We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Breanna Edgerton a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Breanna, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Who is your hero and why? What lessons have you learned from them and how have they influenced your journey?

My hero is my mother, Charlene Edgerton. For as long as I can remember, she has always been fearless and humble. It must run in the family because my grandmother is exactly the same.

In my early twenties, I had moments where I’d think, “Oh my gosh, I’m turning into my mother,” and I used to cringe at the thought. But as I’ve grown older and come to understand her unconditional love and the sacrifices she’s made, I now feel honored to resemble her. If I could be even half the woman she is, I would consider my life a success.

One of the most important lessons she taught me from an early age—something I once thought everyone just knew but have since learned is rare—is the value of self-confidence and self-love. I’ve never experienced a moment where I didn’t love who I am, and my self-worth has never been up for debate. But as I grew up and made friends, I realized how many girls struggled with low self-esteem, and that really broke my heart. It inspired me to get into styling hair and helping them pick out cute outfits so they could feel beautiful too. My mother used to get mad at me for letting people borrow my clothes, especially since they often didn’t return them, haha.

That’s part of why I became a hairstylist. The look of surprise or joy on someone’s face when they see themselves in the mirror fills me with so much happiness. I love being able to instill confidence in those around me, and I’m able to do that because I was raised by a strong, confident woman.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m a 90’s baby, and can we all agree that was the golden era for Black hairstyles? I grew up watching my uncle work his magic in my grandma’s kitchen, and those old-school stylists didn’t play! He’d mold, shape, and contour each strand of hair with precision. From an early age, I knew I wanted to follow in his footsteps.

My journey as a hairstylist has been a long one. I started doing hair in school bathrooms, then moved to a salon, college dorm rooms, classrooms, and even back to my house during the pandemic. Now, I’m finally in my own studio—what a ride! Through it all, I’ve had clients who’ve stuck with me from the very beginning, and for that, I’m incredibly grateful.

I don’t like to box myself in as a stylist. I don’t specialize in just one thing because that’s not how I was taught. I grew up around real stylists who could do any style their clients asked for, and I still live by that today. On a regular basis, you’ll catch me doing sew-ins, knotless braids, stitch braids, locs, wigs, silk presses—you name it! There are so many styles that listing them all would take forever, haha. I just love giving people exactly what they want.

What I’m most proud of is that I never gave up. In this industry, you have to keep going. Like any job, there are highs and lows, but you take it one day at a time and stay grateful for it all. The relationships I’ve built with so many different people along the way make everything worth it.

Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.

This might sound crazy, but I never actually set out to be a hairstylist. My original goal was to own a salon and have other people working in it—specifically a salon for kids. So, how did I end up as a hairstylist working long hours every day? Well, I fell in love with it, haha.

For about five years, doing hair was just my side hustle, but then something clicked, and I got really good at it. I became obsessed with perfecting my techniques, and soon my clients were encouraging me to raise my prices—so I did. Around that time, I had just graduated with a business degree, which helped me track my finances more efficiently. After a few months, I had a conversation with my social media manager, who suggested I quit my full-time job and focus on hairstyling.

So, in the middle of a pandemic, I left a job in my field that I had worked so hard to get to become a full-time hairstylist. When I say it out loud, it does sound a bit wild, haha. But stepping out on faith and trusting God, as cliché as it may sound, really worked for me. I also had to stay consistent—things don’t happen overnight.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I hate to admit this because it just proves my mom is always right, but… not everyone is your friend. This is a lesson that kept coming back to me, over and over. What can I say, I’m hard-headed—and that’s probably why I work for myself, haha. In a business like mine, it’s tough to draw the line between being friendly and being the boss. I genuinely love everyone, and salons usually have such a positive vibe, which makes people feel at ease. But I guess I got a little too comfortable.

I actually ended up being stalked and harassed by a client. I won’t go into detail because it involves another stylist, but if you’re curious, I did share a story time about it on my YouTube channel: TheBratLifestyle. It was a hard lesson to learn, but it’s one that’s shaped the way I run my business now.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Rosehavenbeautystudio.as.me
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rosehavenbeautystudio?igsh=bGlrbW0wemZoZnM1
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@missbreannadshea2289?si=_u8kip8saZzEhhb2