One natural sister

Tiffany Scott has been in love with natural hair ever since she was a young girl.

“I can even remember when I was in high school I used to hide in the bathroom and comb my friend’s hair,” said the 25-year-old.

“Whatever hairstyle was in fashion, I was the one doing it in my friend’s hair. Needless to say, the finished product would always get positive attention.”

After graduating from Anchovy High, Scott went on to Kenilworth Heart Academy in Hanover, where she started a hospitality programme, but soon dropped out.

“The pull of natural hair was still strong and so I decided to follow my passion,” she said.

And so she enrolled in the Cornwall College evening school where she pursued some CXC subjects to allow for enrolment in HEART’s College of Beauty Services.

“I knew I was home the moment I walked through those doors. I could feel it.”

For the next two years Scott committed herself to completing the associate degree in hairdressing, and so exceptional was her performance that she was chosen for a one-year intense mentorship programme.

“Through this programme I was encouraged to start my own business while still in training. A mentor was assigned to me, Ms Stacy Mignott. I recall the mentorship programme being very intense, as we were taught how to market and package our products as well as ourselves.”

During the mentorship year she was able to rent a booth for three months.

“Having a physical location for my business while still in training was an excellent feeling. I felt really happy to know that this was no plaything; it was the real deal.”

Now she has her own place, located at 2 Molynes Road, and she has grown to the point where she could hire an assistant.

“My aim was always to make women more comfortable with their natural hair,” she said.

“My customers are usually very satisfied with the services and that is how I receive most of my customers — word of mouth. Also, I might be walking on the road, or be in a taxi, and I’ll see women and just from looking at their hair I can recommend a particular treatment.”

This consummate professional has plans for her brand, Estilo by Scott, to become a national if not international franchise.

“I want my name as well as my products to be associated with a particular standard of care. And so if I allow you to be a franchise holder I expect nothing but the best in terms of upholding the standard,” she said.

Frequently complimented about her own natural hair, Scott’s journey, however, has not been without obstacles.

Her detractors, who she confesses are mostly other women, are not in short supply.

“I can recall so vividly them telling me things like, ‘Natural hair not going anywhere so don’t even bother trying’. Or, ‘You too young, why don’t you work for someone else and then open your own business when you are more experienced?’” But she said she stuck to her guns and is glad to have reached this far in her journey.

“I can honestly say that I am comfortable with my hair. I want to allow other women with the same type of hair that I have to feel the same way that I do.”

Her partner Richard Hamilton is very supportive of her endeavours.

“He is truly 100 percent behind my endeavours and trust me when I say that feels great to have that level of support in your life,” she said.

And her three-year-old daughter is already following in her mother’s footsteps, as she insists on having the latest natural hairstyles.

“Every morning she wants a new hairstyle; I can’t keep up! She is my most demanding customer to date, but my favourite one!”