Meet Jasmine Bryson | Loctician

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jasmine Bryson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jasmine, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
My thought process when starting my business, Purdie Locs, was that I was creating a business that would solve a problem in the Pacific Northwest. When I returned to Washington in 2015 from Atlanta, I realized that there weren’t many quality locticians to care for my locs. I decided to care for my own locs over the next few years, watching hours of tutorials and reading anything I could find about locs. I would get compliments on my own locs and asked by strangers to do their hair. I often told people “no” and would shy away from the idea. Although hair was my first love and passion, I had never taken it seriously. I saw it only a hustle and not an actual career that was possible for me. I finally decided to start saying “yes” to family, friends, and even strangers to retwist or braid their hair in 2018. My business has been growing since and now exclusively serves clients with loc’d hair.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
The work that I do is more than simply styling my clients locs. I am able to connect with people and help them feel more heard, seen, and empowered than when they first sat in my chair. The locing process is often referred to as a journey. It’s very common for people to experience strong emotions while locing their hair. Each visit I’m helping my clients navigate societal expectations, patience, self worth, and finding the beauty in letting go and letting their hair do what it wants to do. I get excited and honored when clients entrust me to care for their locs and are able to trust the process.

Getting to where I am today professionally was challenging but I was able to get through the challenges gracefully and with ease. I finally feel like I am living in my purpose and aligned. I approached each challenge as an opportunity to learn and grow. When I was not competent in certain skills, I made it a point to continue educating myself by taking classes and reading books. There were times I struggled with balancing being mother, caring for myself and building my business; I had to get uncomfortable and ask my support system for help. I learned that being an entrepreneur brought up a lot of unhealed aspects about myself mentally and emotionally. I had to make the decision to truly be better if I wanted better things to happen in my life and business.

I want the world to know that Purdie Locs was born out of love and service for others. Everyday I hope to positively impact the lives of others through my gifts and love of locs. I hope to eventually expand and serve more people in my community.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
First place we are going is to grab some a cup of coffee and breakfast food. I love Pacific Southern located in Tacoma. Their chicken and waffles are piled high and delicious.

My best friend and I LOVE the outdoors so we’d visit my favorites hikes and parks in the area. Chambers Bay has a 3 mile loop with challenging hills and scenic view of the Puget Sound. Rattlesnake Ridge is another hike outside of Seattle with a rewarding view once you reach the top.

You can’t visit Seattle without visiting Pikes Place Market. They have so many shops and restaurants to visit- you might need 2 days to see and experience everything. We’d go on a guided food tour around the market and sample small bites while learning the history of the market.

We’d stop by Matador for Mexican Cuisine and margaritas. Their happy hour menu is one of the best in the city.

The Tacoma waterfront on Ruston Way is also one of my places in the city. There are plenty places to enjoy food and drinks, Wildfin, is my favorite. You can also rent bikes, walk along the waterfront, catch a movie, shop, and stay at one of the hotels.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My success could not be possible without my support system who has helped me along the way. I have to shoutout several people in my life who have supported my dream along the way. First, I have to recognize my late sister Crystal. She passed away in the beginning of my entrepreneur journey in 2018. She told me often how proud she was of me and spoke so much life into my spirit, it really helped keep me going. Secondly, my step mother, Janee, who purchased my very first braiding class in the early 2000’s. Digital hair classes at that time were pretty revolutionary and I’m grateful she saw the potential I had to invest in me. She’s always allowed me to practice different styles on her and still supports me today as a model. Lastly, I have to shoutout Miss Joyce (Hair by J Diamond) for taking me under her wing and teaching me about hair and salon life. I started in my home and was mostly self taught so transitioning into a salon environment with someone with an incredible amount of talent and many years of experience was a blessing.

Instagram: @purdielocs

Other: www.styleseat.com/purdielocs