Follow your passion - harstylist advises

"I believe that when God gives you a talent, you should maximise on it." This is the driving philosophy for braid specialist, Lanecia Gayle, 23, who owns Temp_Tres_Braids.

Gayle's involvement in hairstyling started while attending Clarendon College, when she could not find a hairdresser to style her hair to her liking.

"I have natural hair and always comb it myself. People would tell me it looks nice and ask me to do theirs," Gayle explained.

Gayle moved on to the University of the West Indies (UWI) to study pharmacology, where a friend asked her to braid her hair.

"I told her I can't do braids, but she encouraged me to try. I did, and she loved the results," Gayle recalled.

From then, others started seeing her friend's hair and enquired about who did it, and her customer base has been growing ever since.

Now, Gayle has moved from only styling natural hair and regular braiding to more complex styles such as faux locks, crochet braids and braid twists. She also dabbles in sew-ins and styling relaxed hair.

"I have an Instagram page called Temp_Tres_Braids, where I post my work, but other than that, I really don't do much advertising. People just see my work in people's hair and request my services," Gayle explained.

As to how she came up with the name for her business, Gayle said she wanted something bold, and out of the ordinary.

"I didn't want to just use my name, so I came up with the name through a play on the word 'temptress', which is a very attractive woman, and the word 'tress', which is a long lock of a woman's hair," she said.

The final-year university student believes having a degree is valuable as it teaches discipline and furthers one's education, but she does not want to pursue a career in her degree.

"That's not where my passion lies. I have a passion for hair, and that's what I intend to pursue in the future," she said.

Gayle, who currently operates from her home in Elletson Flats, St Andrew, plans to get professionally certified and open her own salon, however, these goals have to be delayed because of her current demanding schedule. She pursues her degree part-time and works as an administrative officer part-time.

For Gayle, doing hair goes far beyond earning an extra income, as she also revels in the satisfaction of her customers.

"I love making people feel good about themselves, and once a female does her hair, she feels good. I have the same experience once my hair is done to my liking," she said.

Gayle's advice to other youngsters is simple yet powerful: "Follow your passion, whatever it is." She can be contacted on WhatsApp at 586-1211 and called at 397-1864.