Today we’d like to introduce you to Iyona Barnes.
Hi Iyona, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I knew I always had a passion for doing hair. Ever since I was younger, I always wanted to do my family member’s hair. But I never took it seriously. I would play with my mannequin heads and my dolls and act like they were my clients. It was in May of 2020 when quarantine peaked, and I wanted to get serious about perfecting my craft and providing hair services. I noticed many stylists were not doing hair at the time for the safety of their clients and themselves. However, I took the risk and created “ChynnasChair.” At the beginning of my journey, business was slow, but I always had my friends and family supporting me. With more exposure throughout the months, business started to increase, and by the end of 2020, going into January 2021, everyone in Baltimore knew me as the stylist who does “perfect” loc.
In the summer of 2021, I had to take a break to focus on ending my senior year of high school and getting into college. Throughout the rest of that year, I focused on “ChynnasChair – The Rebrand,” where my focus shifted from locs and braids to hair extension services and ponytails. I rebranded my business in March of 2023, and the support and clientele are still there like I never left. Now, ChynnasChair focuses on providing Luxury Hair Services that can be affordable and allow women to have a relaxing hair experience while sitting in their chairs. I want women to feel more confident than they were before once they leave my chair.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The journey has not been smooth at all. Some of the struggles I have dealt with was building my clientele. When I first started in June of 2020, gaining clientele was very hard, not only because we were at the peak of a pandemic but because I was new in the industry, and women don’t play about their hair. I had to remain consistent and promote myself daily to get to where I am today.
I have also dealt with imposter syndrome. I am a perfectionist, so when I first started to gain actual clients, I felt that I wasn’t good enough to stay in the hair industry because my work wasn’t turning out how I wanted it. So, I wanted to give up before I even got situated. Even though everyone around me was saying it was perfect, I just couldn’t see it yet. However, practice makes perfect, and here I am today!
Lastly, with being successful at such a young age, there were many misunderstandings with potential clients, trying to organize with providing services and being in school, and expanding my business with having a suite. Ultimately, I have learned a lot throughout my challenges, and I wouldn’t trade them for anything in the world because it has made me a better business owner.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a professional hairstylist in Baltimore, Maryland, and Greensboro, North Carolina (North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University). I provide luxury hair services that include sew-ins, glue-ins, and ponytails. I also provide luxury hair extensions which are 100% Raw Indian Hair in lengths starting from 16 inches to 30 inches.
I specialize in High-Quality Quick-Weaves, a 100% glue-less install that mimics the look of a traditional sew-in without the tension. The benefits of the style are that no glue is on the client’s natural hair, it can last longer than a month with proper care, and the hair extensions are reusable after the takedown.
I am most proud of not giving up on myself or my clients. When I was taking my break from my hair while I was in school, I felt very discouraged about starting my business back up. I was very stressed and didn’t feel like providing quality services. I know I could’ve. Once I got out of that funk, I was ready to pour back into my clients the same way they were pouring into me, which is what I am most proud of.
My passion and dedication to providing quality hair services to my clients set me apart from others. I know how it feels when hair appointments start feeling like a chore and you can never fulfill your top-quality hair experience. I make it my goal for my client’s appointments to feel relaxing as possible and to bring nothing but themselves. Booking an appointment shouldn’t have to feel like another “to do” but more of an “I can’t wait!”
What matters most to you? Why?
What matters the most to me is making women feel comfortable and happy with their hair as soon as the service is finished. I know what it feels like to go home and fix your hair after paying a hairstylist.
I never want my clients to feel that their service wasn’t fulfilled when getting your hair done is supposed to be a relaxing and fulfilling experience. I want to enhance my client’s confidence not only on the outside but on the inside.
When you feel good, you do good. That’s the ultimate goal when my clients leave my chair.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://chynnaschairscheduling.as.me/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chynnaschair/
