Meet Paris Burns | Hair Stylist & Braider

We had the good fortune of connecting with Paris Burns and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Paris, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
Work life balance was something that I longed for before starting my business. I worked in corporate for years after graduating college & did hair part time on the side. This left me drained & having little energy to pour into my son & myself. I would work 9am-6pm & go to the hair salon from 6:30pm-1/2am.

Since being a full time entrepreneur, I’ve still had to find balance because it’s really a 24/7 job. There’s always something to do for my business, but I’ve had to give myself set hours to do business related things, while the rest of my time is devoted to my own personal interests. I would like to think that I’m doing a good job, but there’s always room to improve.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My story began with a Bratz doll head. I learned how to braid on her at about 8 years old. I went from braiding on a doll to getting my first paid client in the 8th grade. It was awful but she really liked it. When I got to high school I started styling a few of my classmates hair, but I still didn’t have a burning passion for it. I wanted to work in forensics. I went off to college. Hindsight, that would have been the perfect time for me to work on my hair stylings skills but I didn’t tell anyone I knew how to do hair until my later years.

After graduating I struggled with finding a job/career that I was passionate about. I knew that I liked working around people & I didn’t like routine days but that was about it. It took about a year for me to find a job. I’m a single mom & was getting discouraged. During that year a family friend asked if I could braid her hair, I was pretty hesitant but I tried anyway. I posted the braids on instagram not thinking much of it & before I knew it, I had a small steady clientele. Even with clients booking with me, I was still looking for corporate jobs. I never thought that I could make a living from doing hair. I used to always say “It’s one million hairstylists in Dallas, why would people come to me?” Now I know that was fear talking. While working in corporate my hair clientele still continued to grow.

In 2022 I went through one of the hardest years of my life mentally. I was depressed and dealing with anxiety. I hated my corporate job but yet & still my clientele was growing. While in therapy, I discovered that I had always had a passion for doing hair, but I was letting irrational fears stop me from fully pursuing it. October 2022 I quit my corporate job & never looked back. In the past 2 years I’ve learned so much about myself & leaned on God the most. Yes, there are still hard days, but to me those are the days that make this journey worth it. Through entrepreneurship I have met several people from all walks of life & I always share my story because you never know who you can help. My hair appointments are nearly like a therapy session as well. I allow my clients to be vulnerable, free of judgement, while getting even more beautiful.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I have a few favorite spots in the city that I enjoy eating. If my bestie was craving seafood we would go to Red Claw or Sunset Crab. If she wanted grab something quick I would take her to Serious Pizza, Cava, Ronnie’s Catfish, or Turkey Leg Paradise. For a nicer experience with good food & drinks we would go to Drake’s Hollywood, DJs Steakhouse, or Del Frisco’s. As far as hanging out, I’m more of a homebody rather than clubbing or bar hopping. If I do want to eat good food & hear good music I like GVO Lounge. We can go to a Mavs game, Black Canvas (live music & poetry), or to a museum.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I owe a big shout out to my village. God has gifted me with the best family & friends anyone could ask for. They’ve been behind me 100% from the beginning, even when I doubted myself. The journey of entrepreneurship can be long & extremely difficult at times but I’ve been blessed to have a strong circle around me. I want to thank them for all the prayers, encouragement, more prayers, referrals, & shares. I love them so much.

Instagram: Styles_byPerry

Image Credits
Flossy Filming