The 27-year-old loc technician who is winning competitions shares her story

DEMALIE Hamilton’s smile tells the story of a challenging yet exciting life. The 27-year-old mother of one can only be described as an overcomer. From a rough childhood to facing challenges in pursuing her education and a near-death experience, Demalie has emerged triumphant. Today, her name has become synonymous with the art of perfecting locs. Winner of Linden’s Loc Fest, Demalie went on to win all categories of Curl Fete 2024. Now, as more people take notice of her skills, the mother of one is developing her business. The Pepperpot Magazine sat down with Demalie to understand her challenges and what it took to overcome them.

Demalie is a self-described tomboy who spent most of her early childhood on the streets of Sophia. Recounting her early years, Demalie stated that it was not the easiest time of her life, but it taught her most of life’s lessons, helping her garner whatever ‘street sense’ she has today. “I grew up in the ghetto of North Sophia, climbing coconut trees, playing cricket, and doing all the tomboy things,” she shared. However, the negative aspects of her childhood did not define her; with the support of her aunt and grandmother, Demalie developed a passion for reading. As a loner for most of her life, books were a unique escape and the gateway to her love of education.

Damalie’s educational endeavours centred around her love of the sciences. Her years at New Campbellville Secondary were characterised by exceptional performance. After leaving school, she pursued higher education. This was also met with various struggles, the biggest being the loss of a scholarship. “Shortly after graduating from high school, I went to the Guyana School of Agriculture. I studied Meteorology in Barbados. I won a scholarship to study, but I lost it due to unforeseen circumstances,” Demalie explained. She called the loss of her scholarship heartbreaking but also a turning point. “My love for sciences really broke my heart. I love education, knowledge, learning, and being in the know.”

Depression is not a widely talked about issue in Guyana, but with the availability of more information and the presence of more mental health professionals, it is being discussed more openly and reaching far more people. After her studies were halted, Demalie began suffering from depression. “I faced several challenges. I was battling with excess depression. I was diagnosed and battling excess depression,” she stated. Opening up to the Pepperpot Magazine, Demalie shared the rocky relationship with her father. Never quite having a healthy father-daughter relationship, the situation took a new turn when their altercations became physical. Demalie said the incident was “the beginning of the end.” She said, “That was the beginning of the end of my fight with depression. From 2017, technically 2016, I started suffering with depression.”

Now, several years later, Demalie is rebuilding and thriving. Demalie, the mother of a one-year-old daughter, Divinity, found that her child’s birth truly sparked her to launch her business, Majestic Crowns. A unique spin on a traditional salon, Majestic Crowns specialises in locs.

Many people thought the change from the sciences to locs was unprecedented. But Demalie says hair is something she has always loved. Her decision to leave the sciences was significant, having been in meteorology for many years. To most, becoming a loc technician did not seem like the likely decision. But Demalie believes it was the right one. “After realising that my salary was under $100,000 and I was unsuccessful with my BSc, I decided to focus on a skill that could pay me. It was not about prestige. I birthed my child, and under $100,000 cannot cut it. I just put all of my energy into locs and made sure to excel in it.”

And excel she did. Curl Fete 2024 saw the name Majestic Crowns take centre stage as the winner of every category in its famed hair show. There was a lot of effort behind the production Demalie put on at Curl Fete, and it certainly paid off. “When they announced I won, I lost my voice from screaming so much. I am happy I won, I am very competitive, but this competition for me was more about marketing my business,” she stated.

Demalie is now taking the next steps to develop her skills and her business further. She continues to be an inspiration to young men and women who have come from similar backgrounds. As she stated, “To those people that don’t have mothers and fathers…those ‘ghetto’ children, you’re smart, and you want better,; you’re going to have to suffer some things.” Demalie is proof that it may be hard, but success, recovery, and repair are possible.