We were lucky to catch up with Taylor Force recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Taylor, thanks for joining us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I always loved styling and coloring my hair from a very young age but it never occurred to me that I would make it my career, until my first day on the job.

I was okay at school but didn’t really love sitting there and homework was the worst. So my grades were just getting by. I was and still am more of a kinesthetic, hands on learner.

When it was time to start thinking about the future, colleges and beyond, my mom said to me “You can do anything that you want, but I am going to ask you to go to Boces and get a trade. It’s something that you can always fall back on and it’s a great experience for you to have. Just don’t go into nursing.” She was a nurse and it took a toll on her body! Plus, if I see a spot of blood I almost pass out so that wasn’t even an option for me.

So naturally me and my best friend were sitting in the auditorium listening to all of our options and we hear cosmetology and we both perked up. That was it we made the decision and signed up! Thinking that this was going to be so much fun, which it was, and something I can fall back on.

During school I decided to work in a salon assisting to get experience. It was my first day on the job when I saw an amazing hair transformation happen before my eyes, that’s when I knew that this is where I want to be!

Taylor, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Taylor Force, and I’m from Long Island, NY. Born, raised and still here. I am 36 years old and have been working in the hair industry since I’m 16. I fell in love with it on my first day on the job, seeing my first ever color transformation from start to finish just made me know that this was where I am supposed to be. I am a dog mama to my two babies River and Ranger and fairly new plant lady. I love being outdoors, and try to be outside for a little bit every day. I love going on upstate trips with Brian (my man) and the dogs just for a hike, I love self growth podcasts, audiobooks and I like to work out almost every day. I like to stay on a schedule (when I’m not on vacation.)

Hairstyling was my only career path and it has taken me to places I never imagined. I specialize in Invisible Bead Extensions®️ and color. I am currently a Master Stylist with IBE®️ and working my way up to becoming an Elite Artist.
I didn’t really have a niche in the hair world until the past few years. I always kind of did everything but didn’t specialize in one specific area. Once I started doing these extensions I knew that this is what I needed to be doing. It gives me that first day of my career feeling every time a see a transformation!

What I’ve seen these extensions do for my guests is give them the confidence that they’ve either once had, or have never had in their hair.

You see a lot of women have health issues that cause thinning hair or hair loss such as:
* Hormonal Changes like postpartum & going through menopause
* Certain Conditions like PCOS and really anything to do with your Thyroid (again, hormone-related)
* Stress, vitamin deficiencies, stopping birth control
* Having alopecia or scalp psoriasis
* Recent surgery
* Rapid weight loss
* Or it could just be genetics
Most of these conditions suck, while some are treatable some you’re dealing with for life.
I know first hand that hair extensions give you confidence. I can’t imagine my life without them. My hair is very fine due to genetics so my extensions give me that volume that I’ve always fought for but with IBE®️ I forget I’m even wearing them.

Why I choose IBE®️ is that scalp health is our #1 priority and I know that adding these extensions will not damage your hair any further. Also the continuing education that this company offers is beyond any education that I have taken this far!

Early in my career I bounced around from salon to salon until I decided to open my studio in 2019. I loved it so much but man I worked a lot. I was building my business and working hours didn’t matter to me.

Then the pandemic happened and work just stopped. I decided to hop into more education, which I wasn’t really able to do since I just worked all the time. Well, taking education lit a fire in me, I can’t believe I went so long without it. Now I will never not have some type of class or learning experience planned.

When I went back to work during the pandemic I moved my studio to another location so I could have a window. In my new location, which I loved, I met these two women Lorraine and Toni who I now call my hair family. Lorraine was already a Platform Artist with IBE®️ and Toni was taking the class and used me as her model. Having my install done was what made sign up immediately! We all became hair besties at work and were always in each other’s rooms.

Lorraine decided to open an extension focused salon just this past September and asked if we would be interested in joining. Umm yea, we wanted to be just like her! From the way she ran her business, how she books her day, how she taught us, it was a clear decision.

So now you can find me and my hair family over at BRUSHD Boutique Salon in Holbrook. Let me tell you that this salon is a vibe! Most of our clients have extensions so they are with us for a good amount of the work day and we just have so much fun together all while being relaxed and pampered at the same time.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding aspect of being a creative for me is seeing the full transformation, not just the hair. I mean, the hair is my artwork and a significant part of it, but witnessing its impact on someone’s entire demeanor is what truly resonates with me. The confidence and joy it brings them when they leave the salon and return home to their family, friends, and work—it’s the stories I hear when they come back about how it made them feel.

Just last month alone, I had one guest who underwent several surgeries in a short amount of time. She lost so much density in her hair; it was thin to the point of being see-through, and she was deeply depressed. I was able to give her one row of extensions and a touch of color, and it changed her entire life. Then, I had another guest who is growing out her hair after chemotherapy, and her hair is very thick but at an awkward length. She couldn’t wear her wigs because of the excess hair underneath. I installed her extensions and began lightening her color, and she said she finally feels like herself again.

This is why I do what I do.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

So, a lot of people don’t know this about me, but when I left a previous salon and decided to open my own studio back in 2019, the old salon owner decided to sue me because a lot of my clientele followed me. I did sign a non-compete when I started working there, but the date had expired, and my studio was far enough away that I didn’t think it would be an issue.

He had a lot of money, like a lot, and at that time I had poured all of my money into my business. He just wanted to make my life difficult. He said other words, but we won’t state that here.

So, actually, I had to take out a line of credit to pay a lawyer’s retainer and hopefully get that squashed. However, he did not give up, and he kept coming after me.

I just kept working through it. The first year and a half of having my own business was basically me being sued and me being in debt because everything went to lawyer fees.

So, come to find out he was older, he had medical issues, and he passed away. I thought that this was going to be over and all behind me, but it wasn’t. Whoever took over his estate decided to continue with the lawsuit, which was a ridiculous number, so you can imagine my anxiety going through all of this. I was actually losing a lot of hair, was extremely stressed out, my skin was bad. I was just not in a good place. But I continued working through it.

At the end of it all, I wound up having to pay them $3,000 just so they would leave me alone and end this. And honestly, I was happy to pay that and cried tears of joy when it was all over. I don’t even know who I paid that money to! How ridiculous is that?

I continued working through it all; I never was going to stop. My clients got me through it, some of them without even knowing. My family, my boyfriend was such a big help at that time. They got me through it.

It was definitely not a great start to owning a business, but as soon as I got past the hard times, my business took off. I’m so happy that I stayed and just continued to work on my business through it all. I didn’t give up, and I fought back. Even though in the end, I did have to pay out a stupid amount of money, not even to him, but to the lawyers, it was definitely a learning experience. I just know now not to take things for granted. I’m so lucky to have the support that I do.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://brushdboutiquesalon.com/
• Instagram: @taylorforce_hair
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/taylorforce.hair?mibextid=LQQJ4d

Image Credits
The first photos all with the white background are all from Katherine Nunez The rest of the photos with the tan background and the beach family photos are from Taylor Bell