Rising Stars: Meet Jessica Guadalupe of Saint Augustine/Deltona

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jessica Guadalupe

Hi Jessica , can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Hi my name is Jessica Guadalupe, in 2012 I moved to St. Augustine, FL for a better lifestyle for my family. Since a teen, I became accustomed to straightening my hair by blow drying and using a flat iron. Moving to Florida, I realized with the humidity and hard water, my hair was suffering and extremely damaged.

I decided I had to embrace my natural texture. This took patience and commitment because it was a long process. I give credit to Alba Ramos (aka Sun-Kissed Alba) who helped me via her YouTube channel learn about restoring my curls. My hair had a lot of heat damage. It took me two years to restore my curls. My friends and family were very impressed with my transformation that they also began to embrace their natural hair and commit to the journey.

My friends began to encourage me to become a curl specialist. I thought I was too old to go to cosmetology school as I was in my early 40s. However, I decided to pursue it. I felt like there was a need for curly hair specialist and I had a passion for it.

In 2019, I began cosmetology school part-time in the evening because I had a full time day job. It was a sacrifice away from my family. My night teacher, Ms. Donna, was great in teaching us all the right information to pass the State test. She was so instrumental in helping me.

In 2020 during COVID I finished school. I then went and took the state test and passed it. I was so excited to be licensed . I was able to officially take the curly hair specialist courses. Those courses are very expensive, however in order to become Certified Curly Hair Specialist, I had to take the courses. I was able to take these courses and was so excited to start my profession. I began to work in a salon once a week and started developing my clientele thanks to Jenn & Alex from Salon 210. A year later I found another curly hair specialist in my area and she helped me rent a chair at the Blossom Salon where she is located at and she was a huge help in sharing to her clientele that there was another Curl Specialist. Through her spreading the word about me, I began to gain more appointments. Nichole, thank you so much for being such an amazing help in my journey.
Currently I only work once a week due to my day job. My goal is to eventually leave my corporate job and do this full-time.
I also recently started servicing in Deltona at the Faith in Curls Salon. Thank you Jarely Jones for being my mentor and this great opportunity.

Currently I’m working on my own line of curly hair products and recently became certified as a Hair Loss & Scalp Specialist. Come see me for a relaxing Head Spa. I’m so excited on what’s to come.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I don’t think anything is smooth in this life. You have to work hard to get great results. However, what has made it a great journey is meeting amazing people and clients who help me stay motivated and give me confirmation that doing the services I provide is more than just hair services. It’s an experience that brings joy and peace to my clients and all around me.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m a Licensed Cosmetologist specialized in Curly Hair. My goal is to help people embrace and learn about their natural texture. It is to inspire people to embrace their waves, curls and coils. Basically embrace what God has given them and enjoy their beauty at its most natural form. I help them learn how to manage their hair and fall in love with their natural texture. I also promote healthy living in so many ways. What’s make me different is that I provide an experience…..It’s just not a haircut.

What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
I like that people from all locations are moving here. This brings an opportunity to embrace culture and ethnicities. Being born and raised in NY, my hope is that Jacksonville/Saint Augustine continues to bring it up a level on fun things to do for individuals and for families.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Inspirationalcurls.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/inspirationalcurls
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/vCWG9r2uoHpKeurt/?mibextid=LQQJ4d