Meet Daija Williams of Locd N Faded Barbershop

Today we’d like to introduce you to Daija Williams

Hi Daija, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Back in November 2019, I decided to pack up my things, leave Las Vegas, and move to Utah to pursue nursing school. I settled in Provo, Utah, where I worked as a CNA for a local agency. Born and raised in Los Angeles, I was surprised by the lack of diversity in Provo. A few months later, I moved to Bountiful, Utah, and started nursing school at Joyce University in August 2020. As a single mom of three, balancing full-time nursing studies and a full-time CNA job was challenging. By June 2021, with nursing school becoming more demanding, I began offering dread loc services from home to supplement my income. I had started doing locs in 2018 when I began my own and my three kids’ locs. Thus, in June 2021, Locd By Daija was created and began operating in Bountiful, Utah. Initially, my plan was to do hair at home to get through nursing school and then leave Utah once I obtained my license. I relocated to Layton, Utah, in October 2021 and continued operating from my apartment while in school. I graduated from nursing school in May 2022. By then, my kids and I had fallen in love with Utah, and I truly enjoyed being a Loctician. After obtaining my nursing license, I decided to find a nursing job in Salt Lake County and moved my business to Liv Salons in Sandy.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It definitely wasn’t easy. Safety was always a concern when providing services from home, but I never had any issues. My clients were always respectful, and we understood the mutual need for each other. Finding someone who could do dread locs was rare at the time. When I first started, I had maybe three clients a week, so I had to work more CNA hours until my business became profitable. I kept promoting my services in various Facebook groups created for Black people in Utah. These groups connect the Black population throughout the state and are a great way to find others like you when you feel alone. I used to travel for house calls—anything to get my name out there.

Moving my business to Sandy was a challenging moment. Some clients followed me, but some did not, causing business to slow down. However, I continued promoting my services. I used my nursing income to pay for my hair suite at Liv Salons until my business was back up and steady.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Locd N Faded Barbershop?
Now, I am the co-owner of Locd N Faded Barbershop, where we offer haircuts and dread loc services for all hair types. Rather than operating as a salon offering multiple services, we chose to specialize in what we love the most to provide the best service to our customers. In July 2023, my fiancé and I decided to merge our businesses—him being a barber and me a loctician. We are proud of the space we have created, welcoming people from all walks of life. What sets us apart from others is the quality we put into every customer who sits in our chair, ensuring every customer leaves satisfied with their hair at a no rush pace.

If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
Motivation, determination, execution, and Hustle. Those are the words I live by, you must have the motivation to start a something. You have to be determined to reach your goal, by executing the skills and hard work needed to make reach those goals. The hustle comes from back home, we are taught to always hustle keep moving and never stand stagnant.

Pricing:

• General hair cut $40 with beard trim $50
• Kids cut $35
• Traditional Retwist $65+
• Micro loc retie $250
• Loc extensions $450+

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Www.locdnfadedslc.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/locdnfadedslc?igsh=MW45cTRkMXhxdDAyZw%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/MP87bgEYLwi6EoAb/?mibextid=LQQJ4d
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@locdnfadedslc?_t=8ogrqN9aUZf&_r=1