About Boho Barbie Locs

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I’m Mandi — and if there’s one thing life has taught me, it’s how to keep going, keep loving and keep finding light even in the darkest places! My story hasn’t been easy, but every piece of it shaped who I am — and why I created Boho Barbie Locs!

I grew up in the foster care system, bouncing between homes while my parents battled addiction. I spent so much of my childhood feeling invisible, wondering if I’d ever belong. Foster care came with heartache, but it also taught me resilience, empathy, and how to really see people for who they are.

Later in life, I thought I had found love, my own family… but what I really entered was a 16-year prison of abuse—a marriage that stripped away my confidence and sense of self.. It was gaslighting so thick I questioned my own memories and my own reality! The manipulation so deep, I felt like I had no right to even feel hurt.. I was belittled, degraded and humiliated—called names like “worthless,” “b*tch”, “wh*re,” “crazy,” “stupid,” “ugly” and worse… (but we will keep it PG as possible)

 I was belittled, degraded and isolated. I walked on eggshells every day, terrified of doing the “wrong” thing. I wasn’t allowed boundaries, opinions or even…..myself!

He twisted everything! If he did something wrong or made a mistake, it was somehow my fault. If he was angry, I had provoked it. I was accused of things that were not only untrue—they were vile… Things that would make your stomach turn…Things no woman should ever hear, let alone from someone who vowed to love her! I was made to feel like a burden, like a bad mother, like a failure as a woman…as a wife. He weaponized my trauma, used my past against me.

I was isolated from friends and family, either through his outright disapproval or his relentless sabotage of those relationships. I wasn’t even allowed to have a relationship with HIS family!! I had to hide texts, hide tears, hide the bruises on my spirit, on my soul..

He’d scream inches from my face, spit flying, fists clenched—not always hitting (and usually the wall) but always threatening. I was shoved, pushed, cornered, stalked around, my phone taken from me so I couldn’t call for help. My heart lived in my throat at all times!! I walked on eggshells every moment of every day; terrified of saying or doing the wrong thing—because with him, EVERYTHING was the wrong thing!

He’d mock me when I cried. He’d rage if I didn’t. He’d throw money in my face, then accuse me of being lazy even when I worked 3 jobs, cleaned his house, cooked his meals and raised our child. He’d demand control over what I wore, who I spoke to, how I spoke, how I raised our child. I wasn’t a wife—I was a prisoner with a smile painted on to survive…

He controlled through fear, guilt, shame and silence. I lost myself in that house….in that marriage….And still, I tried. I bent and molded myself into something unrecognizable just to try to keep the peace… but it was never enough.

But in the midst of all that darkness, came my greatest gift: my daughter. She is, without question, the best (and only good) thing that came from that marriage. She’s 18 now and is everything to me. Through all the chaos and cruelty, she was the reason I kept getting back up when I didn’t think I could. She didn’t just give me hope—she gave me purpose. Even as a child, her spirit was unshakable, her heart wise and kind beyond her years. She’s stronger than I ever was at her age—stronger than I am even now most days!! She is everything I wanted to be but wasn’t allowed to be. My reason. My heart. My anchor in every storm. Through it all, she’s reminded me what REAL unwavering, unconditional love looks like—and I am endlessly, fiercely proud to be her mom!

When the marriage finally ended — not because I left, but because he walked away — because I didn’t have the courage to leave —because by then, I didn’t believe I could…I was so broken down, so convinced I was ugly, unwanted, unworthy, unlovable, incapable and lucky just to be tolerated, that I would’ve always stayed. That cycle of abuse would have swallowed me whole…But he left. Whether he believed his own twisted lies or just needed an excuse, I’ll never truly know—but he walked away. And honestly? It was the best thing that EVER happened to me. That moment—when the chaos left the house—was the beginning of EVERYTHING!! It was the crack in the prison walls, the first breath of fresh air in years. And while the scars run deep and the healing has taken time (I’m still healing and dealing with PTSD), I know now that surviving wasn’t the end of my story—it was the beginning of a new one. A free one!!

Today, I’ve found a love I once thought impossible—I’ve found real, healthy, soul-deep love! The kind you envy on TV….I’m engaged to Chris, the most incredible man I’ve ever known! He is everything my ex-husband wasn’t; opposite on every way. Where I was once silenced, Chris listens. Where I was belittled, he builds me up. Where I was afraid, I now feel completely safe. He is patient, kind, steady and so full of genuine love that sometimes it still takes my breath away!

He doesn’t just say he loves me—he shows it in every little moment. In the way he supports my dreams (Barbie Locs for example!). In the way he handles my triggers with compassion, not frustration and takes the time to learn them, to memorize them.. In the way he reminds me, over and over, that I AM worthy… With Chris, I’m not walking on eggshells—I’m walking in peace! Hand in his hand! His equal.

After 16 years of being torn down, I never imagined I’d get to experience this kind of love. But here it is. Real. Healing. Unshakable. And every day with him feels like the softest kind of redemption!! He is the love I know now I always deserved and being loved by him has helped me remember how to love myself again!

Through everything—the heartache, the healing, the rebuilding—creating has always been my refuge! My hair extensions aren’t just a hobby or a business; they’re my therapy, my passion, my way of giving something good back to the world!! Every single set is made by me and only me. I don’t have a team. I don’t have a warehouse. Just my hands, my heart and my love for what I get to do and I am SO grateful! 🥹 

But what keeps me going isn’t just the act of creating—it’s WHY I do it!! I know what it feels like to question your own worth. I know what it’s like to look in the mirror and feel like you don’t measure up, like you’re not enough. And if I can help someone—anyone—look at themselves and feel beautiful, strong or just a little more confident… that fills my heart in a way nothing else can!

There’s something so magical about seeing someone smile when they see themselves in a new light. When I send off a set of extensions, I’m not just mailing out hair—I’m sending out a piece of myself, a piece of my healing and a hope that it’ll help someone see their own beauty a little more clearly.

I create because it brings me peace, because it brings me joy and because it gives me a chance to remind someone out there that they ARE enough, just as they are! And if something I made helps them see that? That’s everything to me!!

More than anything, I want to spread light and love—not hate... The world has enough darkness and I refuse to let that live in my little corner of the world. I choose to delete negativity and to block out cruelty because I want this space—my little corner of the world—to be safe. A place where people can come to feel seen, to feel heard, to feel safe, to feel valued, to feel as beautiful as they already are!! I engage with my clients not just as customers but as fellow humans (why I share this story with you, now) I want to create connection, build community and share this passion with others who also sometimes need a reminder that they matter!! Because at the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about: lifting each other up and finding the beauty, together!! 🤗