Today we’d like to introduce you to Tyler Hearn.
Tyler, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I’m Tyler Hearn, the visionary behind Freestyle Strands Beauty Utopia. I’m more than a hairstylist—I’m a healer, creator, educator, and guide for people who are embracing their own journey of self-discovery.
I’m a Navy veteran and Cincinnati native, and my passion for hair started when I was a child. My path, however, was anything but ordinary. Growing up, I was often bullied for being different—whether it was my hair, my clothes, or simply the way I carried myself. Everything changed when I saw Teyana Taylor on MTV’s My Super Sweet 16. Her confidence, authenticity, and unapologetic style showed me that I didn’t need to fit in to stand out. From that moment on, I embraced my individuality and used hair and fashion as my ultimate forms of self-expression.
My skills were first developed on Bratz dolls and later perfected through years of styling family, friends, and even fellow sailors while stationed in Japan during my 10 years of service in the United States Navy. What started as a passion eventually grew into a business deeply rooted in purpose. While I once offered a wide variety of hairstyles, it was the loc journey—both physical and spiritual—that truly called to me.
To me, locs are more than a hairstyle. They represent patience, growth, commitment, and the beauty of becoming who you’re meant to be.
During my military service, I was diagnosed with anxiety, PTSD, and depression. The structure of military life often made healing difficult, and traditional approaches weren’t bringing me the peace I was searching for. Looking for something deeper, I discovered Reiki. Reiki helped me begin releasing years of stored pain, emotional wounds, and mental blocks. The impact it had on my life inspired me to become a student of the practice, eventually leading me to become a Reiki practitioner myself.
At first, I kept my hairstyling services and Reiki practice separate. Over time, I realized something powerful—energy transfer is real. Whether I’m performing a healing session or simply touching someone’s hair, energy is always being exchanged. That’s when I understood that I could offer more than outer beauty. I could help people align their inner beauty as well.
Today, I integrate both worlds. Whether someone is receiving a fresh retwist, a spiritual loc detox, a sound healing session, Reiki, or using one of my products, my goal is always the same: to create an experience rooted in intention, alignment, healing, and peace.
One of the most exciting expansions of my journey has been partnering with my good friend Telly, owner of Telly’s Crystal Corner. Together, we’ve collaborated with the Destruction Room in Virginia Beach to create an elevated healing experience that goes beyond the traditional “You bring the stress, we clean up the mess” concept.
We’ve incorporated guided meditation and sound healing into the experience, helping participants access deeper emotions that may be ready to surface and be released. Through meditation and the vibrations of sound bowls, we create a safe space for individuals to connect with themselves before deciding how they want to move that energy.
After the meditation and sound bath, participants can choose the release method that resonates most with them. They may still choose the traditional destruction experience, using physical release as an outlet for stress and emotion. However, we’ve also introduced creative alternatives such as painting or creating mosaics for those who feel called to transform their emotions into something beautiful and meaningful.
We intentionally host many of these experiences around the full moon, a time often associated with heightened emotions, reflection, and release. Since emotions naturally tend to rise to the surface during this phase, we use that energy as an opportunity to help people process, heal, and let go of what no longer serves them.
This partnership is a reflection of my belief that healing isn’t one-size-fits-all. Sometimes healing looks like breaking things. Sometimes healing looks like creating something new. Either way, the goal is the same—to leave feeling lighter, more aligned, and more connected to yourself.
In addition to these experiences, I host free monthly community sound bath cleanses at Mount Trashmore in Virginia Beach. These gatherings are designed to give people a space to simply rest. Participants are invited to allow their physical bodies to relax while giving their spirits permission to release, renew, refresh, and reconnect. For some, the experience becomes a deep meditative journey, while for others it serves as an opportunity to explore deeper states of consciousness and spiritual awareness.
I also partner with the Kroc Center Hampton Roads for our Sound & Float sessions, an immersive healing experience unlike any other. During these events, Deirdre Love guides participants through a meditation while I play the sound bowls. Guests rest on floating beds in the pool as the gentle movement of the water, the vibrations of the sound bowls, and the calming guidance of Deirdre’s voice come together to create a deeply relaxing and euphoric experience.
One of my proudest creations is Lavender Bliss Alignment Oil, a Reiki-charged hair oil that I created over five years ago. Crafted with intention and charged under the new moon, it was designed to nourish not only the hair but also the mind, body, and spirit. What started as a single product has evolved into a larger vision of holistic beauty and wellness. As Freestyle Strands Beauty Utopia continues to grow, so does my mission, with additional products, educational opportunities, wellness events, and healing experiences being developed to support the whole person.
My mission is simple: I want people to know that freedom is the goal—freedom of mind, freedom of spirit, freedom of expression, and freedom from anything that doesn’t align with their authentic selves.
Through Freestyle Strands Beauty Utopia, I strive to create spaces where people feel seen, supported, and empowered to embrace who they are. Whether I’m behind the chair, facilitating a sound bath, teaching Reiki principles, creating products, or helping someone release years of emotional weight, my purpose remains the same: helping people find balance within themselves.
In addition to all of the work I do within the wellness and beauty industries, I’ve also had the pleasure of working as a runway and print model for the past three years. I’ve walked in New York Fashion Week, Los Angeles Fashion Week, and Virginia Fashion Week, and I’ve attended the prestigious Coco Rocha Model Camp. Fashion has become another outlet for creative expression and confidence-building, allowing me to inspire others to embrace their individuality just as I learned to do years ago.
I’m also the Co-Curator of Brown Sugar Fashion Gala, a fashion show company based in Dayton, Ohio, where I help bring together designers, models, and creatives to showcase their talents and tell powerful stories through fashion.
Most recently, I’ve enrolled at Norfolk State University, where I’m pursuing my Bachelor of Science in Chemistry. As the creator of a growing holistic hair care line, I’m incredibly excited to see how this degree will expand my knowledge, sharpen my formulation skills, and help me continue creating innovative products that bridge the gap between science, beauty, and wellness.
I am forever evolving, forever creating, and forever proving that where you start does not have to be where you end.
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?
Has it been a smooth road? Absolutely not.
Balancing my work, home life, and personal life has probably been my most consistent struggle. I take my work and my mission very seriously, and there have been times when I’ve put that mission before everything else—including myself. Learning how to pour into others without completely draining myself has been a lesson I’m still working on.
Another challenge has been building a business that has been largely self-funded from the very beginning. Every product, event, class, marketing opportunity, piece of equipment, and business expansion has required a level of sacrifice and faith. There have been times when I had to reinvest every dollar back into the business instead of rewarding myself for the hard work. Being self-funded has taught me resilience, patience, resourcefulness, and how to build something sustainable one step at a time. While it hasn’t always been easy, it has made me appreciate every milestone even more because I know exactly what it took to get there.
I’ve also had to overcome the fear of being judged. The work I do is very untraditional, and because Reiki and holistic healing aren’t as widely accepted or discussed in the Black community, especially when I first started, I received a lot of sideways looks and skepticism. There were definitely moments when it felt discouraging and made me question whether I should keep going.
But I knew this was the path God placed in front of me back in 2017, so I kept showing up. I kept learning, growing, and trusting the vision even when others didn’t understand it. Looking back now, I’m grateful that I did.
Today, seeing the impact I’ve had on my clients and my community makes every challenge worth it. Watching people heal, grow, find peace, and reconnect with themselves is one of the greatest rewards I could ask for. I’m incredibly proud of the impact I’ve made so far, and I’m even more excited about the impact I know I’ll have on the world as I continue to grow and evolve.
We’ve been impressed with Freestyle Strands Beauty Utopia, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Freestyle Strands Beauty Utopia is a brand built around the idea that self expression, self care, and self awareness all go hand in hand. At its core, it is a space where people are encouraged to show up as their authentic selves without judgment.
What I believe sets my brand apart is that everything is created with intention. Whether I’m developing a product, creating an event, designing merchandise, or providing a service, I always ask myself one question: “How does this help someone reconnect with themselves?” That question guides every decision I make.
One thing people quickly learn about me is that I love education. I don’t just want clients and customers to purchase a product or receive a service. I want them to understand the “why” behind it. Whether we’re talking about hair care, ingredients, energy, mindfulness, or personal growth, I enjoy helping people become more informed so they can make empowered decisions for themselves.
I’m also proud of the community we’ve built. Over the years, Freestyle Strands has grown into more than a business. It has become a safe space where people from different backgrounds can come together, learn, heal, create, and support one another. Seeing the relationships, collaborations, and personal transformations that have happened through this brand has been one of the most rewarding parts of the journey.
Brand wise, I’m most proud that I’ve never felt the need to fit into a box. I’ve allowed Freestyle Strands Beauty Utopia to evolve naturally as I’ve evolved. What started in beauty has expanded into wellness, education, community experiences, fashion, and product development, all while staying true to the original mission of helping people find balance within themselves.
If there’s one thing I want readers to know, it’s that Freestyle Strands Beauty Utopia is a reflection of what becomes possible when you stop limiting yourself. You don’t have to choose between creativity and professionalism, science and spirituality, beauty and wellness, or business and purpose. Sometimes your greatest strength is allowing all of those pieces to exist together.
My goal is to continue creating experiences, products, and opportunities that inspire people to embrace who they are, trust their journey, and realize that growth doesn’t require becoming someone new. Sometimes it simply requires becoming more of who you’ve always been.
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
There are so many ways to work with, collaborate with, and support me!
The most direct way is by booking a service through Freestyle Strands Beauty Utopia. Whether you’re looking for loc maintenance, holistic beauty services, energy work, or one of our wellness experiences, every appointment helps support the growth of the brand and the mission behind it.
You can also support by purchasing products and merchandise, attending community events, sharing our content on social media, referring friends and family, or simply engaging with the work we’re doing. Every share, recommendation, and word of encouragement goes further than people realize.
For collaborations, I’m always open to connecting with individuals, businesses, organizations, schools, wellness practitioners, event coordinators, and brands whose values align with creating positive impact in the community. Whether it’s wellness events, speaking opportunities, educational workshops, fashion projects, community initiatives, brand partnerships, or creative collaborations, I love bringing people together to create meaningful experiences.
As a model, sound healer, wellness facilitator, business owner, and community advocate, I enjoy opportunities that allow me to educate, inspire, and connect with others. If you have an idea that aligns with healing, beauty, wellness, education, fashion, or community building, I’d love to have a conversation.
The biggest way people can support me is by believing in the vision and growing alongside me. Freestyle Strands Beauty Utopia has always been about more than one person. It’s about creating a community where people feel empowered to embrace their authentic selves, and every person who supports the journey becomes a part of that mission.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Www.freestylestrandsbu.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freestylestrandsbu?igsh=MWVscHhydmF5ZmU4dw%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1CYKDxvPHn/?mibextid=wwXIfr
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@freestylestrandsbu?_r=1&_t=ZP-971doWAHpDL
