When Tuesday Style Dryer recently spotted Selective Homes executive Pauline Edie sporting a fab new head of luscious, envy-worthy locs we politely placed her order of wine on hold and interrogated her for about an hour. This was followed by a sit-down with her stylist, 21-year old Angel-Lee Morgan, CEO of AA Hair Studio.

Morgan’s story is par for the course in this age of social media. “I learned to install braids when I was about 11 years old. One day I was browsing on YouTube and came across a video of someone doing their own hair and decided to try it on myself. Ever since then I’ve been braiding my own hair, along with those of friends and family. It wasn’t something I took seriously at any point before summer 2019,” she divulged.

Her self-taught hobby would prove a blessing when after her first and second year at The University of the West Indies Mona, studying general mathematics before switching to an accounting major, she realised that this was not what she wanted to do for the rest of her life.

A brief sojourn overseas followed where she worked as a hairstylist assistant. “It wasn’t until about three months in that I realised braiding was something I was truly good at and something that I could use to make money on my return home and to finance yet another major.

“In terms of schooling I was completely lost and I didn’t have much guidance. Once I got back to Jamaica in September 2019 I started taking appointments and working from my student housing room in Kingston,” she shared.

Eschew all notions of overnight success! Things were pretty slow at first and after about a month of doing hair she started to doubt herself. “I didn’t think I was any good because I wasn’t getting as many clients as I would like.”

Faced with financial obligations and the immediacy of rent, she started making house calls to UWI students. Things picked up. “I saw growth!” she exclaimed. “After about four months of operating, I noticed most of my clients were repeating, and that is when I knew I had successfully built my own clientele. Things really started to look up for me and so I started thinking about expanding in terms of getting more hands on deck and getting a more comfortable space for my clients. I think word of mouth and also promoting myself on Twitter especially is what made my business as successful as it is now. I always tell myself ‘The best way to predict your future is to create it’ and so I’m always thinking of ways to improve my business and my productivity. I envisioned what exactly I want my workspace to look like and how I want my clients to feel when they are with us, and worked very hard to get every item I needed to make that vision a reality. A year ago, I was so lost and felt hopeless, now my life has direction and I believe I have found my purpose. Being able to put a smile on so many faces is a part of what keeps me going,” Morgan beamed.

Morgan’s offerings include knotless braids, cornrows and her signature styles: Babydoll Faux Locs and Mermaid Passion Twists.

Knotless Braids and Mermaid Passion Twists last up to eight weeks depending on the client’s preference. Morgan will also provide touch-ups where she will redo the front rows after about a month. However, the Babydoll Faux Locs can last up to three months with proper care.

Caring for faux locs. Here’s how:

Knotless Braids and Babydoll Locs can be washed with shampoo only and the scalp moisturised with your favourite oil. There is no specific time frame in which clients should wash their hair, but it is recommended to wash the locs at least once a month. Scalp should be oiled at least once or twice weekly.

Satin edge wraps and satin bonnets in various sizes are available in order to keep the hairstyles fresh for longer. Styles are very low-maintenance in order to give clients a break from the stress of combing their natural hair every day.