With the evolution of the natural hair movement, many ladies are starting to have a look at their options again, whether going back to relaxers, big chopping, wearing wigs and weaves, or locing their hair altogether. The stress between Black women and their hair peaked during COVID. Shops were closed and so many ladies couldn’t manage their hair with silk presses or box braids. They grew drained, leaving many lacking confidence of their natural hair journey.
Then there was the boom of the IG hairstylist. The dreaded “Hey girl” text that your appointment is canceled, latest client fees, a 20-page term and conditions, turning away certain hair types, and box braids rising to a whopping $500 for some stylist has turned off a number of natural clients. Black women are exhausted from all the maintenance that comes with maintaining their natural hair, from finding a stylist to not having to face in the toilet fussing with their hair for hours.
An option that many black women have put back on the table is locing their hair. Why? Since it’s a low-maintenance hairstyle on day-to-day bases. You go to your retightenings and your hair is sweet for a month or two. Many are hesitant because they don’t want the larger locs, or they don’t need to undergo the “ugly baby locs” phase. But there may be another choice, Belle Microlocs. They’re a smaller loc done with human hair extensions, so that you get to have length and fullness firstly of your loc journey.
ESSENCE caught up with the founding father of Braids That Speak, Tatiana Nchotu, and talked all about her background, how she got here up with Belle Microlocs and why it’s been such a positive movement inside the natural hair community.
Are you able to tell me a little bit bit about your background? What was Tatiana like before she was Braids That Speak?
I’m originally from Cameroon. When living there, I got here from very humble beginnings. My mother was a banker and my dad a teacher. I even have a reasonably large family and am a twin and one among six amongst my siblings. My parents migrated to the US after I was 11 or 12. Once I moved to the US, I attempted to assimilate into the American culture. I used to be very well-rounded, and after I finished my education, I went to school for Healthcare Management and Business. The goal was to return to Cameroon and improve our healthcare system. It ended up not figuring out, and I made a decision to pivot into IT before becoming a full-time braider.
Would you say your passion for hair began in Cameroon or once you bought to the States?
It began before I moved to the States. My interest peaked after I was about eight. My cousin Sheila, who lived with us on the time, would do hair out of our house. She was so good at it that it got me interested by wanting to learn how you can braid. I asked my mom, who had migrated to the States, to send me a doll with hair in order that I could practice. Once she sent me the doll, I used to be in a position to start imitating my cousin’s braiding, which taught me how you can cornrow.
How did you begin constructing your braiding skills? Did you proceed to learn from your loved ones?
My father noted my interest in doing hair, so he took me to his friend’s shop out there, and I’d shadow them as they worked with clients. I learned the fundamentals of doing twists, braids, and extensions. Once we got to the States, I began doing my hair with the abilities I had learned, and other people wanted me to do theirs like mine. That’s how I started constructing my clientele. I continued braiding throughout highschool and college.
When did you begin taking braiding seriously?
Around 26, I made a decision I’d give myself six months to take braiding seriously. I used to be used to taking one client a day, perhaps 3 times or 4 times per week. The apprehension was if I’d give you the option to do three or 4 clients a day. It was hard to start with working a full-time job after which turning around and dealing as a braider after I got off work, but as soon as I began working on my client’s hair, I got a burst of energy out of nowhere. It didn’t feel like work. It felt like I used to be chilling with a friend.
So when did Braids That Speak come into the image?
I used to be initially Blissful Braids. I didn’t know that you just needed to ascertain your domain name to make certain it was available. So by the point I checked for Blissful Braids, it had already been taken. I got here up with Braids That Speak from all of the conversations that will spark around my braids. Individuals are all the time stopping my clients to inquire about their hair. My braids are a conversation starter, and so they brought black women together. One thing black women are going to attach on is our hair.
The primary style that got the ball rolling was Bomb Twist. It blew up immediately. It catered specifically to women with natural hair. I wanted my clients to have healthy hair, mainly because if their hair were relaxed or damaged, it wouldn’t last within the style, or their braids would slip. This nudged clients to begin cutting off their damaged ends to get the service, which helped them grow their hair. Bomb Twists were the muse of my brand. It continued to branch off with the brand new adaptations like Mini Bomb Twist, which might later evolve into Belle Microlocs.
Are you able to explain the difference between Bomb Twist and Passion Twist?
Sure, so I’d say Bomb Twists are a short lived protective style for black women with natural hair, but they will last as long as 4 months. It grows your hair like crazy. They’re super lightweight, and so they resemble microlocs. It is normally shorter in length and done in small to medium-size sections. Whereas passion twists are often thicker like jumbo twists and for much longer.
You said Bomb Twist was the muse that pivoted you into Microlocs, but when did you transition into offering Belle Microlocs as a service?
While living in Dallas, I connected with one other Cameroonian braider, Raissa. She would also turn out to be the co-founder of our Dallas location, Bomb Hair Studio. She had asked me to put in her microlocs last January, and I used to be hesitant at first because I had never done them before. After performing some research, I made a decision to provide it a go. I posted the outcomes, and my clients loved it; and we’re also trying to get locs installed. I didn’t think many black women would want locs, however the demand showed that wasn’t true. I feel COVID played a big role out there for black women wanting locs. They were drained.
I later had a client inquire about having the locs done with natural hair added, and again, I used to be hesitant because I had never seen this done with microlocs before with the technique I used. She trusted that I could do it, and it got here out beautifully. With the hair being human as a substitute of synthetic, it loc’d up just as natural locs would. I posted the consequence, and the remainder was history.
Are you able to tell me a bit more concerning the Belle Microloc service? I do know you offer a couple of different options.
Yes, I offer Belle Microloc Twists, Belle Microloc Twist with an prolonged braid down, and Belle Microloc Braids. These services could be done with extensions or simply your natural hair. Belle Microloc Twists are essentially the most desired but are for a really specific hair type. In case your hair is just too soft or too high-quality, it’s really easy for the hair to slide or unravel. So, I got here up with the prolonged braid-down method to assist secure the style at the basis and forestall slipping. But I spotted that if their hair texture is super-soft, it’s not even idea to go the twist route in any respect since the ends would unravel. I then added Belle Microloc Braids to our service, that are locs braided all the way in which down.
What’s the difference between Belle Microlocs and Sisterlocs?
They’re very different from Sisterlocs. I initially looked into sister locs, but there have been things that I didn’t want. Microlocs are rather more diverse in what you may create, whereas Sisterlocs is a much stricter gridding system and is interlocked from root to tip. I desired to give you the option to customize my grid to the client’s needs and head shape. Because the business began to grow, I needed to contemplate time and the way easy it could be to show my team. With my technique, I can install a full set of Belle Microlocs in a day, which is a large selling point for me as I even have clients traveling from everywhere in the United States.
You furthermore may decided to market Belle Microloc Twists on yourself. What was the idea behind your decision?
People buy me before they buy the service. I feel in servant leadership. How am I going to market this service if I’m not even wearing it? I even have to imagine in this primary. One among the things that made me realize I needed my very own service was that after having my son, I handled postpartum shedding in the midst of my crown. And it was a struggle attempting to get it to grow back. Once I installed my locs, my hair began growing back again. That’s after I knew this service may gain advantage those with thinning hair or autoimmune diseases like alopecia. Belle Microlocs restored women’s confidence of their hair.
No Comments
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.