Life & Work with Francesca Balthazar

Today we’d like to introduce you to Francesca Balthazar.

Hi Francesca, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Becoming a full-time licensed cosmetologist was not where I imagined I would be today. This should not be surprising to me because I have been doing hair since I was nine years old. I hold a bachelor’s degree in psychology and when I graduated, my intent was to pursue my master’s degree shortly after. However, life had other plans for me. After graduating, it was difficult landing a position in my field of study. Hence, I began working in a flower shop that specialized in floral decor for weddings and events. I enjoyed working at the flower shop because it allowed me to be creative. Arranging bouquets for bridal parties and seeing how pleased the bridal party were after seeing their vision come to life was reassuring. Nonetheless, a void remained within me. I made the decision shortly thereafter to leave the flower shop and told everyone I had obtain a new job because I didn’t want them to persuade me to stay. I asked God for guidance and told him I trust that he would make way for me; I waited patiently for him to move, but in the interim, I began braiding hair to generate income.

A month had passed, and I finally landed an interview, but to my disbelief, I wasn’t excited at the prospect of this new opportunity. I was torn because I realized how much I began to love doing and styling hair. Ironically, when I began years ago, I didn’t see myself as a stylist, and I didn’t have the passion for it, although I was told by numerous people how great I was and that I needed to pursue it. Another reason was how my family would react to me wanting to become a braider. Although my mom was a stylist back in Haiti, I knew she wanted something different for me. But I soon realized that none of that mattered and that If I do what I love, I will never have to work a day in my life. As a result, I made the decision to never work a day in my life. It has been challenging along the way and I have had to overcome my adversities. I started braiding and styling hair out of my roommates living room and with much success, was able to move my business to a local salon where I began to expand my clientele base. I watched my clientele increase in such a short period of time. I was astonished. I have been so grateful to God because he made more than away. He changed my life. I told myself that if I was going to do this, I would go all the way because I didn’t want to be just a braider, I wanted to become a licensed cosmetologist. As a result, I pursued my cosmetologist license a year ago and is now working and specializing in bridal hair.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
It has been challenging and I have overcome many obstacles. As the eldest of the second generation who came to the United States to seek a better life from that of Haiti, my family look to me to set a good example for my brother and my younger cousins. I have had to learn to navigate through this thing call life and adulthood without much guidance. There are a lot of things that I didn’t know and had to learn and then share with my family. Everything was new to me, which made this journey an interesting one. When I enrolled in cosmetology school, I didn’t know what to expect.

Suddenly I became a full-time student but still had to work full-time as a braider to make ends meet. My schedule was as followed: Monday through Friday from 7:45 AM to 2:25 PM. I was in class. Thereafter, I would leave school and head straight to the salon for my 3:00 pm appointment. Most days, I would begin at 6:00 AM and would not stop until midnight, sometimes even later. In addition, I was also leading a bible study group; therefore, making sure I made time to study scriptures and being ready to deliver to the group when we met. It was very exhausting and at times, I felt discouraged, overwhelmed and lifeless. This became a routine and it showed on me physically and emotionally. I couldn’t socialize with family and friends anymore but my faith in GOD kept me going. I realized that these were small sacrifices that I had to make for a greater reward tomorrow.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a versatile stylist. I specialize in custom wigs, sewins, braiding, updos, bridal hair, cornrows, coloring, relaxing of the natural hair, hair treatments, and silk press. I am best known for my braiding abilities, I am self-taught. What I am most proud of is winning first place in the SkillsUSA competition for my specialty in updos and haircut. I placed first in both the regionals and the house. Due to the pandemic, however, I was not able to continue to the State championships. What sets me apart from everyone is that I am always willing to try new styles and designs. I don’t box myself into only one specialty. I have a great deal of passion for styling. My growth throughout the years has allowed me to specialize in a lot more and now I have this newfound love for bridal hair styling. It probably stems from my mom; she is exceptional at updos. My faith in God is also what sets me apart from everyone else. I seek his guidance daily and through these hands, he works magic. He pushes me every day to be my very best.

Contact Info:

• Email: stylesbychesca@gmail.com
• Website: https://stylesbychesca.as.me/
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/styles_by_chesca
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stylesbychesca
• Other: https://www.weddingwire.com/biz/fran-co-aristry/4ffe7d131ff4bf48.html

Image Credits
Bride pictures – @antoine_studio 1950s theme pictures – @soshikaphotography