Celeste Taylor, Certified hair-replacement specialist

•Job: Managing director and CEO of the Image Center for Hair Loss and Wellness in Lilburn.

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BARRY WILLIAMS / Special

Celeste Taylor is director and CEO of the Image Center for Hair Loss and Wellness. ‘Hair loss is devastating, but it doesn’t have to wreck your life,’ she said.

•What I do: “As a licensed cosmetologist and a certified hair-replacement specialist, I custom design nonsurgical hair-replacement hair systems for clients with all types of hair loss and diseases that affect the skin and scalp.

“As a certified Look Good…Feel Better instructor for the American Cancer Society, I conduct free classes for cancer patients to give them tips on skin and scalp care.”

•What got me interested in this: “I began cutting hair when I was 12. When I was 18, my mom was going through treatment for breast and lung cancer. The wigs were all synthetic and looked like Barbie-doll hair. No one knew how to cut and style them, so I did it for my mom…

“My life’s mission is to continue to learn, teach, motivate and help women with hair loss, cancer, alopecia and lupus, because so many in my family suffered from these diseases.”

•Best part of my job: “When I can make a client smile. They come in so sad, but then I start showing them pictures of what we can do, and you see relief and hope in their faces. I ask them, ‘Would you like to be a redhead? Now’s the time,’ to get them laughing.”

•Most challenging part: “When you work with someone who doesn’t survive, that’s hard. Helping a client make the decision to shave her head before her hair comes out in her hands is hard, too. Sometimes you cry with your clients.”

•What people don’t know about my job: “I take a holistic approach to hair loss, and work with doctors and other consultants to focus on both a person’s inner health and outer appearance. I will cut and style a cancer patient’s wig for free and also do makeup and fashion consulting.

“I’ve had hair loss three times myself and I know how emotional it is. You can buy hair; self-esteem is harder to come by. Hair loss is devastating, but it doesn’t have to wreck your life.”

•What keeps me going: “I just want to make people happy. When I read about new research, therapies and products to help cancer patients, I wish those had been around for my mom. When I do Look Good…Feel Better classes, it’s therapy for me, because I know I’m helping others.”

•Preparation needed: In Georgia, you need to be a licensed cosmetologist. Diploma programs are offered at technical colleges and private institutions. The American Cancer Society trains and certifies volunteers for the Look Good…Feel Better program.

•Salary range: $40,000 and higher, depending on experience, skills and the market.

— By Laura Raines, Pulse editor. Got an interesting job that you love? E-mail your story to pulseeditor@ajc.com.