Doris Ike grew up in rural Virginia, and spent a lot of her childhood on her uncle’s farm. In addition to tending to the land and the cows, her uncle was a part-time hairdresser. People loved to sit in his chair not only for the haircut, but also for his common-sense wisdom. He always had a story to
tell.
Seeing the way her uncle cut hair inspired Ms. Ike, and at that young age
she decided to become a beautician. And that was her destiny. Doris moved
to Washington DC, completed a beautician training and ended up as an
apprentice to Jean Paul, who styled Jacqueline Kennedy’s hair. “I picked up
a lot of skills with Jean Paul,” says Ms. Ike, “especially shampooing skills. I
was so good that everyone wanted me to shampoo their hair.”
All those skills served Ms. Ike well when she opened her own salon on
Benning Road in 1973. The Curly Que Beauty Salon became a social hub for
the community. People would bring their whole families for their hair and
the social banter. Ms. Ike was welcoming to everyone, following her own
teaching that “if you want a friend, be a friend”.
After retirement, Ms. Ike continued to bring joy into people’s lives by
volunteering at the VA hospital as a receptionist. She created quite a fuss as
she always came in well dressed, with an impressive head of hair. “I always
used to tell people that you should look your best to be your best.”
