Rising Stars: Meet Skye Marshall

Today we’d like to introduce you to Skye Marshall.

Hi Skye, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My name is Skye Marshall, I am 30 and was born and raised in Miami, Fl. I lived in Miami until 6th grade then moved to Georgia until the 9th grade. In the middle of 9th grade, I moved back to Miami and attended Miramar High School. I grew up watching my mother do hair as well as being spoiled, I got to be her Guinea pig. Whenever she wanted to try a new style, me and my little sister were right there waiting for her to try it on us. Box braids were my go to style and when getting these done my mom would teach me how to braid them down that way she can start them and I finish. It was never in my plans to become a braider, I graduated high school in 2009 and went off to FAMU (Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University) where I majored in psychology.

I joined a dance organization (The Lovely Ladies Of Torque) and started to get sidetracked, I was slipping in my studies and wasn’t really focused which is why I didn’t finish and moved back to Miami in 2012. That summer my sister wanted box braids but my mom explained that she couldn’t do them anymore being that her wrist wouldn’t allow her to and I needed to learn. Once I fully learned how to conquer the style I began doing me and my sister’s hair as well as some family and friends. At first it began as a quick hustle, money was tight, so it was nice to do this on the side for a few extra bucks. The more I did them the more I enjoyed it and the more my clientele started to widen. I put myself out there, I made an Instagram, a Facebook, a website and started promoting nonstop.

From 2012 to around 2019 I was working and doing hair, one point and time I had two jobs and I was doing hair. At that point, I knew it was a passion because no matter how tired I was I would still accept clients. My dad side of the family is from Texas, so it was always in my plans to move I just didn’t know when. Fall 2019 I went through a break up, spoke with my auntie and she talked to me about moving to San Antonio. I did my research on the hair industry before making any decisions and once I saw that there wasn’t many I decided that this would be the perfect opportunity for me to get a fresh start. To get on my feet, she offered me a room for free just so I can stack my money and do hair full time. Before moving I started promoting like crazy, making flyers, business cards, using hashtags, even offering discounts just to spread my work across the city and just like that I was booked before I even left Florida.

I moved on September 8th. When I arrived to San Antonio an owner of a shop (Kings Barber & Beauty) reached out to me about working there. I was so excited and proud that my work was getting recognized and I wasn’t even here that long. November I started working in the shop. It was a great experience, I gained more clientele and was very appreciative. They helped me in so many ways, broadened my horizons, taught me business management, etc but in January 2020 I realized I wanted to work on my own and not in a group so I started working from home. Business was going good until Covid hit. I honestly thought my life would be over but something in me said to keep doing hair and don’t stop, so I kept my books open and continued to accept clients through the pandemic. That by far was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made, I was blessed enough to do so many more clients without getting sick. November rolled around and I was nominated for San Antonio’s best braider of 2020. Nothing but tears of joy, everyone was so proud of me just for being nominated, I was only there for a year and to even be selected was such great joy. Very anxious as the final votes were being counted, and I WON!! Words couldn’t even explain how I felt, I felt like I couldn’t be stopped like I was on the top of the world. Winning this award made me push harder and to keep going, it made me want to see how far I could go.

Once I saved enough money I looked into private suites so that I can stop working from home. In December I found one that was close and put a deposit down instantly. It was perfect I would be starting work in the new year with a new place. Throughout 2021 business was great, I continued to work hard, learn new ideas, new techniques, etc. There were a few mishaps of course with working so much, I was introduced to carpal tunnel. Working constantly with no to little breaks or barely taking days off, my body was starting to give up. It saddened me to slow down my workflow but my health was more important. I had to change my schedule around, reduce the amount of time I was working, make myself take breaks in between styles that take 7 or more hours, soak, stretch, etc. It’s not easy being a braider and making these changes were easier said then done, but it helped. October I began to go viral from using reel videos on Instagram, I went from 3,000 followers to 16K by the end of the year. It may not be much to some but it meant a lot to me. I pushed harder and harder, I worked on improving myself mentally, physically and emotionally.

Unfortunately, I had 3 mental breakdowns in December and it set me back, I didn’t want to work, I didn’t want to deal with anyone or anything. Business was slow and I was over it. I’m not one to express myself much, but once I did I made a promise to myself to not be so bottled up and try to avoid things to put me back in that mindset. ‘’Don’t stress what you can’t control’’ is what my Aunt Denise taught us in bible study years ago. 2022 rolled around I’m in a new place and I’m doing much better. I have so many plans I want to achieve by the end of this year, you’ll just have to stick around to see what I have up my sleeve.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Being a braider isn’t as easy as it sounds. We have to constantly learn new techniques, keep up with our health, think of new business endeavors, while making clients happy which is why I say this has to be a passion or you won’t enjoy it. But my main struggles were my health. I would work so much and forget about my temple. So wearing a foot brace when needed or even a wrist brace, stretching, exercising, eating well, and soaking. It’s a lot to maintain, but if I want to stay in the game a little longer it’s something I just have to do and constantly remind myself that I’m important too.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I specialize in box braids, traditional and knotless. Back in Miami, my clients use to say I could grip any length of hair and that’s how I came up with the name “Snatched” and ran with it. As I look back at old pictures, I smile because I can see the growth. I didn’t care much for parting back then, but once I moved here and started perfecting my knotless parting was all I cared about. Everyone says that my parting is A1. I can thank YouTube for that, learning how to do brick layering was my main priority. I love the fact that I don’t stop, I continue to have an open mind to new ideas and new styles. Some styles I may feel a little uncomfortable to do (feed in braids), but over the years I’ve been getting better and better at it because I constantly seek to learn from ones I look up to.

Who else deserves credit in your story?
My mother deserves all the credit. Not only did she hand me her skills, she has been there for me through ups and downs, mentored me and gave me the wisdom that she had as well as my dad. He continues to spit knowledge about and everything and I’m grateful for that. My aunties opened their doors to me here, believed in me and allowed me spread my wings. My family & friends did nothing but support me nonstop no matter what it was they were there with advice, compliments, shout-outs, etc. Honestly, everyone in my life right now played a special role in who I’ve become and I just want to thank them for knowing my worth even when I didn’t.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: snatchedbyskye.as.me
• Instagram: instagram.com/_hairbyskyee
• Facebook: Facebook.com/Snatchedbyskye