Blounts Creek native Quentin Hill knows hair. In fact, he grew up learning the art of hair styling from his mother, and that instruction planted a seed that would lead Hill to a career as a hair designer. It’s been a success, earning him nicknames like the “Hair Prophet” and “Heavy Hands,” and recently, he won his first ever hair show competition.

As a child, Hill spent much of his time at mother Thelma Lawson’s hair salon, Glory Magic Touch. Lawson was a well-known and respected stylist for almost 40 years in the community and taught Hill many things that would one day evolve into an articulate skill set, Hill said.

“I got started when I was 11,” Hill said. “I learned from (my mother) and then later on, I obtained my own license.”

Honing his skills under his mother’s instruction, hair design became a passion for Hill, he said. After graduation from Southside High School in 2007, he started his schooling at Dudley’s Beauty and Spa in Greensboro, but later obtained his license from NC Cosmetic Arts where he became a natural hair care specialist, fulfilling his lifelong dream and following in his mother’s footsteps.

“(The instruction from my mother) was very valuable to me,” Hill said. “To have someone that could create anything — to have someone that could take someone with very little, if not any hair, and create something that takes their self-esteem from zero to 100 in just a hair style … I always wanted to be able to put a smile on someone’s face as my mother did for so many years.”

Hill said he started out in his home, doing hair designs for his client base, before obtaining a booth at a salon in Chocowinity. In recent months, he gained a position at Hair Passion Salon in Greenville where he currently works.

Adding to his resume, Hill was invited to compete in his first ever hair show competition, the Beyond the Chair Show, created and produced by Brandy “Lady B” Young, owner and operator of Lady B’s Beauty Secrets, where he was the only male participant, he said. He competed in three categories and won first place in all three categories, as well as first overall, according to Young. Hill spoke of the invitation as a great learning experience where he learned to quicken his pace and think outside the box when creating custom designs for clients.

“Something like that is humbling to even be offered and afforded the opportunity to be able to do those types of things,” Hill said. “I just count it as an honor to even have competed in my very first hair show. I don’t do it for accolades and recognition. I do it because it’s something I love and enjoy doing. How many people can really say that they’re doing what they love?”

“He seemed very excited about the opportunity to participate,” Hill said. “He was very quick to take advice, and coming from out of state, he sacrificed a lot to come, and that shows great character in him. He’s very goal-oriented, ambitious, and he was very patient and cooperative. His participation made the show an overall success. He really did show out.”

Hill aspires to be a platform artist, teaching hair design classes and hopes to continue making his clients smile from his designs, “making every woman beautiful one woman at a time,” Hill said.