Meet Nicole Samuels | UTSI, Board Certified Trichologist, AADP, HOLISTIC HEALTH PRACTITIONER

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

Hi Nicole, how has your background shaped the person you are today?
I am from Pleak, a village in Fort Bend County, Texas, situated within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area. It’s fair to say that my background and upbringing had a major impact on who I am today. My family are from Jamaica; they’re upbringings and the way they go through life is a lot different to how Americans do. There are certain things you don’t speak on. Because of this, I lacked the necessary tools needed to understand womanhood and didn’t receive knowledge on what to do and what not to do. Despite this, becoming a woman changed my life and helped mold me into who I am today. .
I moved to Jacksonville, FL, aged 14, and this is when real life began for me. I became pregnant at 16, and I put this down to my lack of knowledge about womanhood. Even though I had my son young at 17, he is who helped me get my life back on track. For example, before I became pregnant I wasn’t passing classes and I allowed things to distract me too easily. But after having my son, I became an AB and honor roll student. My GPA skyrocketed and those that had counted me out before then saw that I could do it.
I’d be lying if I said everything was perfect from then on. After graduation I was still heading in the wrong direction. I had child #2 at 19. I guess I didn’t learn my lesson there, but I made it work. I also ended up in a very abusive relationship that almost cost me my life. So I had to figure something out.
Through this time in my life, one thing I didn’t allow to happen was me stopping my grind. I graduated from medical school as an MA and landed myself a great job at a local hospital in Jacksonville, FL. I never allowed my relationships to dictate how my life was destined to be. However, I did repeatedly put myself in situations that I should not have been in until I finally got tired of barley making it. So I decided to focus on me, and on believing in myself. Once I made this jump, I then started taking risks. When I took the risks, I excelled in my business. I am proud to say that I now own the first Hair Loss Spa in Jacksonville, Florida.

With that being said, the trauma that I’ve been through created a determined, motivated WOMAN. Maybe if it weren’t for all the bumps in my road, I would never have taken the risk to start my business.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
A Trichologist is the branch of medical and cosmetic study and practice concerned with the hair and scalp. Not everyone is able to grasp the concept I am the first African American Trichologist in Jacksonville, Fl. The reason I became a Trichologist is because In 2017, I had the worst year ever with my hair…I was constantly changing my hair styles and I wore braids majority of the time. The constant tension on my hair due to some of the styles being very tight caused this – Traction Alopecia…Can you say devastated? I went from trying different hairstyles to being limited to what I could do with my hair. I decided to educate myself on natural ways to grow my hair and it worked! The more and more I researched, the more and more I wanted to learn about the hair and scalp, which is why I became a Trichologist.

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?
So the first place I would take someone that visited Jacksonville, Fl is to the town center for shopping and great dining. Then Jax Beach to visit the “beach life” then we will visit downtown (who doesn’t visit downtown of each city). Sunday funday we will have to visit riverside to catch brunch at River and Post. Then we will dine at Pink Salt for dinner.

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 like to thank God for always being by my side and helping me discover my purpose. My family, for supporting me through it all. My friends for pushing me to complete my goals.

Website: https://linktr.ee/ahcwspa

Instagram: https://instagram.com/thehairlossguru__

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Thehairlossgurujax/

Yelp: https://yelp.to/dRda6nc0Zib

Image Credits
KIMBERLEY MAXINE BEAUTY & PHOTOGRAPHY