Public attention often arrives through association. For Toriah Lachell, that association was a high-school relationship with future NBA star Jayson Tatum and the birth of their son. What followed, however, has been a deliberate path built on skill, certification, and the steady work of running a specialized salon. Based in the Boston area, she has established herself as a curl-focused stylist and the owner of The Curl Bar Boston, a business centered on natural hair care and client education rather than celebrity proximity.
Born in St. Louis, Missouri, around February 2000, Toriah Lachell grew up with her mother, Julie Gibbs, and stepfather, John Gibbs. She later moved to Massachusetts, completed cosmetology training shortly after becoming a mother, and built credentials in curly-hair techniques. Her public presence remains relatively measured: social media centers on salon work, transformations, and community events rather than personal drama. This article traces her early life, the transition into motherhood and career training, the development of her salon, her approach to curly-hair specialization, and the balance she has maintained between private family life and professional visibility.
Early Life in St. Louis and Formative Years
Toriah Lachell spent her childhood and adolescence in the St. Louis area. Available accounts describe a supportive household led by her mother and stepfather. She attended McCluer North High School in Florissant, Missouri, where she participated in varsity soccer and softball. Those years also included the relationship with Jayson Tatum, who attended a different local school, Chaminade College Preparatory. The two were young when they learned they were expecting a child.
The decision to relocate to the Boston area came as Tatum prepared to begin his NBA career with the Celtics. Toriah Lachell moved while pregnant, leaving familiar surroundings for a city where she did not yet have an established network. Their son, Jayson Christopher Tatum Jr., widely known as Deuce, was born in December 2017. At roughly seventeen years old, she entered motherhood at the same time the father’s professional life accelerated into the national spotlight.
What stands out in later reflections is the speed with which she turned toward formal training. Within weeks of giving birth, she enrolled in cosmetology school. That choice—prioritizing a concrete skill and credential while navigating early parenthood in a new city—set the direction for the professional identity she would build over the following years.
Toriah Lachell – Key Facts
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Toriah Lachell (also referred to as Toriah Mimms / Toriah Lachell Mimms) |
| Date of Birth | February 2000 (sources cite 6th, 20th, or 21st) |
| Birthplace | St. Louis, Missouri, USA |
| Current Base | Boston / Somerville, Massachusetts area |
| Mother | Julie Gibbs |
| Stepfather | John Gibbs |
| High School | McCluer North High School (Florissant, MO) |
| Notable Activities | Varsity soccer and softball |
| Profession | Hairstylist, curl specialist, entrepreneur |
| Business | The Curl Bar Boston |
| Specializations | Natural curly hair; DevaCurl certified; Cut it Kinky alumna; Rezo Cut certified |
| Child | Jayson “Deuce” Christopher Tatum Jr. (born December 2017) |
| Former Partner | Jayson Tatum (NBA, Boston Celtics) |
| Relationship Status | Not together; co-parenting |
| Public Presence | Primarily professional (salon work, client results, curl education) |
| Known For | Founder of The Curl Bar Boston; mother of Jayson Tatum’s son |
Building a Career in Cosmetology and Curl Specialization
Toriah Lachell Cosmetology school provided the foundation. Toriah Lachell did not stop at a general license. She pursued additional certifications specifically relevant to textured and curly hair, including DevaCurl training, work associated with Cut it Kinky, and Rezo Cut certification. These credentials signal a deliberate focus: understanding curl patterns, appropriate cutting techniques, moisture balance, and styling methods that respect natural texture rather than forcing it into unfamiliar shapes.
Specialization matters in a market where many clients with curly or coily hair have experienced services that misunderstood their texture. A stylist who can assess density, porosity, and pattern, then recommend both in-salon techniques and at-home care, offers something distinct from a generalist approach. Lachell’s professional identity formed around that distinction. The work is technical and educational at once—cutting and styling in the chair, then equipping clients to maintain results between visits.
The path from student to working stylist to salon owner is rarely linear. It involves accumulating hours, refining technique, building a client base through results and referrals, and eventually taking on the operational demands of a business. Lachell’s trajectory followed that sequence in the Boston area, culminating in the establishment of a dedicated space for curl-focused services.
The Curl Bar Boston: Creating a Specialized Space
The Curl Bar Boston, located in the Somerville area, reflects a clear concept: a salon environment oriented around natural curly hair. Rather than treating curls as a variation to be managed within a broader menu, the business positions curl care as the central offering. Services emphasize techniques and products suited to different curl types, with an educational component that helps clients understand their own hair.
Running a specialty salon requires more than technical skill. It involves hiring and training staff who share the philosophy, sourcing appropriate products, managing appointments and retail, and creating an atmosphere in which clients feel understood. Community-facing activities, such as block-party style events, have also appeared in the salon’s public activity, suggesting an effort to build local connection beyond individual appointments.
Client results shared through professional social channels—before-and-after images, styling examples, care tips—serve both as portfolio and as soft education. Over time, consistent delivery of specialized work can generate its own reputation. Mentions of notable clients, including public figures who sought out the salon while in Boston, illustrate how word-of-mouth and demonstrated expertise can travel beyond the immediate neighborhood.
Motherhood, Co-Parenting, and Public Attention
Toriah Lachell’s son has grown up with a father who is a prominent professional athlete. Deuce has appeared in public settings connected to the Celtics and has become a recognizable presence to many fans. Throughout, Lachell and TatumRea have maintained a co-parenting arrangement. Public comments from Tatum over the years have emphasized his commitment to his son; Lachell has generally kept family details limited in her own professional channels.
Navigating public interest while raising a child whose other parent is widely known requires boundaries. Lachell’s approach has leaned toward privacy on personal matters and visibility on professional ones. Her social media presence focuses on salon work, client transformations, and occasional community events rather than relationship commentary or lifestyle exposure. That separation allows the business to stand on its own results while reducing the degree to which private family life becomes content.
The early years—adolescent parenthood, relocation, schooling, and the start of a career—formed under conditions that many would find overwhelming. The subsequent years show a pattern of steady professional accumulation: certifications, client relationships, a physical salon, and a recognizable local brand in the curl-care space.
Professional Presence and Measured Visibility
In an era when many people linked to high-profile figures lean into influencer models, Toriah Lachell’s public footprint remains comparatively restrained. Instagram accounts associated with her work function primarily as extensions of the salon—showcasing services, educating on curl care, and marking business milestones. The tone is professional rather than confessional.
This choice has practical advantages. It keeps the brand centered on hair expertise rather than celebrity adjacency. It also preserves personal bandwidth. Running a salon, maintaining technical standards, and raising a child already constitute a full load; adding continuous personal content creation is not a requirement for professional success in a service business grounded in repeat clients and referrals.
At the same time, selective visibility helps the business. Prospective clients researching curl specialists in the Boston area encounter evidence of technique and results. Community events create local goodwill. Occasional high-profile clients add social proof without requiring the stylist herself to cultivate a broader celebrity persona. The balance appears intentional: enough presence to support the business, not so much that the business becomes secondary to a personal brand.
Toriah Lachell’s story begins in St. Louis and takes its defining early turn with young motherhood and a move to Boston. What followed was not a pivot into pure public-facing celebrity but a sustained investment in cosmetology skills, curl-specific training, and the creation of The Curl Bar Boston. She has built a professional identity around serving clients with natural curly hair and educating them in the process.
The public association with Jayson Tatum and their son remains part of how many people first encounter her name. The more durable through-line, however, is the sequence of practical decisions—enrolling in school soon after giving birth, pursuing specialized certifications, opening and operating a focused salon, and keeping personal life largely off-stage. In that sense, her path illustrates a form of quiet determination: using skill and consistency to construct a working life that stands independently of the circumstances that first brought attention.
Conclusion
Toriah Lachell’s path runs from St. Louis roots through early motherhood and a move to Boston, then into formal cosmetology training and the creation of a specialized salon. While public attention first arrived through her connection to Jayson Tatum and their son, the more lasting thread is the steady building of skill, credentials, and a business centered on natural curly hair.
The Curl Bar Boston and her work as a curl specialist reflect deliberate choices: pursue technical depth, serve a specific client need, and keep personal life largely separate from professional visibility. In that combination of focus and restraint, her story illustrates how a career can be constructed through consistent, practical steps rather than through sustained spotlight.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Toriah Lachell?
She is an American hairstylist, curl specialist, and entrepreneur based in the Boston area, known as the founder of The Curl Bar Boston and the mother of Jayson Tatum’s son.
When and where was she born?
She was born in St. Louis, Missouri, in February 2000 (sources vary slightly on the exact day).
What is her connection to Jayson Tatum?
They dated in high school and share a son, Jayson “Deuce” Christopher Tatum Jr., born in December 2017. They are not together and co-parent.
What is The Curl Bar Boston?
It is a salon focused on natural curly hair care and styling, owned by Toriah Lachell and located in the Somerville/Boston area.
What specialized training does she have?
She has pursued curl-specific credentials, including DevaCurl certification and training associated with Cut it Kinky and Rezo Cut techniques.
Does she keep a high public profile?
Her public activity centers mainly on salon work and client results rather than personal or lifestyle content.
Where did she go to high school?
She attended McCluer North High School in the St. Louis area and participated in soccer and softball.
How did she start her career?
She enrolled in cosmetology school in the Boston area shortly after her son’s birth and later added specialized curl certifications before establishing her salon.
Is she active on social media?
Yes. Professional accounts focus on hair services, transformations, and salon-related updates.
What is she primarily known for professionally?
Her work as a curl specialist and the operation of The Curl Bar Boston, a business dedicated to natural curly hair.
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