 years for my hair to grow, but God grew a ministry instead,” said Diana.

With no cosmetology background and no formal training, Diana approached the company where she purchased her hair pieces and told them she wanted to help other women. Soon after, she began selling hair pieces out of her bathroom in her home on Jackson Lake. She sourced the hair, then sent clients to a salon in Locust Grove to have it professionally cut and styled.

What began as a quiet, home-based effort quickly grew. Diana soon realized the impact she was having on women dealing with the same struggles. She took a leap of faith in 2020, established her own brand and stepped out independently.

“Our first space was just a tiny 10 by 10 room inside of Bunny’s Nest in Jackson,” said Diana. “I thought we had hit it big because we had our own space. Then one day, a lady named Sandra Whitworth came in the shop and told me, ‘The Lord is going to increase your territory and your influence - you will not be here long. This will be a ministry more than a business.’”  Laney Salvador, Diana’s daughter, convinced her mom to go public with a TikTok video telling her story and her following grew from 6,000 to 785,000, launching the mission's national visibility. Despite rapid growth, Diana remains grounded.

“I’m just the most ordinary person,” she says. “No college degree. No cosmetology background. God is doing something extraordinary through this team.”

Within a year, Diana opened a 3,268-square-foot warehouse space at 1139 East Third Street in Jackson. Since then, she has expanded into an additional 2,000 square feet. What once felt impossible had become reality. What began as Diana’s struggle has become a shared calling.

Today, Diana and Laney (who earned an art degree as well as a cosmetology license), operate a full-service business and salon with 23 employees and three locations: Jackson, Georgia; Edmond, Oklahoma; and a Waxahachie, Texas (opening soon!) Though expanding, the business remains family-owned and operated, with Laney’s husband Adam serving as CFO. The salon specializes in serving women experiencing hair loss from alopecia, medical conditions, and cancer treatments. Clients travel from across the country seeking solutions for their hair loss - some are as young as four years old, others are in their nineties.

“Many women have said losing their hair was even harder than losing their breasts during cancer treatment,” Diana continued. “Hair frames the face. It’s identity. It is normalcy. When they put the wig on, they don’t look sick anymore. They look like themselves.”

The salon operates by appointment only to give each woman full attention. Stylists custom-cut both high-quality human hair and synthetic wigs to ensure every client feels beautiful.

Their motto: Mission minded, not commission minded. The goal is not to sell the most expensive product, but the right one. Georgia Hair Solutions has even partnered with a nonprofit called Warrior Wigs, which help ladies and children with cancer and alopecia get free wigs. To learn more, visit www.warriorwigs.org. 

Inside the Jackson location is a prayer room and a “Warrior Wall,” where women battling cancer write their names on canvases. Some names represent ongoing battles. Some honor those who have passed. Sandra Whitworth is now the chaplain at Georgia Hair Solutions and prays with the ladies who come in the shop.

Diana’s faith remains central - so much so that she is currently writing a book titled Love Is in the Hair: A God Story, a compilation of the powerful stories shared by the women she serves.

Diana credits United Bank as a key partner in the journey. A customer since 2014, she chose to stay with her local community bank rather than move to a national institution as financial consultants advised. “I’m not a number at United Bank,” she said. “They know my name. They know my story. I see my bankers on a weekly basis, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. From personal to business banking, United Bank has been there every step of the way for us.”

From selling hair pieces in a bathroom to operating a multi-state salon and warehouse, Diana’s story is about far more than hair. It is about restoration, dignity and helping women see themselves again.

In Diana’s words, it is ultimately about being faithful stewards of a mission much bigger than business. OS

If you are ready to grow your business, talk with one of our lenders. For more information on business loan options or to apply online, visit: https://www.accessunited.com/business/borrow/business-loans