The Next Chapter
A new chapter built on more than three decades of experience behind the chair, building businesses, creating products and educating locticians.
Full Circle
On April 16, 2025, the basketball-hoop loc style was posted again and went on to reach approximately 12 million views — another wave of visibility for work that had already been circulating for years.
Replace Your Paycheck
Developed Replace Your Paycheck to help aspiring and part-time locticians turn their skills into a full-time business.
From The Chair To The Screen
My loc work continued reaching audiences far beyond the salon. Client and model Al-Teron Williams was being booked for television, film and commercial appearances while wearing my loc styling, including P&G's Widen the Screen.
Fully Online
My education business transitioned fully online, expanding how locticians could access my training and curriculum.
Hair Beyond The Salon
My loc styling appeared in J. Cole's Middle Child music video
on client Marcus “Drizzle Dollar” Jenkins.
I was featured in Black Hair Sophisticates and Black Beauty Magazine.
I was also flown out to service loc'd members of the Buffalo Bills,
including Jordan Phillips, who became a client.
Education, Products & Opportunity
Hosted the LOC Styling Runthrough Symposium on April 21.
Launched the six-product Dreadful Thoughts Professional Line
and was featured in Black Hair Sophisticates.
Open My LOC Business was approved through the Section 8
Self-Sufficiency Program in Georgetown, Kentucky.
Author • Creator • Recognition
Released The Art of Retwist and launched YonniRed 100% Royalty,
my first handmade product line.
RedLoctician Academy vended at Bronner Bros. and I exhibited
at the Women's Expo in Atlanta.
Featured in Black Hair Sophisticates and won the Atlanta SBM
All Natural Award — People's Choice.
Participated in iEducate Do You, November 5–6.
Atlanta + 50 Locticians
Opened my Atlanta salon on Old National Highway.
Hosted my first full Loctician Certification Meetup, bringing
50 locticians to the shop for training and certification while
celebrating my birthday.
The Tour Begins
Launched the LOC Styling Bootcamp Tour, completing approximately
nine stops during the first year, including Raleigh, Chicago,
Kentucky and other markets.
Yonni Red's Loctician Academy participated in its first expo
and I toured with my products.
Launched Yonni's Retwist Wonder and became a member of the
Atlanta Natural Hair Association.
The Z-Stitch
Released my original Z-Stitch — a new loc styling technique that remains part of my styling legacy more than a decade later.
The Online Academy
Launched my online academy, expanding my education beyond local students and beginning a larger era of training and certifying locticians.
My First Student
Three years after putting my first loc styling class offer into the world, my first paying student enrolled.
Loc Education Meets YouTube
Launched my YouTube channel using loc styling tutorials I had
already created.
One of my early tutorials reached approximately 50,000 views
within a week — my first viral moment online.
Those early tutorials introduced original styling, including
Lil Man, to a much larger audience.
New Jersey → Atlanta
After the World Natural Hair Show experience, I made the decision to leave New Jersey and move to Atlanta for the first time.
Creator Before Social Media
Featured for the third consecutive year in Salon Digest /
Forever Braids, with six loc styles published.
Created my first product, loc styling poster and original
tutorial videos.
Released my first styling-class flyer and competed in the
World Natural Hair Show competition.
Published Again
Featured for the second consecutive year in Salon Digest / Forever Braids, with four loc styles published in that year's edition.
First Magazine Publication
First published in Salon Digest / Forever Braids, with four of my loc styles appearing in that year's magazine.
Dreadful Thoughts & A Deeper Purpose
Opened Dreadful Thoughts, my independently owned loc salon.
That same year, the loss of a close friend who was shot and
killed by police pushed me to recognize the lack of knowledgeable
professionals, education and hair-care resources available to
people with locs.
My work began developing into something bigger than a salon.
My First Loc Salon
Opened my first loc-focused salon through a partnership, beginning my journey into salon ownership centered specifically around locs.
Licensed Cosmetologist
Became a licensed cosmetologist after beginning cosmetology school three years earlier.
Where It Started
Entered cosmetology school and began the professional journey.
FILM ◆ MUSIC ◆ TELEVISION ◆ SPORTS
EDUCATION◆ BOOTCAMPS ◆ CERTIFICATIONS ◆
◆ MAGAZINE FEATURES ◆
Magazine my Loc styles featured in!
Another magazine my Loc styles featured in!
Here are a few fun facts…
I’m a Jersey girl (everything’s rougher in Jersey!) turned ATlien by my Loc Business!
World Famous Work: Tweeted by Oprah, showcased at the NAACP Awards, and seen in J. Cole's Middle Child video, NFL Players
The Name Heard ‘Round the World: I’m the only loctician whose name, #TeamYonniRed, was adopted by stylists worldwide to show they were part of my styling brand.
Record-Breaking Moment: I once sold over 600 tutorial DVDs in minutes at a hair expo—proving education pays when you have the right system.
Self-Taught to Superstar: I transitioned from feeling overworked behind the chair to becoming a global loc educator who’s certified 1,000+ locticians and helped open 500+ shops and suites across the U.S.
Speed is My Superpower: I teach students how to replace a week’s paycheck in just a 5-hour loc appointment. Work smarter, not harder!
From Salon to Screen: I started sharing loc tutorials on YouTube in 2011. Fast forward to today, and my online school is helping ordinary people become extraordinary locticians.
A Little Secret: My first high-ticket product wasn’t planned—it was born out of a broken ankle that forced me to rethink how I worked. Sometimes a setback is a setup for success.
Style Legacy: My work has been featured in hair magazines for years, but I’m most proud of helping others become Loc Legends in their own right.
Mentor Mode Activated: I help shop owners turn their businesses into on-the-job training centers that get paid to train unemployment and re-entry candidates. Empowerment is everything.
Passionate Teacher: I believe in making learning fast and easy—so I designed my programs to teach loc styles in minutes, not months.
Celebrating 25 Years of Loc Excellence
Just one of the Locticians certified during covid
My book originally released in 2017
How did I Start?
I definitely didn't get here overnight though. In fact, quite the opposite...
My journey began like so many others—standing behind the chair, pouring hours into my craft, dreaming of building something bigger. When I first opened my Loc shop, I thought working hard would be the key to success. I wanted to be wealthy, live well, and become staple in my community, but I quickly learned the truth: more hours didn’t equal more freedom.
Exhaustion became my norm. I worked so much that when I wasn’t behind the chair, I could barely move—only sleep. Then life forced me to slow down. After breaking my ankle twice from prolonged standing, I realized I couldn’t keep running myself into the ground.
The turning point came when I got a call inviting me to Atlanta. There, I discovered I was
famous for the loc styles I’d been creating and teaching. At an expo, I sold over 600 tutorial DVDs in minutes, making more money than I’d ever made at one time. That was the moment I realized I didn’t have to trade hours for dollars. My skills had the power to create passive income and I could teach others to do the same.
From that day on, I stopped holding my knowledge back. I turned my focus to empowering others—mentoring locticians, creating tutorials, and teaching high-ticket services that could replace a week’s pay in just a few hours. My beginning wasn’t easy, but it shaped me into who I am today: a leader, a
tea
Basketball Hoop Loc style is now over 10 Million views on my @yonnired Instagram profile
Contrary to popular belief, I didn’t start out wanting to be a loc teacher. I was a workaholic stylist, standing behind the chair for hours, thinking success meant working harder. It wasn’t until I broke my ankle—twice—that I realized I had to find a better way. Teaching locs wasn’t just about sharing styles; it became my path to freedom, and now I help others build their own six-figure success without sacrificing their health or time.
More than a stylist, I'm a trailblazer—
empowering, guiding,
and accrediting 1,000+ locticians and sparking the success of over 500 booming loc businesses nationwide.
Unleash your passion's potential with my game-changing system, tailored for budding locticians.
Perfect the craft of premium services, transform mere hours into a week's income, and create a lucrative career in the loc industry
My legacy isn’t about working harder; it’s about working smarter and showing others how to do the same.
I built a movement that empowers women to become Loc Legends proving that success doesn’t have to look like the norm—
it can look like freedom.
Care to know even more?
Loctician, Educator, and Industry Pioneer
a groundbreaking loctician, author, cosmetologist, and educator who has redefined the dreadlock industry, empowering women to become six-figure locticians.
With over 25 years of experience YonniRed transitioned from being a successful salon owner to a sought-after mentor, certifying over
1,000 locticians.
From styling work featured by Oprah, showcased in the NAACP Awards documentary, Widen the Screen
with Procter & Gamble, and J-Cole’s “Middle Child” video. YonniRed’s artistry captured worldwide attention. Her signature loc styles were also highlighted in top hair magazines (2007–2010), further cementing her legacy.
YonniRed made history when her styling brand,
#TeamYonniRed was adopted globally by locticians to show their affiliation and respect for her innovative work. Recognizing the need for loc education at a time when there was no other options, she pioneered online courses, transitioning from in-person tours to hybrid hands-on methods that allow even complete beginners to earn
$100 per hour with just one high-ticket loc service.
YonniRed’s Loc Styling Bootcamps and transformative courses, such as the
Replace Your Paycheck
program, eliminate barriers to learning by emphasizing
speed-to-market techniques
and removing the confusion of free, overwhelming tutorials. Her programs are designed for efficiency and simplicity, helping stylists
learn styles in minutes, not months
, so they can start making a stable income doing what they love.
As a published author of
The Art of Retwist
, YonniRed combines expertise with empowerment. Her mission is clear: to help aspiring locticians achieve financial freedom and generational wealth
while becoming masters of their craft.
Whether you want to learn, teach, or scale your loc business, you're in the right place.