EXCLUSIVE: Rej Hidalgo of Magpatina Can Make Your Wildest Hair Dreams Come True

Whether you’re getting a solid color, a dip dye, a gradient, or an unexpectedly wild pattern, your hair is in good hands at Magpatina’s hair coloring services

Bright and loud colors will never go out of style, especially if these are some out-of-this-world designs. The 29-year-old artist and hairdresser Rej Hidalgo has been coloring her and her friends’ hair since she was in college. During the pandemic, the artist and her partner would experiment with their hair, sporting new hair colors every few weeks. With this new-found love for hair coloring, Rej turned this passion into a full-blown business.

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First Colors

“I started because I’m extra,” Rej Hidalgo laughed. The artist started coloring her hair once she felt the freedom of college. She couldn’t afford salons at the time, so she turned to YouTube tutorials and experimented with her own hair. Among her friend group, Rej became “that girl,” the girl fond of experimenting with different colors, and so her friends turned to her to color their hair. Soon, news spread of her talent through word of mouth.

“A big part of it was the trust my friends gave to me early on. It was just a hobby at first,” the hairdresser expressed with gratitude, realizing that something as simple as a hobby could easily turn into passion. By the time she was taking paid commissions, her confidence in herself, her skills, and her artistry skyrocketed. With this confidence, Rej began to take her creativity to the next level, eventually experimenting with different color combinations and even shapes, which has explored just recently.

By the time the pandemic happened, Rej was already a Painting graduate, and yet, she did not paint anything during the standstill of the world. “That says a lot. It meant that my body wasn’t looking for the desire to paint,” the artist shared. What was evident, however, was the amount of times she painted her and her partner’s hair as much as they could. Without knowing, her body did feel the need to create art, to paint—Rej just needed a different canvas.

As an artist, the hairdresser has been in many industries, from film to makeup, but nothing stuck to her. “I didn’t know my identity as an artist,” Rej explained. “But I don’t have any regrets. Jumping from industry to industry really helped me. The bits and pieces I learned in different industries helped me be as unique as I can be to make Magpatina.” To the audience, Magpatina may just be a hair-coloring service, but to the hairdresser, it is a culmination of everything she learned from art school to the creative industries she has experienced. Magpatina is Rej’s identity as an artist.

Coloring and Socializing

It’s no secret that artists and creatives have faced blocks, doubts, and burnouts. In fact, it’s a common feeling in such a fast-paced industry, forcing us to keep up with the rapid trends that go in and out of the creative industry. “I think that feeling will always be present. At this point, we should accept the ups and downs of being in the creative and artistic field,” the artist chuckled. In the many years she has dedicated to art, Rej has decided not to look at blocks and burnouts too negatively, but an opportunity to push her threshold. Even if the artist wasn’t in her best state, she always made sure to keep producing.

Despite the imposter syndrome and the lack of energy at times, Rej continues to produce while balancing rest. A big part of her work as a stylist is socializing with her clients, and while she is an extrovert, her social battery eventually runs out. “I don’t like it when I’m quiet during the session, which is why most of my clients turned into my friends.

Rej recently took a long break last year. The last time she opened her slots was in September 2024. While she was still booked until the end of the year, she took the time to rest and explore. “My client doesn’t deserve an experience where they feel like I don’t want to do my craft, so I always make to prepare myself,” Rej explained. “At the end of the day, they’re giving me their hard-earned money and time. They deserve only the best.”

Of course, every job comes with challenges. For Rej, it was present in every session. “Problem-solving is always present in hairdressing itself, but I can confidently say that I have become accustomed to it. What’s challenging me right now is diving into another exploration,” the hairstylist shared proudly, referring to her other project, EXT. that she worked on during her long break, her way of pushing and producing while resting.

Hair Empowerment

In building Magpatina, empowerment wasn’t an intentional goal, but Rej could not help but feel proud whenever her clients felt beautiful in front of the mirror after their session. The stylist also expressed her gratitude for her clients who gave her creative freedom, a dream for every artist in whatever industry they’re in. “Even though they have given me the creative freedom, I still try my best to create in a way that suits their style of personality. It wasn’t my intentional goal to empower my clients, but I’m just incredibly lucky that they feel empowered by my work,” Rej shared wholeheartedly, only realizing now how important her artistry is to her clients. In being given free rein and keeping her clients’ personal style in mind, the hairdresser has painted them in a beauty that could only be theirs.

Rej, of course, is not the only creative one in the session. Many times, her clients are the ones who send inspiration to her, whether it’s a soda can, a fish, or something they came across while scrolling the internet. The hairstylist works her magic and brings her client’s vision to life no matter how simple or crazy the request is.

“I take what I learned from art school,” Rej said simply, taking what she learned to bring out the beauty of her clients, no matter how difficult or out of this world the design is .”Actually, I’m impressed at what my clients show me because of the many possibilities. If I didn’t go to art school, I wouldn’t have seen these possibilities easily.”

All Things Hair

With Rej’s help, here are some colored hair care tips that she imparted with MEGA:

1. Avoid pools and saltwater. If it can’t be helped, always wet your hair first before dipping. “Your blonde hair will turn green,” Rej said seriously.
2. Do not wash your colored hair with hot water. Be gentle with your hair. Use color-safe shampoo for the color to last or purple shampoo for the blondes.
3. Don’t skip conditioner. Once your hair is colored, it’s already compromised. “Dead hair is a different conversation,” Rej added. “If your hair is dead, cut it off. It’s not worth it.”
4. As we live in a tropical environment, always use heat protectant, not just for styling, but even if you’re just going out.
5. Lastly, Rej’s most important rule of all is to enjoy the fading. “Most of the time, once the vibrant color fades, they feel the urge to have it retouched,” Rej explained, encouraging us to embrace these new colors.

Back and refreshed from her break, Rej is back to business with Magpatina with an even bigger thirst for exploring and experimenting. Aside from opening her February slots for hair coloring services, the hairdresser is also open to hair styling gigs, and hair extension and wig commissions. As she is still learning, Rej is also offering free haircuts and trims in her studio.

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