“Losing your hair is like losing a part of yourself, part of your identity,” added Burnett.”

When a woman is going through cancer, it is one of the most difficult experiences imaginable. On top of feeling physically unwell, undergoing arduous treatments, dealing with the anxiety which such a traumatic diagnosis invariably provokes, and balancing family and work responsibilities, many women also grapple with chemotherapy-induced hair loss. This is one area of the difficult experience in which comprehensive care can be found at Sereen Hair Studio, in Islip.

Nikeya Burnett, owner and founder of Sereen, located at 478 Main Street, is utilizing her varied skills and professional background to bridge the seemingly interminable lacuna between patient care and medical billing. But, with a positive attitude and formidable industry knowledge, all things are possible.

“I am a wig boutique, and the primary purpose of my opening is that I quit my job from a cancer center to help women through their hair loss, due to chemotherapy going through their cancer journey. I’m a medical biller, and I have a cosmetology license and worked at a cancer center as an office coordinator, and with the background that I have, I was able to help women get reimbursed for their wigs and to connect them to other resources to cover the costs for their wigs,” explained Burnett, who has big plans to one day go worldwide with her mission.

Burnett went to BOCES for cosmetology and graduated in 2004. She has now come full circle, teaching stylists at BOCES and other area beauty schools ways to help women to look and feel their best at one of their worst times.

“Sereen Studio is a one-stop shop for women who need guidance, help, education, information, and wig needs from the financial to finding their benefits. I provide the wig and connect them with resources,” said Burnett.

The Islip studio was opened by Burnett, in 2019, and continued to thrive—due to the dire need of the services which she provides—all throughout the pandemic. Some things couldn’t be shut down during the pandemic, and cancer was one of them.

“Recently, I went to BOCES—and, of course, going to different cosmetology schools, but BOCES is the known one here on Long Island—to educate upcoming stylists on what to expect and how to properly care for a woman going through treatment: what to expect from when the treatment starts—the hair falls, the scalp changes, and things like that, where to send them, even if they don’t do it. Of course, a lot of stylists just want to do hair for looks, but they know to send them to Sereen, located in Islip, just to guide them through that step, which helps alleviate the burden and helps with depression and anxiety around the hair loss,” the enthusiastic entrepreneur said.

For more information or to book a consultation go to sereenhair.com.