Meet Latoya Johnson

Hi Latoya, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My love of hair started when I was just 7 years old. I am most definitely a product of my environment. Not in the sense of being raised by generational hairdressers, but in a sense of scarcity. Both of my parents are disabled & did not keep up with hair trends. I remember as a young girl looking absolutely crazy because of the way my hair was combed.

I learned about my hair through watching all the other young girls around me. I took matters into my own hands after seeking help from my neighbors & ending up with only one and a half inches of hair left on my head after a failed perm, which I now know was a relaxer!

I believe this was the turning point in my hair story.

I figured that chemicals were bad for my tightly wound coils, and back then there were no YouTube videos nor visual internet aids to guide me through step by step like we have today. My Neighbors across the street often had braids and I was lucky enough to be present to watch them take their braids down. I learned to braid and would offer to braid others in the neighborhood and at school. I would practice and practice and practice!

By the time I made it to middle school I had a few returning clients. Of course, word of mouth and self-advertising by wearing my own braids brought in more clients.

As a young girl, I was braiding just because people would ask me to!

I was able to keep my grades up and style my hair during my entire middle school and high school journey.

Upon entering high school, I noticed how people’s energy was so different after I had done their hair. I knew that I felt great about myself when my hair was freshly braided, however realizing that other girls felt the same way was a game-changer for me.

I absolutely love the feeling I get when my clients are oozing confidence because of a style that I helped them achieve! I spoke with my high school counselor and signed up for Cosmetology in 1994. I was not ready! I knew I loved braiding hair but had no clue about being mature enough to be open minded about all that Cosmetology had to offer.  In my mind, I only wanted to braid! I was totally uninterested in anything else back then.

At that time, I was providing braid services for merely pennies. I had found my passion but had no business sense and grew uncomfortable at Cosmetology school. At that point, I went off to join the navy and put my love for hair on the back burner. Occasionally I found myself yet again, in someone’s head. During my time in the military, I discovered a new love, a love for computers! I signed up for college and pursued a degree in Information Technology.

I obtained a BS in Information Technology with a concentration in Data Bases in addition to a Minor in Cyber Security. It was a great achievement, but I knew something was missing.

It was my first love, hair styling by way of braiding. I was getting little fixes here and there with braiding my children’s hair, it just wasn’t enough. After my military career ended my family and I moved from Albuquerque, New Mexico to Columbia, South Carolina.

Once we settled into Columbia, people started asking me who maintains my hair. I started getting those wonderful butterflies and flutters in my gut that started all those years ago. I ended up in Charlotte, North Carolina at a Sisterlock ™️ training session in 2019. Becoming a Certified Sisterlock ™️ Consultant changed my life. I found a community of other women that had a love for hair.
With that training I was able to leave my job of 17 years as a Technical Expert at Verizon Wireless and create my very own business, In March 2019, Gracefully Twisted was born. I currently run a natural Hair Salon in Blythewood, SC where I specialize in Sisterlock™️ establishments, maintenance and retightening’s. I hope to one day offer services in Trichology: the study of hair restoration and scalp treatment for hair loss.

As my business bloomed and I gained more clients, the request for shampoo, color, and services that my braiding license did not cover came up. I truly thought that I was done with school! As it turns out, that gentle nudge all those years ago from the high school counselor would prove to be more valuable in my career some 20 plus years later! As of May 2022, I am a student at Paul Mitchell Columbia to obtain my Master Hair Care license for the purpose of offering a full-service salon experience to my current and future clients.