Today we’d like to introduce you to Victoria Solomon
Hi Victoria, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
My journey all started back in high school when I realized I couldn’t get my hair done as much as I wanted. Due to my mom having to switch her jobs me and my siblings and my mom were not able to get our hair done as much as we would like. I remember telling a classmate I liked her hair and I needed my hair done. I wanted to get my hair like hers and she taught me how to do the invisible quick weave part in the back of the classroom and from there, my journey of doing hair started. I was very invested in learning how to do hair. I would sit in my room for hours at a time and be on YouTube. Trying to learn how to do different things and I will always get yelled at by my mom about not coming out the room and socializing with my family. I loved how we could just do different things and it made us feel so good about ourselves. No matter how we felt going in to get our hair done we always came out feeling good, so to me hair was always a big thing in my life. I grew up always getting my hair done and my grandmother always telling me to never have more than one person in my head at a time and to be very cautious of who I let in my head because hair is more than just hair, it hold energy. After graduating high school I went on to pursue a career within the nursing field and I did that mostly because my biological father was diagnosed with stage four cancer. I thought I could help him knowing that was not my passion at all, but I just thought if I could help Him in someway with learning some information about health he would be OK. I got into that field and I hated it! I knew I did not like to be in the nursing field because of death. I couldn’t deal with it so when I had my son that gave me the courage to go ahead and go after everything that I was determined to do. 2014, I didn’t realize when I started making my first batch of oils and cremes with Shea butters and and oils for my hair that I was actually creating something that would be great. I didn’t know what I was doing. I just knew I was doing something that I needed because I couldn’t find products in the store for me. 2015, My son is born and after he was born, I remember I sat down and I told myself I have to follow my dreams cause I can’t raise a child and tell him to follow his dreams and I didn’t follow mine. So I ended up moving out of state and I started cosmetology school in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I came back home to Memphis to visit and I ended up staying here so I transferred my school hours from Wisconsin back to Memphis. From the time I enrolled in Empire (colonial) Memphis. I feel like that’s where my life completely changed unknowingly. I went through so many changes so many trials and tribulations so many losses and I was still determined to keep going! It was something I wanted but more so needed! Doing hair and seeing people smile after I got done doing their hair it fed my soul, and it made me feel so much better about my career choice. Also reminded me of how I felt when I used to get my hair done. I love to see people joyful, and happy and that was a way that I could do It. The year of 2018 was the year I graduated cosmetology school in that process. I lost everything I lost my home. I lost my car. I lost my pride. I lost almost everything. I didn’t understand what I was going through. I didn’t understand why I was going through what I was going through and I ended up having to stop doing hair. After I stop doing hair I went and I worked for AT&T for two years. I remember working there and asking God to please to bring me back to the thing that I love and I remember not being able to sleep,not being able to eat, not being able to think without thinking about creating a hair care line. I was a product junkie. I had tired almost every natural hair care line! I would love to use different products to see how they would work. What the difference was the smell and the texture, what people were looking for & Whats in product ingredients. I’m big on ingredients in these products. I went down a rabbit hole about product ingredients. I analyzed and observed how the products would react on the hair in different ways. I came to the conclusion I had passion for creating products. I created my first Hair care product brand called Moistened. Moistened launched April 28 of 2020. The first Moistened product I ever launched was my Lavender growth oil which was my top seller. Later on down the line came the shampoo, conditioner, and leave in conditioner and it blew my mind how quickly people responded, granite before I launched moistened I let people know but because I never got a lot of likes I just thought it wouldn’t be very popular. I trusted in my vision and when I launched Moistened! I never forget me and my sister were so amazed by how many orders we got within the first 10 minutes and I just sat there crying and I was very very grateful to know that so many people were watching and so many people were supporting me in the city. That really blew my mind, but when I started getting orders from New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia thats when it blew my freaking mind. I didn’t know what to think. I didn’t even know if I was running the whole online business the correct way I just kept trying to learn new things and pushing myself. Not know where to go next with the Moistened, I shut it down year of 2022. Moistened will be making a reappearance soon! I worked at a salon here in the city of Memphis for three years. I recently just branched off to my own, which now I bring you Elegance of hair. Going into getting my own salon suite was very nerve wrecking because I didn’t understand why things were happening so fast, and how they were happening so fast, and when it happened for me it felt like the opportunity just fell in my lap. Elegance of hair was created to give people a sense of peace when they get their hair done. A sense of this is my safe space to relax, This is my space to embrace me, love me take out time for me and just embrace who I am. Elegance of hair is more than just a place where you come and get your hair done. I set out a mission to provide people with a product and service that they can always remember in a very elegant, yet unapologetic way. A nurturing very heartwarming very peaceful space. Elegance of hair It brings community. It brings conversation. It brings love. It brings peace. It brings passion it, it helps heal. Hair is so much more so with an elegance of hair I bring so much more and I just want everyone to experience that pureness of what Elegance of hair has to offer. when I was a kid getting my hair done hearing the laughter, the joy, the women helping each other out, The men laughing and talking and encouraging each other and uplifting each other. The community of it is so beautiful and that’s why elegance of hair was birthed.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has not been a smooth journey along the way I’ve went through a lot of trials and tribulations with my journey of being a hairstylist. I’ve lost a home. I’ve lost cars. I feel like I’ve lost my pride. I feel like I’ve been humiliated because I’ve had to stop a passion to work somewhere else where didn’t not want to work. Just to make ends meet. I came back to the beauty industry and I had to start all over from scratch. I’ve had to build & tear something down and rebuild it completely multiple times and I wouldn’t say those things are done in vain because every time I have to start over or every time I’m faced with an obstacle it is for a reason and that reason prepares me for the next chapter.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m a licensed cosmetologist and I’m proud to say that. I specialize in Sister locks, micro locks, traditional locs, coloring, updos, product knowledge, etc. I feel like the most thing that I’m proud of as far as within my professionalism is remaining the same person standing with the same gratitude that had this crazy vision when she was only 16. I’m proud to say that I always remain a student. I’m proud to say that I’ve grown and I see my growth and I still have growing to do. I’m proud of everything that I have accomplished so there’s not really one thing that I’m most proud of because when I look back on everything that I have endured, it makes me proud of everything. What sets me apart from others honestly, it has to be my generosity, my kindness and it has to be how true I am to my vision and myself how I stay authentic. I’m a person that believes the impossible is possible.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
Yes, I like to read even though I haven’t read a lot of business books just yet. a book that was given to me was “Don’t believe everything you think”by Joseph Nguyen, “90 days to CEO” by Rochelle Graham-Campbell a great podcast is “Millionaire Mindset” by Xavier Miller & Deanna Kent. I definitely need more book recommendations.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elegance_ofhair/profilecard/?igsh=MXBsMHB2YXN5N2FzMw==
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1wHxr6RmDHiSVU6w/?mibextid=wwXIfr
