We were lucky to catch up with Jasmine Ellerbee recently and have shared our conversation below.

Jasmine, appreciate you joining us today. We love asking folks what they would do differently if they were starting today – how they would speed up the process, etc. We’d love to hear how you would set everything up if you were to start from step 1 today

If I had to start over today, I would do better research on the salon that I would work from. I would look for a salon that was all about training and growing their stylists. I prefer a warm welcoming environment where healthy conversation could happen and networking. Where a stylist starts their journey, can set the tone for how they conduct themselves in the industry. The industry, in my opinion, is losing this aspect of experience.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My name is Jasmine. Owner of Love’n Hair Studio. I was taught by my mom how to braid at a very young age. I enjoyed doing hair and practiced on myself and my family members. I have been braiding my own hair since I was about twelve years old.

I went college at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, and studied Business Administration. While in college, I realized that doing my friend’s hair was really peaceful for me, so I decided to pursue my career in the cosmetology field.

I graduated college May 2016 and went to Empire Beauty School in September 2016. I graduated from Empire in June 2017 and got licensed by July 2017.

In January of 2017, I launched my hair care line called, “The Restore System.” I noticed that majority of people didn’t have a trusted brand of products that they could use for their hair. So many people had a random collection of items that they mixed together to meet an end goal. The goal for this line was to create a trusted brand that brought back the moisture and strength to your hair. It can be used on color treated, relaxed, permed, or natural hair. It has been a success so far. We have recently redesigned our product to be plant based. I am excited to launch the new and improved products. The product line consist of a Mint Shampoo, Moisturizing Shampoo & Conditioner, Leave-In Spray, Nourishing Oil, Heat Protectant, and more to come with the new launch.

A lot of people know me for doing braids. I offer a variety of services. My main focus with each client is educating them on their natural hair and the best practices for maintaining healthy hair, restoring their hair back to a healthy state, and creating a plan to keep them on a consistent schedule. Whether I am doing an extension install, a Silk Press, Soft Locs, or braids; I am educating my client on the timeframe for the hairstyle, what to do in between visits, and sometimes even the removal instructions. I want my clients to be fully knowledgeable with their investment.

One main problem I solve for my client is the education aspect of their hair. My clients frequently leave telling their friends and family the tips I’ve given them. Another aspect that sets me apart is my time management and professionalism. My clients know I work hard to get them in and out. Also starting at your appointed time.

Something I would want my potential clients and followers to know is that I am a hard working woman. I am honest and love what I do. I am always willing to learn new things and grow my business. When ordering products or getting a service done by myself, you will be treated in the same manner as all of my clients. I want you to feel comfortable and confident that you are in good hands.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

Word of mouth is always the best way to get new clients for me. Most of the time the new client sees my work on someone else and may ask where did they go. My clients can confidently give my information knowing they are sending this potential client to a professional individual.

Second best would be Instagram. I sometimes run ads within whatever area I am in to promote my work or my products. I once gained almost 200 clients from being in a new area that was in need of a braider.

We’d really appreciate if you could talk to us about how you figured out the manufacturing process.

Well as I stated before, I saw a problem within the product community and I wanted to fix it. I researched vendor’s because I did not have the knowledge to formulate products on my own. I just knew what I envisioned and I wanted to bring it to life.

I remember speaking with a teacher at Empire who gave me tips on where to get started. I started looking into, “private label” companies. These are companies that have their own products. You can purchase their products and put your labels on them and sell the products as your own. This a great starting point.

You always want to test the products out before investing large amounts of money into production. I would start by writing out what you want your product(s) to look like, smell like, the goal for the line, & whatever else you can think of. This gives you some direction when searching. Read and look up the ingredients on their websites. Is this something you want in your products? When people ask you what’s in it, do you really know? Can you customize their formula or is it “as is?”

These are different things to consider when choosing a company to work with. My current manufacturer took a lot of time and effort to find. I’ve worked with one for years and when it didn’t fit my business model/plan, I had to begin my research again. I love being able to offer exclusive products that I have thought of and having a manufacturer that can bring them to life.

Contact Info:

• Website: Www.lovenhairstudio.com
• Instagram: Www.instagram.com/lovenhairstudio
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@lovenhairstudio?_t=8jVWSkM5MUN&_r=1

Image Credits
My headshot: Vernon Ray