It all started with a collection plate distributed at the church. The dream of becoming a school principal turned into becoming a hairdresser when Styles saw his roommate’s big monetary offer fall on the plate.
It was then that he decided to make hair his strong point. From there, he got the training and license to press and style full time. In 2001, Styles began his hairdressing career in Atlanta at Nseya Salon and Spa, where he had his own chair.
It was while in Atlanta, just on a normal winter day in December, that he was personally approached by Beyonce to do his hair for the January 2009 cover of She magazine.
Beyonce had seen the work he had done on another woman while the two were getting their nails done and wanted something similar done with her hair. That same weekend in December 2008, Beyonce made an appointment with Styles and flew to Nseya.
“She decided to use my hairstyle in the magazine, so that’s how it went,” he says. “I never thought that in a million years I’d be working with her, and she was like, ‘Oh, I liked what you did,’ and we took it from there.”
A plaque of gratitude from the superstar sits in a corner of the lounge, but the experience was like he was just with another customer. Despite her status, he says she was not a diva.
“She and I were singing together, having fun,” he says. “I really didn’t realize, I mean for me, that she wasn’t a celebrity. She was just someone I was doing my hair.
Styles are regularly caught singing and dancing in her living room around clients, which says a lot about her enthusiasm for work.
“To be honest, all of my clients are celebrities,” he says.
Overwhelmed by Atlanta’s saturated living room scene, he returned to Dallas five years ago and lives in Oak Cliff.
Not far from Deep Ellum, Styles’ living room sits next to a historic red-brick cathedral. There’s just something about the vibe that sets it apart from Atlanta.
“Dallas is my home, and there are definitely more opportunities in Dallas,” he said. “I like the vibe, old and new. I like the way they renovate old neighborhoods.
