JNSBL challenge winner plans to mount a downtown-uptown hairdressing competition
HAIRDRESSER Lakayda Brown, who won the JN Small Business Loans (JNSBL) barber and beauty challenge championship in February, plans to mount an uptown versus downtown hairdressing competition later this year, which she hopes will give further exposure to hairdressers.
She explained that the idea is still in the early stages; but she wants hairdressers downtown, both the ones on the streets and the ones in their shops, to compete against their uptown counterparts to see who can be most creative when it comes to fashionable hairstyles.
“After I won the JNSBL barber and beauty competition, many of the hairdressers downtown congratulated me and told me they would like one in which they could also showcase their skills. Therefore, I thought I would mount an “uptown versus downtown” competition in which the hairdressers downtown go up against the ones uptown, with the help of JN,” Brown outlined.
Brown, who operates from Chimere’s First Class Hair and Nails Salon at the Hughenden Pharmacy Plaza in St Andrew, placed first in the hairdresser section of the challenge held at the Jamaica Pegasus on February 15.
That competition was open to barbers and hairdressers who were invited to send in their best before and after photos. From those entries, 25 persons were selected from the voting round via Facebook. From there, the top six barbers and top six hairdressers competed against each other in four challenge rounds, with Brown emerging as the top hairdresser. Tanesha Barrett was awarded second place, while Marie Marsh took third.
Brown, who is passionate about her trade, believes regular competitions and training would expose more people to developments in the industry. And this passion has made her enter competitions.
“My overseas customers and the downtown hairdressers were happy for me and want me to help other hairdressers to showcase their talents. Therefore, I thought that a competition would be a good way to do so,” she said.
She has expressed her gratitude for the exposure she received from the JNSBL. Since then, she has showcased her skills at the Beauty Buzz Expo at the Jamaica Pegasus in April and her hairstyles continue to be featured in a number of Caribbean-based magazines.
“It has been good because I have received so much exposure. My overseas customers who visit every summer have been recommending more people to me as well. I also have many people coming to me and saying they want me to do their hair because I won the competition,” she pointed out.
Gillian Hyde, general manager for JNSBL, commended Brown for her intent to give further exposure to members of her profession.
“We are happy that Miss Brown has decided to give members of her profession more exposure. The beauty industry is filled with many talented individuals and Miss Brown’s plans to have a competition and also to train hairdressers is one that should be commended. We congratulate her for taking this initiative,” she said.
Brown plans to study trichology and remains passionate about training other hairdressers.
“Going back to school is still something I want to do. And I want to train new hairdressers entering the industry. Hairdressing is a profession. And the more training we receive, the more professional we will become,” she maintained.
