Olga Olikova known online as @oobraider, is a two-time international hairdressing award winner and one of the top braiders in the world.
Today, Olga Olikova is among the most famous braiders on the planet, even though her life plans originally pointed in a completely different direction. Born in Russia, she studied fashion design at university and later, after meeting her Slovak husband, moved to Slovakia in the European Union.
In her new home she focused on her family and spent her free time in the garden, having no idea that braids would one day become her profession and take her onto international stages.
Her braiding journey began in 2018 on Children’s Day in the village where she lived, where she braided all the kids and staff for free. People’s enthusiasm convinced her that it made sense to continue, so in the summer of that year she set up an improvised salon in her backyard and spent an entire month braiding children’s hair for free. When the demand did not fade, she turned it into a business.
She never studied braiding in person. Instead, she searched the internet for every possible way, including online courses, to learn how to braid hair in a way that is high-quality, fast, and visually stunning. Step by step she built a loyal client base, moved with her family to the capital of Slovakia to be nearer her clients, and opened her own salon.
Olga’s dream was to be the best at what she does. She loves to compete because it pushes her creativity and keeps her moving forward. She worked on her skills and took on her first big challenge in 2021, immediately when she found out about the OneShot Hair Awards and signed up at the last minute for this international competition held every year in the USA.
Her debut catapulted her into the Top 25 braiders in the world. For the 2022 edition she traveled to Orlando to attend the award ceremony and once again finished in the Top 25.
A year later the unbelievable became reality. In Austin, Texas, she won the Braids and Twists category and received the hairdressing Oscar for 2023. The international jury was impressed not only by her competition look, but also by her entire portfolio of braids on social media. In 2024 the winner came from Argentina and Olga placed in the Top 25 for the fourth time in a row.
In the summer of 2025 she repeated her victory. In Dallas, competing against entries from 120 countries, and with each participant allowed to submit only three photos, she chose her best work from the previous year. Once again she walked on stage and accepted the award for the best braiding work. As she likes to say, winning once might be luck, but two first places can no longer be a coincidence.
Alongside her own creative work, Olga is dedicated to educating and motivating others. Even in her her braiding beginnings, back in 2019 she personally trained more than 100 women.
Today she runs online courses with students from all over the world. Many of them achieve international success – in the 2025 OneShot edition, 32 entries in the Top 100 were created by her students.
Some of the brightest moments of her career include teaching an in-person braiding course in New York and speaking at a braiding festival in Moscow. Olga is also the author of books such as Dream Braids with Kanekalon, where she shares her know-how and encourages people to do what they truly love. She often recalls the message of OneShot founder Mary Rector about staying persistent even when you start alone, because if you keep going, soon you will not be alone anymore.
Today Olga runs her salon in Bratislava, where she welcomes clients from other countries, keeps improving the content of her online courses, and supports her students. She has stood strong in the face of doubters who did not believe braids could attract clients, and she recommends listening to your heart instead of those who question your path.
The story of Olga Olikova proves that passion, persistence, and a willingness to share your art can bring not only deep personal fulfillment, but also recognition on the world stage.