We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jasmine Edwards. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jasmine below.
Hi Jasmine, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
I first found my purpose by not wanting to go to others to do what I felt like I could do myself. I always had a passion for doing hair, but I was so young at the time, so I didn’t really take it to serious back then. I also didn’t know that it would be something that I could create a business from. So about five years ago I decided that I was going to start betting on me. I started off just doing my own hair and everything started to take off from there. I would get compliments on my hair and people would ask me, who did your hair, and they would be shocked that I did my own hair. So, the more exposure and compliments I got the more confident I grew. One day I just decided that this is what I really want to do with my life. I want to do hair so that I can make people feel how I felt when I got the compliments about how good my hair looks. Thus, how I found my purpose.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I’m a license cosmetologist but I specialize in all things locs and natural hair. I started school in August 2020, and I finished in October 2022. I attended Paul Mitchell the School Charleston at night, and I worked a full-time job during the day while still building my business and taking clients on the weekends. When I started school, I was pregnant, but I wasn’t going to let that stop me from doing what I know I loved and wanted to do. Once I finished school, I went on to working in a suite and I’ll be there until I open my own salon. Opening my salon is one of my biggest goals that I’m working on trying to accomplish. I want to have a salon where it has suites and I want people of every beauty profession in there. When I first started really doing hair, I already knew I wanted my own product line. I wrote down in my notes on my phone what kind of products I wanted and what I wanted in them. Right after that I sought out a chemist who could help me formulate my products. On Martin Luther King Jr. Day I went and put my products in the hair store. My products are on display at Hair Depot in Charleston SC and that’s just the first of many they will be in. My goal with my products were to be able to use natural ingredients to help with different hair and scalp issues people have. The products are for adults and children of every race and ethnic background. Right now, professionally I’m working on opening the salon and moving my products. What’s the most important and exciting about what I do is making people feel really great about themselves and making them feel beautiful even when their going through something. My brand is an uplifting brand letting people know your hair is your crown and even if it tilts it’ll never fall.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
The three most impactful qualities I’ve got going for me on my journey is being head strong, having the ability to NEVER give up, and standing firm on my beliefs. If your early in your journey know that things will be very hard starting off, but it’s not about how you start but all about how you finish. If you know you’re doing exactly what you want to be doing keep at it because one day you’re going to be the absolute best at it. Never let anyone tell you or discourage you from your passion. Always be head strong so that you won’t let no one walk all over you.
To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?
The most impactful thing my parents could have ever done for me was to believe in me wholeheartedly. They stand ten toes down on my goals and what I want to accomplish in my career. I don’t really expect my parents to do much of anything for me because I’m an adult, but they help me out and do for me regardless of my age. I literally owe my parents everything. All I want to do is make them proud and take them all the way to the top.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.jazzylocsandstyles.com
- Instagram: jazzylocsandstylesllc
- Facebook: Jazzy Locs and Styles LLC and Jasmine Jay-Jizzle Edwards
- Youtube: @jasmineedwards909
- Other: Tiktok: @jazzylocs25
