Jayelynn Hinton is taking her hair styling talents to a new level and sharing her knowledge of braiding with students on campus by starting up her own protective hairstyle business.  

Hinton is a freshman at Wayne State College studying business marketing.  She is a self-taught braider who discovered her talents in 2017.  

“I do braids on men and women, working with both natural hair and synthetic hair, as well as loc retwists,” Hinton said. Her specialty is afro-textured hair, but she is also skilled at working with finer hair.  

“I started doing hair on my family members, then in 2023, I began to do my own hair. After doing a style called knotless braids on some of my friends, I knew that my braiding skills had improved significantly,” Hinton said.  

The protective hairstyles business began in January 2024, when Hinton posted photos of braids she had done to a Snapchat story. The story was viewed by students all over the Wayne State College campus. In one day, Hinton received multiple friend requests from students who had seen the story.  

“My business is marketed towards African American students. Though I have gotten clients of other races, and anyone is welcomed,” Hinton said.  

“When I started this business, my goal was to create a place where the African American students could come to get their hair done,” Hinton said. Hinton’s hope is to continue her business and be accessible to those who don’t have a hairstylist in the area. “I know a lot of black students here are from out of state or country, so they don’t have a nearby salon to visit,” Hinton said. “I plan on continuing the business in the following school year.”  

You can contact Hinton on Instagram, @jaye.lynn_ ,for any protective hairstyle needs and inquiries.