A Place to Sit, A Place to Heal: Taylor Richmond’s Work Through Hair
- Ahnyah Pinckney
- 29 minutes ago
- 2 min read
From braiding doll heads at age 11 to redefining the salon experience, this New Jersey stylist proves that hairstyling is more than just a service, it’s a calling.
Finding Home in the Salon
By age eleven, Taylor Richmond already felt at home in the salon. It wasn’t because of the mirrors or salon gossip, but for the transformations she witnessed. People came in, weighed down and left renewed. Hair, she realized early, could change more than appearances.
“I loved how I felt when I left the salon,” Richmond says. “And I loved how other people felt, too.”
A Passion Takes Shape
Born in Trenton and raised in Bordentown, Richmond skipped dolls for mannequins. Her mother, seeing her focus, bought her styling tools and mannequin heads. Richmond learned by watching salon stylists, absorbing technique and confidence from mentors like Tyrone or as Richmond refers to him,“Uncle Ty.”
By her teens, she was braiding for friends and neighbors, quietly building a reputation before she even called it a business.
Craft Meets Business
After cosmetology school at seventeen, Richmond began charging clients, often unintentionally. School taught her more than technique. She learned hair health, safety, and professionalism. Meanwhile, she worked as an account manager, gaining skills that many stylists lack.
“When I saw other stylists struggling during the pandemic, I realized the importance of financial literacy,” she says. Richmond’s goal is to build a hair school that teaches both craft and money management.
More Than Hair
Today, Richmond runs a private studio with a loyal clientele, including editorial and fashion work. Clients return not just for her skill, but for the experience.
“It’s about how they feel when they leave,” she says.
Her mantra: “If you look good, you feel good.”
Creativity Without Limits
Richmond’s artistry spans traditional sew-ins to fantasy editorial braids. She draws inspiration from everywhere, including fashion, cartoons, color palettes, even shoes. Collaborations with designers like Qaysean Williams push her to experiment monthly.
Richmond says,“You don’t get that kind of creativity doing routine work all the time. You have to make space for it.”
Building the Future
Richmond sees herself mentoring stylists in craft and financial literacy. Her product line, Tay Slay Kollection Wax Sticks, is stocked in museums and shops nationwide. For Richmond, hair is about care, confidence, and community and the chair is just where it begins.
If you’re looking for a creative, professional, and impressionable stylist who puts their heart into every appointment, Taylor is the one to book.
Book your next appointment with Taylor at Tay Slay Kollection.
Follow her on Instagram @tayslaykollection to stay up to date on her latest work, styles, and salon inspiration.