Behind The Shears.
Meet the wonderful women that make up the Shear Essence glam team.
Scroll to learn more about the passionate ladies behind the chair.
"I hope clients leave my chair with hair care knowledge. I also want my clients to leave having been encouraged in some way from all walks of life. I enjoy hairstyling but my first love to encourage and lift people up. "
MEET NEKEIA COLCLOUGHLY
NEKEIA C.
Nekeia Colcloughly is the creative brains behind Shear Essence Hair Salon. Nekeia has been in the business and artistry of hairstyling since 1993. Her journey began her freshman year of highschool at Passaic County Technical and Vocational High School during exploratory shop. Nekeia got off to an abrupt start, in school she remembers doing her first relaxer and thinking that once applied it would be ready when it started to burn. Her teacher yelled across the room, “It’s ready when the hair is straight! Her instructor’s sharp reprimand corrected Nekeia’s relaxing skills and unknowingly set her career in motion.
”I have always been a student. I love studying and learning as much about the industry as possible. I also enjoy following fashion trends that help your hair and style become a cohesive look.” says Nekeia. She best describes her styling approach as creative, technical and innovative. She finds joy in the art and science of hairstyling. Nekeia describes her own hair journey as exciting. Each style brings on a different persona. In fact, Nekeia names the daring pixie cut as her favorite style, “It makes me feel like a rockstar”, she proclaims. There aren’t too many styles she hasn’t tried. “Right now I’m wearing a natural Mohawk but who knows what’s next?!” she insinuates. As short cuts appear to be Nekeia’s favorite, she is no stranger to color. While relaxing may have been her first stumbling block in high school, she labels color, the simplest most complicated part of being a stylist.
Hairstyling has given Nekiea a space to be her most authentic self. In 2004, she founded Shear Essence Hair Salon in hopes that she would be able to share a space as such with as many other people as possible. “I love that every day is different. I enjoy the conversations I have with my clients as well as the fact that I can change the type of day anyone is having simply by doing their hair.”
MEET JANEN SPENCER
Janen Spencer is the particular and accurate stylist that finds great pride in detail. Janen believes that being a hairstylist is a whole lifestyle. At just 11 years old, While experimenting with her own hair, she put some cornrows in and immediately found her place in the world. Braiding came so naturally to her, so much so, she felt that she could not ignore the gift God had given her. Janen recalls the time when her and her sister took a trip to the hair salon. While her sister believed she was tagging along just to watch, she was there to take notes. “I was there to observe the technique and replicate it. I did just that and she is now my forever client” says Janen.
When Janen arrived at Shear Essence, she was 18 years old and recalls being insecure. “ I thought I needed to cover my face with bangs, but a wise woman asked me “ How long has your forehead been big? ” I replied “ all my life” then she said “Well you might as well get used to it” That was when Janen made the bold decision to cut her hair. She had finally seen her face and fully embraced it and has been “short and cute ever since”.
While being a hairstylist has come with its challenges, it has taught Janen patience and true hard work. Hairstyling has given Janen the courage and confidence it takes to be herself completely and unapologetically, something she hopes to pass on to her clients with every visit. Janen explains, “For me, being a hairstylist is more than a cute do, it is the art of changing lives one hairstyle at a time.”
"I want my clients to experience a good time while getting their transformation. I want you to leave the salon with more confidence than you walked in with."
JANEN S.
MEET KIARA PARKS
Meet Kiara Parks, the passionate professional, who's determined to give you quality hair care every time. Kiara first started styling hair at a very young age, and she even became an assistant at only 15 years old. Kiara wasted no time learning the industry, she first learned to braid on her own at 11. Once she learned to braid, she immediately wanted to try every new style she could find. Her very first clients were in fact her mother and sister. “Hairstyling is my life.” Kiara says. Being a hairstylist has given her friends when she didn’t have time to hang out with her own. She also enjoys having the ability and skill to brighten her clients’ day with a new do. “Most days, my clients are my reason to get out of bed. When I had no one depending on me, my clients did. Hairstyling has given me purpose.” says Kiara.
Kiara’s hairstyling journey began way before she learned to braid, from relaxers to fifty shades of red, the journey has been nothing short of amazing. At 16, she decided to go natural, through high school she kept her red but has been blonde most her adult life. The ultimate goal was to one day be platinum blonde but every once in a while a tube of color or a pair of shears would catch her eye. “My recent Mohawk has been my biggest chop and I can’t wait for it to grow back! I am not about this short life, but I’m still blonde though.” Kiara says. Hairstyling has come with so many lifelong relationships, endless education, wonderful experiences and memories to last a lifetime. Whether you want to play in color, go natural or go from Sasha Obama to Sasha Fierce, Kiara is ready to make your hair dreams come true.
"Hairstyling is my life. I love meeting new clients, catching up with my regulars and brightening my all of their days with a style. Hairstyling has given me purpose."
KIARA P.
MEET BRITTANY ROBERSON
Meet Brittany Roberson, the passionate perfectionist. Brittany started styling hair way before she enrolled in cosmetology school in 2009. She knew she had a passion for hair at a young age when she would cut bangs on her Barbie dolls and style their hair. Just a few years later she found herself looking forward to giving her aunt relaxers and roller sets. Brittany started off as an assistant right out of cosmetology school. She was assisting for about three years and thanks to her lovely boss, she was encouraged to get over the fear of getting her own chair and building a clientele. She hadn’t felt 100% comfortable offering certain services because she hadn’t had a chance to try them or master them yet. “It was very easy to get discouraged in the beginning because you’re coming to work spending all day there & some days you might not have a lot of clients because you're new. It took a lot of time, hard work, and dedication to build and maintain a steady clientele . Hairstyling is not an easy job, but if you work hard and never give up, it’s worth it.” Brittany says.
Hairstyling gave Brittany purpose. It allows her to perfect her craft while doing what she loves. It has also helped her better her communication skills while teaching her how to interact with many different personalities. Brittany embraces the challenges of hairstyling head on, from building a clientele to learning new techniques. She loves the challenge of being able to see a picture of a hair color or style and executing it the exact same way or close. While being serviced in Brittany’s chair she hopes her clients experience self confidence, comfort and most importantly, professionalism.
"When you’re doing what you love, you never feel like you’re working. My favorite part about being a hairstylist is making the clients look and feel beautiful. "
