Meet Mikka Arrington | Owner and Hair Stylist, Mikka Arrington Salon

We had the good fortune of connecting with Mikka Arrington and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Mikka, can you talk to us a bit about the social impact of your business?
I have committed to using my platform for bridging gaps between races; creeds; religions; ages; sexualities; etc. by learning to do hair. Not just the textures that belong to my race/culture/creed, but learning to LOVE ALL of the fabrics of hair. My family is multicultural, so I refuse to be a segregated salon! I proudly service women who wear hijab; Hispanic; Black; White; Asian, including but not limited to Middle Eastern; Women and Men (though I am not a Barber, nor do I possess Barbering skills); members of the LGBTQ+ Community; Children; I also service children and adults with special needs…I have clients as young as 24 months to a client in her late 80’s…I work on textures that range from coils to waves; relaxed and naturally straight. I just love that I never get bored!

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
The most important factor behind my success is my belief in God and my dedication to using my downtime/slow business days to work on my brand. I update my website; post pictures on my site; Google; Yelp and other social media platforms, showing that my business is an all-inclusive/diverse one without gender/racial/sexual biases.

I have been a licensed Cosmetologist for over 20 years. I studied at Reuben-Allen College in Knoxville, TN and spent the first years of my career working at one of the many salons owned by Ross Badgett III, President/Founder/Owner of Reuben-Allen College and R&Co (Ross the Boss & Company). While working at R&Co (Turkey Creek location), I had the amazing opportunity to work next to and learn from 4 of the most knowledgeable ABCH’s (American Board Certified Hair Colorists). I also attended several Continuing Education Courses that were taught by Master Colorists and Creative Hair Designers from R&Co as well as Redken NYC.
The past 10+ years of my career have been spent here in Houston, Texas where I have proudly expressed my unique and creative cuts and coloring techniques at Michaelyndon Salon (the former Galleria area location). While working for Michael Johnston, at Michaelyndon, I was afforded the incredible opportunity to attend even more Continuing Education Courses taught by some of the world’s most renowned Stylists, Colorists and Educators (i.e. Kim Vo (Schwarzkopf Educator), Phillip Wilson, Ivan Zoot (Andis Educator), Tyler Colton (Schwarzkopf Educator) just to name a few)!! I have done hair and makeup for two films (independently); a local morning show called Great Day Houston and I have also done hair and makeup for the Aniece Parker/Gene Locke 2010 Mayoral Debate’s Moderator Panel, allowing me to broaden my talents, increase my skill level and lengthen my Hair Stylist Resume.
The time spent at Michaelydon will forever be cherished! It was here that I was able to acquire and maintain the diverse clientele that I had dreamed of since Beauty School. It was also here that I forged relationships with some of the most influential collogues, that I would never have met otherwise. It was also here that I met my husband. Well, not here here but I was working here when I had a very bad car accident that my husband, who at the time, was working as a patrol officer and was the responding officer to my crash (he is now a Homicide Detective, thankful I didn’t meet him under his current job title LOL!!)
Less than a year after meeting my husband, I moved to Cypress (where he lived), while attempting to maintain my employment at Michaelyndon, located an hour away, at the Galleria location…that would prove to be too hard to do with the ongoing 290/610 construction. So with a heavy heart, I ended my employment and went to work at a European Wax Center (the worst 4 months of my life) while I figured out my next move. During my 4 month salon hiatus, I had clients from Michaelyndon that would call me to see where I was working so they could come and get their hair done. I accommodated clients with haircuts and hair color at some of their homes and a few at my home until the pressures of being a professional, being reduced to a “kitchen beautician” began to weigh heavy on me. So with a tightly gripped pen (white-knuckling), a shaky voice and the promise of only a few clients that would make the drive, I signed my first lease for a salon suite in Houston’s Copperfield area. I worked there for 4 years (the building had mold issues from Hurricane Harvey that the landlords were not willing to acknowledge/fix) before moving to my current location, almost 5 years ago, in the Fairfield suburb of Cypress. Where I PROUDLY display my unique and creative talents to an even more diverse clientele, while praying for the right opportunity to move into Mikka Arrington Salon’s permanent brick and mortar/storefront location!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Pre-pandemic, I would take my friend to LA Fisherman for some crab legs (they only have indoor seating). Then I would take them to get some great daquiri’s, in my neck of the woods, at this spot called 504 Stylez Daiquiris and Mo, that one of my vendors just opened up in Copperfield, I’d also take them to Tiny Boxwoods because it’s outdoors and gorgeous. We’d do a lot of eating, obviously but maybe some shopping in between.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’ve always had a love of arts and crafts, thanks to Ms. Jean at Vacation Bible School at my hometown church. Even now, at almost 50 years of age, I have an office/craft room. I love creating things with my hands. For sure my Granny, who I would go see almost every summer in Tennessee! She was a Hair Stylist, or as she called it, a Beautician; she owned her own salon in Kingston, Tennessee (Liggett Beauty Salon). I should also thank Alopecia! If it weren’t for losing my hair from Alopecia Areata, I wouldn’t have dropped out of college to pursue an education in Cosmetology. I wanted and needed to understand why my hair was coming out and to hopefully make it come back (the kind I have is an autoimmune disease, I can’t make it come back). Instead, I fell madly in love with doing hair. Making women fall in love with their own hair was an added bonus!

Website: https://www.mikkaarringtonsalon.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mikka.arrington.salon/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Mikka.Arrington.Salon

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/mikka-arrington-salon-cypress?osq=mikka+arrington+salon

Image Credits
Photo Cred: Mikka by Mikka Arrington Salon