Dr. June Jones

In the 32 years that she’s owned June’s House of Styles, Dr. June Jones has yet to meet a head of hair that she couldn’t whip into a gorgeous mane fit for a magazine cover. A native Paducahan, Jones has shared tips of the tress trade with a good many stylists. These days, she focuses her ministry on — and helps rebuild the confidence of — those who’ve lost or are losing their hair.

Dr. June Jones, you’re not only cute, cute, cute — you’re foxy, foxy, foxy! No doubt about it! Is it really true that you’ve never met a head of hair that you couldn’t handle?
Yes, pretty much. I try not to look at it from the negative. I can make lemonade out of lemons. To me, everybody has great hair. It’s what you put in it to enhance it.

When did you start experimenting with hair?
I’ve been fooling with friends’ hair since I was a child. And I was always cutting my dolls’ hair. They were bald by the time I got through!

In school, my mother wanted me to take business, but that wasn’t me. I visited the cosmetology department every chance I got and finally switched. I just loved every aspect of it.

And you opened your own shop?
I opened June’s House of Styles Beauty and Barber Salon 32 years ago. I’ve seen a lot of salons open and close their doors, so for us to have stayed around here 32 years doing what we do, we’re very proud of that.

Are you super booked?
Some days I don’t see but one or two clients, but other days I’m swamped. I work Wednesday to Saturday unless someone calls, and then I’ll go in. I have clients who come from throughout the tri-state area.

Congratulations your doctorate degree!
Thank you. I got my doctorate degree in hair in 2006 through the National Beauty Culturists League. I’m the first vice president of the State of Kentucky Congress of Cosmetologists. I used to compete, but now that I’m over the division for state competition, I don’t compete anymore. I do a lot of teaching on the side to help hairdressers get their continuing education credit hours.

Do you like to teach?
I love to teach. If it’s just one-on-one, I don’t charge — it’s my form of giving back. Almost anybody who is working in this city has worked in my salon. Girls who have left my salon, they still call me and say, “June, can you show me how to do such-and-such?” It makes me feel good that they have confidence in me and want to use something I have instilled in them.

It seems like doing hair would be a really hard job.
It is hard. Doing hair is a talent that you either receive from God or you don’t, and it’s often passed down from generation to generation. My daughter works with me.

And my grandbaby has been doing hair since she was 2. She’s 10 now. She would sit up under my booth and we would do bonding using dummy heads. Now she’s braiding. She even braids some of her classmates’ hair. Of course she does not charge. I have taught her to cut hair to a degree.

When you look at a client, can you tell right away what you need to do?
Just yesterday, someone came in all frowns and I said, “You’re going to be smiling when you leave here today.” When she left, her hair was down and flipped — she looked great and she was very happy. I like to instill self-confidence. Even if I’m having a bad day, my clients will never know.

What hairstyles do you hate to do?
The updos with a lot of gel and spray and spritz. I hate ’em. It takes too much time and you don’t make any money doing them. And plus, when you touch the hair, your hand bounces off. The girls in my salon will spend two to three hours doing one head of hair while I will have done two or three clients. I will do updos, but I don’t like them.

Tell us about your Hollywood connections!
My cousin Cory Hardrict is on Lincoln Heights, and he’s engaged to marry Tia of the twins, Tia and Tamera Mowry, next April. I’ve got to go out two days prior. He said, “Auntie,” — he calls me Auntie but I really am his cousin — “I want you to come in and cook us something,” because out in California, they eat air. In the midwest, we cook food. So I said yes, but only if I can go to the salon when Tia gets her hair done for the wedding. So that’s our agreement.

Which celebrities have the best hair?
Beyonce, definitely. And I like how Tyra Banks changes her hair all the time. They both wear a lot of lace front pieces — all those pieces are professionally attached, which anyone can wear. People think that celebrity hair is out of reach, but I’m discovering that these items are now available and affordable for everyone.

You mean you can do those kinds of pieces?
Definitely. I asked God for a ministry and he gave me a ministery in helping cancer patients, women who are losing their hair through menopause and people with alopecia. Anyone having trouble with their hair — especially with thinning — I can help with weaves, bonding and a lot of other things. We even have front lace pieces for men. When you can help people with their hair, it gives them their self-confidence back.

Your Autumn Fashion and Hairstyle Extravaganza show in October was incredible! Great energy, great music, great models — great hair!
My vision was to pull in different entities. I featured hair stylist Tameka Southward because she’s new in the city. Everyone brought their own clothes. We did men in suits and they walked in to the song, It’s Raining Men, to show that you don’t have to wear your pants up under your behind. We had children, we had “Over 40, Fabulous, Still Foxy and Sexy.” It was our fundraiser for the year for the Paducah Beauty Club, which is part of the National Beauty Culturists League.

If anyone is fabulous, still foxy and sexy at any age, it’s definitely you! How’s your love life?
I don’t have a love life. Men don’t approach me. They see me, but they don’t approach me. I guess they know I don’t want a financially challenged person. I can be financially challenged by myself. If you don’t have something to bring to the table, there’s no need to approach me anyway. I work too hard!

I hear ya, sister! Besides being financially secure, what other qualities are important to you?
I like a church-going man, a man who treats his mother well or has treated his mother well. I want a man who likes to have fun, dance, travel and party a bit. And I want it to be easy — someone who’s easy to talk to. A man who likes to cook. I love to cook. I also want a non-smoker. If somebody smokes, I don’t want to say, “You can’t do that.” I just don’t want to deal with you. And I don’t want a lush-head drinker.

If it’s the right person, God’s going to show me that.

Where do you worship?
Ninth Street Tabernacle. I’ve been active with the choir at different points in time. But I’m ready to find someone. My main thing was earning my doctorate of cosmetology. Now I’m beginning to release some time so I can say, “OK Lord, I’m getting ready now.” I’m trying to prepare myself for somebody.

What if you meet a great guy but he has really bad hair?
Would he know I’m a hair stylist?

Yes.
Then I’d say, “Why don’t you come in and see what I can do?”

What if he says he likes his hair just fine the way it is?
I’d say, “Well I don’t.” I’m at a point in my life that I’m not going to waste time. If it’s not going anywhere, there’s no need. I’m 55 years old. Dating is so crazy now. What are you finding when you talk to other single people?

That dating is hard for everyone, even though everybody’s open to meeting someone special.
Well, I’m just looking for someone who will love me for me, even with all my idiosyncrasies — and I, his.

Dr. Jones, if you think Over 40, Fabulous, Still Foxy and Sexy are idiosyncrasies, you might wanna sharpen your styling scissors! Now that your romance door is open, it will be raining men in your styling chair any minute!

---