Today we’d like to introduce you to Tiana Rogers.
Tiana, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Ms. Ty Agape hair Care came from my childhood obsession with hair. My mother would take me to cosmetology school with her when I wasn’t in school at about seven or eight years old and I would sit in the back of the classroom and consume the knowledge of hair distribution, parting, scalp care, products and chemicals, and it all intrigued me! When I get home, I would braid my doll’s hair in different styles, teach them poetry, and repeat. Once I was about nine or ten, I would be going around the projects in South Dallas looking for people who would let me braid their hair for $5 and $10, just to perfect my technique. As I got older, I found a correlation between stress and hair loss with me. I started battling depression early in life, but at the time, I wasn’t sure what it was. But I knew it would be bad when my hair would come out. One day, I had to get my hair cut and the hairstyle the lady did was horrible! I cried and was so down because I hated it so bad. Then I went to school and was the punchline of every joke because DISD was all about what clothes you wore and the hairstyles you had. I fell so low in my depression behind my hair I attempted suicide. This was my lowest, so I knew I needed to change my perspective. This is where dance came into play. Dance became a spiritual outlet for me and provided a safe place for me to get my mind together when I would get under a lot of stress.
When I gave birth to my daughter, I knew I needed to do something to make her appreciate her hair and love for life. I started to braid her hair and that’s where my inspiration to braid again came from. That was 2007. 12 years later, I have studied under ISIS Ancestral Braiding Institute, been mentored by the amazing Amber Frank, participated in the Texas International Hair and Trade Show, and continuously finding a way to perfect the natural hair knowledge in my community and more specifically, mothers who struggle with keeping their daughter’s hair braided or maintained. Since these accomplishments, I also received my certification in group fitness and now have become a dance instructor, Whine With Ty, where I am educating and teaching Dancehall, Afrobeats, and Hip Hop on many platforms to bring awareness and love to the diversity and freedom of dance! Both of my businesses are to create a safe space for women to be confident and free…
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Neither business have been an easy road at all. For hair, natural stylists in general, we don’t seem to have a place in the hair industry because we don’t go through the cosmetology school process as other stylists. We tend to have to create an avenue for ourselves, and also show that we are also different from the whole “YouTube” learning population as well. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate both, but sometimes that appreciation isn’t reciprocated. For dance, as a new dance instructor, I am still trying to find my way. I don’t quite relate to the professional dancers with slim bodies or tons of experience. And other dancers I’ve come into contact with aren’t the friendliest when you tell them you are pretty much doing the same thing as them. I love to learn, so I am inspired by so many dancers across the board. So, when I feel resistance it just creates a new challenge for me to overcome. All of these struggles are manageable perspectives that drive me to continue to create my own narrative. I love hair because of what my past presented to me, and dance is survival for what I had to overcome. I am just trying to be that walking testimony for the next girl/woman that thinks they are alone in achieving greatness out of mental illness.
Please tell us about Ms. Ty’s Agape Hair Care/Whine With Ty – what should we know?
Ms. Ty’s Agape Hair Care offers a variety of protective styling and treatment services to natural hair textures. Services include consultations, steam and protein treatments, cornrows and updos, braids, individuals, twists, and my most popular styles, crochet. I am most proud of my gentle technique. I pride my hair business by listening to the hair and its needs first, instead of only doing it for the money. I know what it’s like to have your hair falling out from tight braids or ill-maintained hair. So, I am always making sure the hair is healthy enough to handle certain styles, and if not creating an alternative or refusing altogether. I am not afraid to lose a customer because I don’t agree with the practices and protection of their hair. For Whine With Ty, I study all three formats religiously. I am very enamored by dancehall and afrobeat culture because my specialty dance for the majority of classes or workshops is the art of “Whining” which is a 360-degree rotation of the hips. It is sexy, sensual, freeing, and a great core workout! I am most proud of the women that I have connected with that has not known this style of dancing and now can’t get enough of it. They love the workout as well as the courage and confidence it takes to attend the class. I would say my love for learning each format and the newness of them all in each stage is what sets me apart…
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
My care and love for others. Everything I create and do is for someone else because I already got what I need from it when I brought it out of my mind. I love to see women love themselves, put themselves first, create a refuge from within. Both hair and dance did that for me. I am now at a point in my life where I can share that freedom and love with others. It was a long journey to get here, so witnessing this journey becomes a piece of another person’s brings a piece of joy and fulfillment in my heart.
Pricing:
- Braids, Updos, Crochet start at $60 and up
- Pop up dance classes are $5 in Everman and Specialty Classes are $25
Contact Info:
- Phone: 817-937-9933
- Instagram: @mstyagapehaircare @whinewithty
- Facebook: @mstysbraids @whinewithty
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