Today we’d like to introduce you to Elise Burnett Boyd.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
It’s funny- I never intended to be a hairstylist, but like all things in my life, this fell into alignment at exactly the right time. I began this part of my career in retail cosmetics, then as a freelance makeup artist, and later as a session artist for photo shoots, commercials, and New York Fashion Week. Now, as a hairstylist, curly hair specialist, entrepreneur, and educator, I’ve found exactly where I was always supposed to be. This is the best thing I’ve ever done!
When I was still doing makeup, I’d often get asked if I also did hair, and that sparked my curiosity. I started cosmetology school with the intention of doing hair styling that fit with the makeup jobs I was working, and to be quite honest, I hated it. Fortunately, we had a “look and learn” curly haircutting class toward the beginning of my cosmetology program and I was hooked. It finally felt like I discovered my reason for being in cosmetology school and I’ve been working with curls ever since.
Present day, the educator who taught that class is one of my mentors. I tell her often that I don’t know what I would be doing if not for her and that class. I asked her that day where I could learn more, and the answer became a series of one-on-one haircutting lessons as I nestled under her wing. During that time, I had the unique opportunity to make mistakes, learn to troubleshoot, and understand how to really SEE textured hair for myself. It was life changing.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Not exactly. To go to cosmetology school, I had to quit a full time job as a store manager in retail cosmetics. My boss at the time would not allow the changes to my work schedule I asked for to accommodate a part time cosmetology school schedule, so I talked it over with my wife (who was my girlfriend at the time) and she told me it was time to jump. “Quit your job. We’ll figure it out. You need to do this” she said. I enrolled full time.
I couldn’t work while in cosmetology school due to the full time schedule. I picked up freelance work where I could, but we were almost exclusively a one income household for the full year that cosmetology school took and the first 6-8 months of my work at the studio. It was difficult, but we made it.
There were instructors at school that told me I’d never be successful with such a specialty, salon owners who told me they had “no need” for a curly hair specialist, and my own self doubt wondering if the audacity I had thinking I could start a studio upon graduation was misplaced. It wasn’t.
At the end of my cosmetology school program, they took us for salon tours- talking to salon managers and owners, scheduling interviews, and trying to find a place we could see ourselves working, I asked each of them if they could see a textured hair specialist as a part of their team and every single person said that their salon had no need for such a specialty. I was unwavering on my commitment to curls, so creating my own space was really the only option.
I passed my cosmetology licensure exam on October 10, 2018 and served my first client in the studio on October 11, 2018. Since then, I have become licensed in a second state- Illinois, traveled between Chicago, IL and Akron, OH to educate other stylists and serve clients, and grown the studio exponentially, even in the midst of a pandemic.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Yes! So, now I spend most of my time in-studio with clients one on one. My business, Textura Curl Studio, is Northeast Ohio’s premiere destination for one-on-one curly haircare. Established in 2018, Textura Curl Studio has served over 2000 folks with curls and given them the tools to get great results at home.
I specialize exclusively in haircutting- building shapes within curly hair that you won’t find anywhere else. Shapes that say something. Shapes that move. Shapes with structure and intention because structure creates life and intention gives the shape a reason to live. As an educator, appointments with me are never *just* a haircut. We’ll do a deep dive into your current routine and make sure that it’s optimized to create the styling results you’re trying to achieve.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
The most impactful lesson I have learned through this journey thus far is this- if you have the vision for something, and it doesn’t exist, it’s your responsibility to create it. That vision was entrusted to you for a reason, and it’s yours to see it through. No matter what happens, commitment to that vision has been my guide.
Contact Info:
- Email: texturacurls@gmail.com
- Website: www.texturacurls.com
- Instagram: @texturacurlstudio
- Facebook: @texturacurls
- Twitter: @texturacurls
