We were lucky to catch up with Kyia Jones recently and have shared our conversation below.

Kyia , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Looking back on your career, have you ever worked with a great leader or boss? We’d love to hear about the experience and what you think made them such a great leader.

The first time I assisted anyone, was with Natalie Harrison in Brooklyn, NY on Flatbush Avenue. I was an eager high school senior who loved doing hair and enjoyed every moment with her. Natalie was sweet, professional, patient, helpful, extremely giving, and taught me so much in such a short amount of time. She was the perfect example of a young, independent Caribbean hairstylist who set her own hours, consistently had a full book, managed her time and clients well, and paid things forward. She was always clear with her expectations but showed understanding and grace if I made a mistake. I believe that Natalie recognized my passion for hair and took pride in cultivating that. She is a huge part of my foundation as a hairstylist and many, if not most of the things she taught and instilled in me, I still implement 17 years later. Natalie always treated me more like family and I am forever grateful for the role she played in life and my career. I definitely wouldn’t be the hairstylist I am today without Natalie and I hope I can have an impact on someone else the way she has had on me.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY and even though I have been licensed for ten years, I have been doing hair for about twenty. I am well versed in all textures, but specialize in highly textured hair and wigs/hair extensions. I mainly work in the fashion and advertising industry, but see personal clients part time. I have recently become a member of the local 798 IATSE and am currently studying to become a Trichologist. I showed major interest in hairstyling at a very young age. As a result, I learned basic braiding before I even started school. With the help of family and friends I was able to practice and improve my skills throughout my adolescent and teenage years. I was fortunate enough to have gotten experience in different salons while I was in undergrad, and with the help of a cousin who is a manicurist, gain exposure into the fashion world. After graduating college, I enrolled and completed cosmetology school, and went on to work for a few different salons and “at home salon service” companies. I was always interested in working in the fashion industry and took a chance at freelancing with the help of my cousin and a website called model mayhem. Networking has always been a huge part of my career and I have gotten majority of my work through referrals. Since completing beauty school ten years ago, I have worked on countless fashion shows and sets, traveled to different parts of the world on advertising jobs, worked in haircare product sales, successfully maintained salon clientele, worked in tv and film, and assisted some of the best hairstylists in the industry. I find it very important to be well rounded so I continue to educate myself on different and new techniques in my field. I also continue to assist certain hairstylists because I believe that there is always something to be learned. It has always been my mission to instill confidence and provide a sense of comfort to whoever sits my chair no matter what the job. I believe that my passion, personality, and my willingness to learn and improve have carried me and will continue to carry me throughout my career. I am extremely grateful for all of the amazing people I have learned from, for past experiences, all the connections I’ve made, and I look forward to what will come in the future.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

One of the most rewarding aspects of being an artist or creative is being able to get paid for something you absolutely love and elevating confidence at the same time. While there are times that may be difficult and cause stress, there is something special about waking up everyday and enjoying what you do for a living. Especially now that I have some control over what I choose to do, I feel very lucky to be able to really like what I do and who I do it with. My love and passion is what keeps me going when things do become frustrating, and while I love styling and creating things with hair, I live for making people feel good about themselves.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

My first salon job right out of beauty school (which was my fourth salon job ever) was an eye opening experience. I had met the owner while still enrolled in cosmetology school and looked up to her for many reasons. I was so eager to learn as much as I could and form a relationship with the owner. I was very excited and hopeful going into that assisting position but once I started working there my experiences were not what I expected. At the time I didn’t feel welcomed, or supported. And there were many situations that led me to believe that the staff wasn’t interested in teaching me anything. There were a few instances where incorrect information about me was told to the owner and I was not allowed to defend myself and my word didn’t mean anything. It had gotten to the point that I hated going to work and I questioned doing something that I had loved since childhood. In the end, even though I took the first opportunity I got to go to another salon, I definitely retained all of the things I learned while working there. From product information and haircare techniques, to salon etiquette and how to NOT treat people, staff, and assistants. Although this experience was hard and made me second guess my career choice, I am grateful for what I learned and for the challenges that they presented. I believe that this was the beginning of building my tough skin.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Kyiajoneshair

Image Credits
Charles Amos, Stacey Ciceron, James Pecis, Ruven Afanador, Odile Gilbert, Dark & Lovely, Oribe