Today we’d like to introduce you to Jamilah Scott.
Hi Jamilah, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My journey to becoming a Licensed Master Cosmetologist for the past 16 years, specializing in Non-Surgical Hair Replacement and the success of J.Imani Hair in Roswell started when I was a little girl in my hometown of Oakland, California. I remember having an interest in hair as early as eight years old, so I’ve been styling hair nearly my entire life! I’ve always loved the old Hollywood glamour reflected by Marilyn Monroe, Dorothy Dandridge, and Audrey Hepburn, and as a very style and fashion-conscious young girl, I began experimenting with my own hair, using different products and trying new styles. In the process, I discovered I had a natural talent for hair design and taking care of hair.
By the age of 12, I was styling the hair of friends and family and continued throughout my jr. high, high school and college years, regularly styling hair for classmates and neighbors as well. Occasionally I would visit a hair salon for a trim, and one day the salon owner complimented me on how well-maintained and healthy I kept my hair. It was at that moment I realized I wanted to be a professional hairstylist. The salon owner then told me where she went to cosmetology school and why I should apply there versus the other programs in the area, which I really appreciated. I made a big decision to change my career focus to enter cosmetology school. Upon earning my cosmetology license, I completed a highly recommended program on Non-Surgical Hair Replacement and grew a clientele for extensions and natural hair services. J.Imani Hair’s specialized services positively and powerfully impact a person’s life by helping them feel beautiful and confident. I gain so much satisfaction helping my clients feel like themselves again after experiencing traumatic hair loss due to a medical condition.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
One of the biggest professional and personal challenges I’ve faced along the way was the untimely death of my mentor and one of my best friends. Her salon was a successful, bustling spot generating a lot of traffic in the hip, trendy Laurel neighborhood in Oakland, CA and suddenly, shockingly, everything changed. The shop had been open for 14 years. I’d been working there for seven of those years and had assumed more responsibility for managing the salon. There were plans for me to become her business partner before her death, but the deal had not been finalized as we were still working out the details of our partnership. Even without the legal authority to make business decisions, I continued to run the hair salon for several months after the senseless act of violence that took her life, keeping the commitments of the salon, both her clients and mine until the business affairs of her estate settled. I really appreciate that I was able to lean hard on loved ones during this incredibly difficult time, and I learned a lot about myself: how strong I am during a crisis, and that not only am I good at styling hair, but I am also a good businesswoman as well! I regrouped and rented a booth at a friend’s salon in Oakland and discovered a new passion while simultaneously teaching full-time at a well-known cosmetology school in San Francisco. I love to teach! I am proud to say I have trained many hairstylists that are working and successful.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I specialize in extensions and non-surgical hair replacement. It is so rewarding being able to give someone a look they no longer thought was possible. With my attentive, highly personalized treatments, I am most proud that each client feels I have captured the essence of who they are because I don’t just provide hairstyles, I carefully consider my clients’ lifestyles and needs so I can accurately provide them with an image that enhances and reflects who they are. During their time in my suite each client receives individualized hair care education. What sets me apart is that I provide a luxe, private experience and peaceful atmosphere for my clients. My goal is to make them feel special and that their business matters to me. I want my clients to feel beautiful…because they are.
The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
The Covid crisis taught me that it is still important for people to feel good about themselves during tough, challenging times whenever possible. During lockdown, I like so many others, had to pivot and adapt my hands-on business as best I could to online operations. California completely shut down, so in-person appointments were out of the question, which resulted in lots of client consultations over Zoom so I could design and construct wigs, as well as provide hair care education during isolation and quarantines. The adaptability I had to adopt during the Covid crisis also caused a desire within me to go for it and expand my business with even more focus on non-surgical hair replacement. In 2021 I moved to Georgia, and a year later, I opened my salon suite J.Imani Hair in Roswell, Georgia where I am happily providing much-desired services to my clients.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.vagaro.com/jimanihair
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/j.imanihair
