Beauty – Boston
I’m Jessica Syllien, born in Cambridge, Massachusetts and raised in Lawrence Massachusetts, a predominantly Latino/Hispanic community where Eurocentric beauty standards are [still] the norm. I have been doing hair most of my life. As a young girl, I taught myself how to work with extensions to improve my self-esteem; being that I was always surrounded by women sporting gorgeous hair. I worked on friends and family to perfect my craft; and at 16 landed my first job as a hairstylist at a local salon. That’s when the realization of my talents struck me, but at that point in life, I never considered hairstyling as a career option for me. A couple years later, I decided to focus on pursuing a different vocation.
When I was 21, my mother became terminally ill and I knew I needed to figure out a way to fill the void as she was facing her last days on Earth. I turned back to my desolated craft and spent everyday taking clients in the house to be close to my mother at all times, naturally becoming her caretaker. Yvrose Verna passed away in October 2013- right there, my life was at a complete lost. The only thing that made sense was to continue to build up clientele and suddenly, “Jess Hairstyles” was the talk of the town. My work includes, braiding, weaves, wigs, and ‘dos for special occasions, but goes beyond hair strands gliding between my fingers. With natural hair making a “comeback,” I educate my clients on products and methods to help their crowns retain moisture and remain strong while rocking their protective styles. I have chiseled the wall between donning sleek, ‘02 Naomi Campbell tresses and maintaining Tracee Ellis Ross curls in a healthy state. Seeing my work being admired and sought after by not just my neighbors in Lawrence, but people from towns hours away, has avowed my passion for hairstyling.
Jess Hairstyles is about projecting art from the roots.