Toriah Lachell: The Real Story of a Curl Specialist, Entrepreneur, and Independent Woman
Quick Facts
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Toriah Lachell Mimms |
| Born | February 2000, St. Louis, MO |
| Profession | Hairstylist & Entrepreneur |
| Business | The Curl Bar Boston |
| Certifications | DevaCurl, Rezo Cut, Cut It Kinky |
| Son | Jayson “Deuce” Tatum Jr. |
Toriah Lachell is a name that has traveled far beyond the celebrity headlines that first brought her to public attention. Yes, many people found out about her because of her connection to NBA star Jayson Tatum — but to reduce her story to that single detail would be a serious injustice. She is a certified curl specialist, a business owner, a mother, and a young woman who built a real and respected career in the beauty industry entirely on her own terms. Her story is one of quiet determination, professional discipline, and the courage to build something meaningful at a very young age.
Born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, Toriah Lachell grew up navigating a relationship with her own natural hair that many women with textured curls will immediately recognize. She wore relaxers as a child, as so many young girls do, before gradually learning to embrace and care for the natural texture underneath. That personal journey became the foundation of an entire professional identity — one that now serves hundreds of clients in Boston and reaches thousands more through her online presence and educational content.
This article takes a thorough look at who Toriah Lachell really is — her background, her professional credentials, her business, her role as a mother, and the intentional way she has navigated a very public spotlight while maintaining a deeply private life.
Early Life and Roots in St. Louis
Toriah Lachell was born in February 2000 in St. Louis, Missouri, making her 25 years old as of 2025. She grew up in a household shaped by her mother, Julie Gibbs, and her stepfather, John Gibbs. Her biological father’s identity has never been made public, and Toriah has not addressed that topic openly — a reflection of the privacy she consistently guards around personal family matters.
Growing up in St. Louis, she was far from a wallflower. She attended McCluer North High School in Florissant, Missouri, where she participated in varsity soccer and spent four years playing softball. That athletic background points to something important about her character: she is disciplined, competitive, and comfortable working hard as part of a team — qualities that would serve her very well when she later entered the demanding world of entrepreneurship.
It was during her high school years that Toriah Lachell met Jayson Tatum, then a basketball prodigy at Chaminade College Preparatory School in St. Louis. The two became high school sweethearts, and their relationship would eventually bring Toriah to Boston — a city that would become the stage for the most defining chapter of her professional life.
“Her love for hair started with learning to accept, embrace, and love her own natural hair — a journey that became the cornerstone of her entire career.”
Cosmetology Training and Professional Credentials
From Relaxers to Curl Specialist
The path that led Toriah Lachell to cosmetology school was not a sudden decision — it was years in the making. Like many women with naturally curly or coily hair, she spent her early years using chemical relaxers, only to later realize that her natural texture deserved care, understanding, and celebration rather than alteration. As she learned more about her own hair, she began helping friends and family with theirs, and something clicked. She had a gift for it.
After completing high school, she enrolled in a cosmetology program in Boston in 2017 and graduated in 2018. But she did not stop at a basic license. Toriah pursued advanced training that placed her firmly in the specialized world of curly and textured hair care. She became a certified DevaCurl stylist, a Rezo Cut certified practitioner, and a Cut It Kinky alumna — three credentials that carry genuine weight in the natural hair community and signal to clients that their stylist truly understands the science and art of curls.
What These Certifications Mean
DevaCurl is one of the most recognized curl-specific training programs in the industry, teaching stylists to work with the natural pattern of each client’s curls rather than fighting against it. Rezo Cut is a method developed for cutting and styling textured hair in its dry, natural state — a technique that preserves curl integrity. Cut It Kinky is an intensive workshop focused specifically on kinky and coily hair types.
Together, these credentials gave Toriah Lachell the technical foundation to serve clients across the full spectrum of natural hair textures with skill and confidence. They represent far more than certificates on a wall — they represent a serious commitment to being genuinely excellent in a highly specialized field.
The Curl Bar Boston: Building a Business on Passion
In 2021, Toriah Lachell opened The Curl Bar Boston — and in doing so, she created something far more than just a hair salon. She created a community space for people with curly and textured hair who had long struggled to find stylists who truly understood their needs. Natural hair clients often report years of bad experiences with stylists who use the wrong techniques, apply too much heat, or simply do not take the time to understand curl patterns. The Curl Bar was Toriah’s answer to that frustration.
Located in Boston, the salon focuses exclusively on curly, coily, and textured hair care. Every service is designed around the principle that healthy curls begin with understanding — understanding the hair’s natural pattern, porosity, moisture needs, and growth habits. This is not a general walk-in salon. It is a specialized destination for people who want expert care, and that distinction has earned it a devoted and growing client base.
Beyond the Chair: Education and Online Courses
What truly sets Toriah Lachell apart as an entrepreneur is that she did not limit her impact to the clients who could physically visit her Boston salon. She expanded her reach through The Curl Bar Curl Course — an online educational program designed to teach clients how to care for their natural curls at home. The course focuses on practical, real-world hair health: how to identify your curl type, how to moisturize effectively, how to detangle without damage, and how to build a sustainable curl care routine.
This move from stylist to educator reflects serious business instincts. By offering digital education, Toriah transformed her expertise into a scalable product — one that generates income and builds community well beyond the walls of her physical salon. Even celebrities have taken notice; comedian and television host Trevor Noah is among the notable names linked to having visited The Curl Bar Boston.
“The Curl Bar Boston is not just a place to get a haircut. It is a space where people learn to love and understand their natural hair — perhaps for the first time.”
Toriah Lachell and Jayson Tatum: A Relationship Defined by Co-Parenting
No profile of Toriah Lachell would be complete without addressing her history with Jayson Tatum, now one of the most celebrated players in the NBA. The two met as teenagers in St. Louis, fell in love, and discovered they were expecting a child in early 2017 — both were around 19 years old at the time. Their son, Jayson Christopher Tatum Jr., known universally as “Deuce,” was born in December 2017, just two months into Jayson’s debut NBA season with the Boston Celtics.
The relationship did not last, and the two parted ways not long after Deuce’s birth. But what followed was something far more admirable than many celebrity breakup stories: a functional, respectful co-parenting arrangement that clearly puts their son first. Deuce Tatum has become something of a public figure in his own right, frequently appearing courtside at Celtics games and charming NBA fans worldwide with his personality.
For her part, Toriah Lachell has consistently stayed out of the public drama that so often follows high-profile splits. She does not engage with gossip, does not court media attention, and has never used her connection to Jayson Tatum as a platform for personal gain. That restraint is not just impressive — it is rare, and it speaks to a maturity and self-assurance that runs through everything she does.
Motherhood and Privacy
Being a young mother was not something that slowed Toriah Lachell down — if anything, it seemed to sharpen her focus. She enrolled in cosmetology school the same year Deuce was born, launched her salon when he was still in primary school, and has continued to grow her business while actively raising her son. That balance is not accidental. It reflects deliberate choices about priorities, time, and what kind of life she wants to model for her child.
She keeps Deuce’s life appropriately private, sharing occasional glimpses on social media without exposing him to the full glare of public scrutiny. It is the approach of a thoughtful parent who understands that her son deserves a childhood on his own terms, not one lived in a media fishbowl.
Social Media Presence: Professional, Purposeful, Private
Toriah Lachell maintains a presence across multiple Instagram accounts, but her approach to social media is strikingly different from most public figures of her age and profile. Her personal account is set to private, accessible only to approved followers. Her professional styling account, @hairbytoriahlachell, showcases client transformations, curl techniques, and styling work. The official salon page, @thecurlbarboston, keeps followers updated on services, availability, and hair care education.
Across all three accounts, the content is consistent: professional, educational, and curl-focused. There is no drama, no lifestyle flexing, no manufactured controversy. For someone with her level of public recognition, this intentional restraint is almost countercultural — and it has earned her respect that follower counts alone cannot buy. She is not trying to be an influencer. She is trying to be excellent at her craft, and her social media reflects that.
Net Worth and Financial Independence
Estimates of Toriah Lachell’s net worth place her at approximately $1–2 million as of 2025, a figure that reflects her salon revenue, online course income, and growing client demand. For someone who started from scratch in a city she moved to as a teenager, that financial trajectory is genuinely remarkable. She did not inherit a business, benefit from a wealthy family, or leverage her connection to a famous partner to fast-track her success.
She built it the traditional way: through skill, consistency, client trust, and smart business decisions. The Curl Bar Boston has grown from a new opening into an established destination, and her online education arm creates recurring revenue independent of how many clients sit in her chair each week. That diversification is the mark of an entrepreneur thinking about long-term sustainability, not just short-term income.
Why Toriah Lachell Matters Beyond the Headlines
The reason Toriah Lachell continues to attract curiosity and genuine admiration is not because she dated an NBA star. It is because her story offers something increasingly rare: a young woman who found herself in an extraordinarily public situation and responded by quietly building something real. She did not chase fame. She did not exploit her visibility. She went to cosmetology school, earned her certifications, opened a business, raised her son, and kept moving forward.
In an era where celebrity adjacency is often leveraged into reality TV appearances, brand deals of questionable authenticity, and manufactured drama, Toriah took a completely different road. Her identity is anchored in her craft. Her brand is built on expertise and trust. Her public persona is shaped by what she does, not who she used to date.
That is a genuinely inspiring model — not just for young women in similar situations, but for anyone trying to build something meaningful in a world that keeps offering easier, noisier shortcuts. Toriah Lachell chose the longer, quieter road, and everything she has built reflects the wisdom of that choice.
Conclusion
Toriah Lachell is a compelling figure precisely because she refuses to be reduced to any single label. She is not simply an NBA player’s ex-girlfriend, though that is how many first discovered her. She is not simply a mom, though motherhood is clearly central to who she is. She is a trained and certified curl specialist, a business founder, an online educator, and a young entrepreneur who has built financial independence through genuine expertise and hard work.
Her story — from a girl in St. Louis learning to love her natural curls, to the owner of one of Boston’s most distinctive hair salons — is the kind of narrative that deserves to be told in full, not in the footnote of someone else’s biography. Toriah Lachell has written her own chapter, and it is one worth reading carefully. For anyone interested in natural hair care, beauty entrepreneurship, or simply the story of a young woman who chose substance over spectacle, she is a name well worth knowing.
Frequently Asked Questions About Toriah Lachell
1. Who is Toriah Lachell? Toriah Lachell is an American hairstylist, certified curl specialist, and entrepreneur based in Boston, Massachusetts. She is the founder of The Curl Bar Boston, a salon dedicated to curly and textured natural hair care. She is also known as the mother of Jayson “Deuce” Tatum Jr. and the former girlfriend of NBA star Jayson Tatum, though her professional identity and business achievements stand entirely on their own merits.
2. What is The Curl Bar Boston? The Curl Bar Boston is a specialized hair salon founded by Toriah Lachell in 2021. It focuses exclusively on curly, coily, and textured natural hair. The salon offers professional styling services, curl restoration, and hair health consultations. Toriah also offers an online educational program called The Curl Bar Curl Course, which teaches clients how to care for their natural curls at home.
3. What certifications does Toriah Lachell hold? Toriah Lachell holds three key industry certifications: she is a DevaCurl certified stylist, a Rezo Cut certified practitioner, and a Cut It Kinky alumna. These are specialized credentials focused on curly and textured hair care, and they set her apart as a genuine expert in natural hair styling rather than a general-purpose hairstylist.
4. Does Toriah Lachell have children? Yes. Toriah Lachell is the mother of Jayson Christopher Tatum Jr., widely known as “Deuce.” He was born in December 2017 and is the son of NBA Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum. Toriah and Jayson co-parent Deuce, and their son is frequently seen at NBA games supporting his father.
5. Is Toriah Lachell active on social media? Yes, Toriah Lachell maintains a presence on Instagram through three accounts: a private personal account, a professional styling account (@hairbytoriahlachell), and the official salon page (@thecurlbarboston). Her content focuses primarily on client hair transformations, curl education, and salon updates rather than personal lifestyle content, reflecting her deliberately professional and private public persona.
