Meet Isis Barrett | Self Taught Braider

We had the good fortune of connecting with Isis Barrett and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Isis, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
The most important factor for me, is my passion. I love being creative. Doing hair allows me to create and bring my vision to life! I love seeing everyone’s reaction too. When people get their hair done, they COMPLETELY TRANSFORM! It’s like their “awakening”. You can literally see the life in their eyes, the confidence, the love and laughter. Something truly reignites in everyone once they get their hair done. So hands down, for me? Passion. Without that, I wouldn’t have that drive, and you need that drive, because your clients need that energy. That’s where the spark first ignites, with the stylist.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
What sets me apart from others is, I AM MY BRAND. From the daredevil to the shy school girl, I am a walking billboard for my brand. Any time you see my hair done? I DID IT! Every crazy color, every style— to the length, the size, the different styles inside one style, it’ definitely screams “ISIS TIARA”!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I would have to say “Little 5 Points”. The artistic vibe that’s there is great! Artists from everywhere are always down their with their paintings, music, clothing, YOU NAME IT, they are there! They have some great shopping stores too like “Rag-o-rama” which is basically a fancier word for thrift store lol.

I absolutely LOVE thrifting! The same designer clothes you see are in that store as well…… for the LOW! Trust me, you’ll want to visit there if you’re ever in town. As far as eating in Atlanta, I looooooove Manuels Tavern. Their foot-longs taste like God himself sprinkled the dust from the heavens above onto them. Oh, and trust me when I say, YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO FINISH THE WHOLE THING! You will definitely get your moneys worth here, and they are family oriented as well.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would first like to thank my mother, my brother Kahlil & my 2 little girls. They are truly my canvas! Before I ever officially kicked off my business, my mother and my brother were my FIRST guinea pigs lol. They would let me try any and EVERYTHING in their hair. It taught me patience & practice makes perfect. As for my daughters, they allow me to explore every idea I’ve had in mind for children. If there is ever a style I want to try first, I’m trying it on either myself, my mother, my brother or my children.

My second shoutout has to go to my cosmetology teacher, Ms. Sims. I loved her! She truly wanted to teach the basics of hair; you could really tell it was her passion. If I hadn’t taken cosmetology for those 4 years in high school, I wouldn’t have so much experience already behind me. She taught me things like: basic roller setting, finger waves, how to properly shampoo hair, manicures, etc, you know the basics, right? But it’s one day I’ll never forget in particular, when she would let us have Freestyle Friday’s— and basically what that is, is you get to do whatever style you want to do for the day, because we worked hard all week and today you get to relax.

That particular day, I decided to try some braid extensions on a mannequin. I remember her stopping by because we hadn’t covered weave extensions in the class; she was impressed. She asked me where I learned that, and I told her “YouTube”. From that day on, I just started practicing more and more on myself until I came up with my own techniques and hacks. I must admit, from where I started to where I am now? I’m pretty damn proud of myself and my skills; and I’m still perfecting them each day.

Website: https://blessedbyisistiara.as.me

Instagram: Instagram.com/blessedbyisistiara

Facebook: BlessedByIsisTiara

Other: TikTok: isistiara