Welcome to the JHB Reading Nook

Hi, my name is Josephine White. I am super excited and thankful that you stumbled upon my blog. This blog will cover hair and so much more. I have been wanting to create a blog for a while, but I didn’t know what to write about. I decided a good place to start would be simply introducing myself.

I am 35 years old and I was born and raised in Detroit, MI. I’m a proud graduate of Cass Technical High School, class of 2003. From there, I attended Western Michigan University where I earned my bachelor’s degree in Human Resources Management and minored in business.

My passion for doing hair started long before that – probably sometime in middle school. The reason? I had to take matters into my own hands. My hair was short, relaxed and over-processed. I was bullied from the age of 9-12. Taller, thicker, and darker than most girls in my class, I was called a monkey and gorilla on a regular basis. I didn’t have a lot of hair and my mother couldn’t afford to take me to the salon. So, I began to teach myself.
Now, when we did go to the salon, it was an all-day ordeal. We would get there at 8 am, we’d see four or five other women already waiting for the same stylist with the same time appointment. While I sat there waiting my turn, I would watch the stylist do hair and in my mind, I told myself “I could do this.” In 9th grade, I started experimenting with ponytails and twisties and guess what? I was actually pretty good! By 10th grade I had a few clients. I would take my pressing comb and stove with me to high school and do hair in a practice room in the music department (whew chile, I was so ghetto yet resourceful, lol). My business grew. I did my aunt’s hair, her friend’s hair, my friend’s hair and I was even doing hair for their mothers.

My friend Rebekah’s mother, Mrs. Coleman, helped me see that I could make a living with this. She let me do her hair for their family portrait. I remember charging her $20 and she gave me a $20 tip. I was shook! I had never received a tip that large before. Mrs. Coleman died while we were freshman in college. Her family still has that portrait and my friend and I always talk about it.

What I have found is that your talents and gifts will make room for you. What I know for sure is that we all have a dream and purpose inside of us that God wants us to fulfill. Sometimes it is not as glamorous as “society” thinks and there are events in your life that will propel you or prepare you for those dreams. I know for sure that you must seek Christ in order for Him to guide you. I know my life has been strategically guided by the Holy Spirit and I am sure yours has been, too. Just sit back and think about how far you have come. Trust me, He is not done with you and if you are open and surrender, He can keep you and guide you to exactly where you need to be.