ABOUT TATIANANCHOTU
Meet the Face behind Braids That Speak and the inventor of the revolutionary Belle Microlocs™
Hi, I’m Tatiana.
I’ve been braiding hair for more than a decade. Looking back, my life has always been about hair. My interest in braiding started when I was just 11 years old, and what started as an innocent hobby later turned out to be my passion and true calling. Even after I landed a high-paying IT job after college, I continued to braid hair whenever I could because I genuinely felt my best when I was working with hair. Considering how much I loved braiding and all things hair, it made sense for me to pursue it full time, so after much contemplation, I left my secure IT job and became a braider full time. And I haven’t looked back since.
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As a hairstylist, my number 1 priority has always been my client’s hair and scalp health because healthy hair and scalp are crucial when it comes to getting protective hairstyles. But I was also aware of the fact that hair and scalp issues are common among women. Plus, a lot of my clients are busy women who don't have hours every day to spend on their hair. So very early on, I took everything into account and constantly experimented with different installation techniques and hair braiding & locing methods to come up with low-maintenance hairstyles that not only looked good but also didn’t cause any adverse effects on hair and scalp in the long run.
In 2016, I came up with a hairstyle called Bomb Twists - and that started the ball rolling. My clients loved BombTwists and it became my signature hairstyle for the next few years. Back then I had no idea that Bomb twists would become my foundation and give way to Belle Microlocs™. Almost two years ago, out of my love for Twists and Braids ( and a fair bit of experimentation ) Belle Microlocs™ came to be and the rest is history.
Belle Microlocs™ was an instant hit and went viral overnight. And because it was such a gentle and versatile hairstyle that could be customized to the wearer’s needs, it was perfect for almost all types of hair and scalp. This allowed me to serve a much larger clientele than I ever imagined. The demand for Belle Microlocs™ increased so much that clients started coming in from different states and before long, I had no option but to expand to two more locations in addition to my main hair studio in Maryland.
To this day, I have served hundreds of Black Women with Belle Microlocs™ and helped them embrace their natural hair and fall in love with it all over again. And for that, I’m forever grateful.
I look forward to training hairstylists to become Belle Microlocs™ consultants. My mission is to widen the horizons of the Belle Microlocs™ family so that people all over the world can access it.
I also want to teach fellow hair stylists to leverage their hair business, build a solid, noteworthy brand around it and scale it the right way so that they can earn more, work less, and have the freedom to enjoy life without burnout and financial uncertainty.
My brand Braids That Speak now has sister locations in Georgia and Texas. I split my time between my three hair salons and serve my clients with the help of my amazing team. When I’m not working you can either find me learning new hair styling techniques and experimenting with them, or spending time with my baby boy.
