Wife, mother and veteran Marquetta Breslin talks with PBA about her journey
Not everyone one gets the chance to find someone they are passionate about at a young age. Marquetta Breslin’s love for hair started with Cabbage Patch dolls. She taught herself styling and braiding using the yarn-haired dolls.
Years later Breslin had found a new path and joined the Air Force, something she categorizes as one of the best decisions she ever made. There, she found her love for hair again. Trading chores for hair braiding, she knew that this was something she needed to make into a career. With the support of her husband, she started cosmetology school while being active duty.
“I thought my calling was behind the chair to service clients who had suffered from hair loss.”
When her mother was diagnosed with cancer, Breslin taught herself to make lace wigs for her mother to wear. From there, she opened a training center and salon, with the goal to help other feel their best. When her mother’s cancer came back, the struggles of running a salon and supporting her mother became overwhelming. She ultimately made the tough decision to close her salon so that she could take care of her mother full-time.
“I was afraid to take it to my husband, but ultimately he came to me and said ‘We have to do this. We have to take care of your mother.’ And I was so relived I wasn’t the one who had to say it.”
When looking back at all her accomplishments and struggles, Breslin has remained forever a student. She knows that things are always evolving and changing, so there is not room to become stagnant and stuck.
“Seeing the skills in wig making going to a different level has been amazing”
In the most recent years, Breslin has been amazed at the evolution of wig making. Seeing people want to learn this skill has brought her joy – especially when those pieces are created to benefit those suffering from hair loss. With the onset of the pandemic, the wig industry was greatly impact by border closing, which in turn urged more stylist to learn to create their own wigs for their clients.
When asked if she had one piece of advice, she would give to other hairstylists she said wants people to know that they have a gift inside.
“It’s important to understand your value. Sometimes people don’t value themselves enough to share with the world.”
