Today we’d like to introduce you to Joy Ikpe.
Hi Joy, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I am a native Houstonian, born in Alief before my family moved to Sugar Land. During undergrad, I relocated to the D.C./Maryland/Virginia (DMV) area, where I earned a degree in Civil Engineering from Howard University. Interestingly, I began my college career on a pre-med track with dreams of becoming a sports medicine physician. However, I quickly realized my low tolerance for blood and wounds, which led me to lean into my strengths in math and science. I ultimately chose Civil Engineering because I loved how the field impacts our everyday lives—from the roads we travel and the water we drink to the buildings that shape our communities.
After working in the engineering sector in the D.C. area, I returned to Houston to be closer to family. In total, I spent over a decade working as an Engineer before eventually pivoting into the Technology space.
Running parallel to my professional career was a lifelong passion for hair and beauty. This interest began in high school, but it really took off in college when I couldn’t find stylists on the East Coast who met the standards I was accustomed to in the South. I started doing my own hair, and soon, friends and classmates began asking for my help. I continued styling hair on the side throughout my undergraduate years and my early engineering career, finding joy in the creativity and the deep connections I built with the women I worked with.
When I moved back to Houston around 2013, the wig industry was gaining major momentum. I taught myself the craft of hand-making wigs and revived the sewing skills I had learned in a high school home economics class to transition into machine-made designs. Once people saw the pieces I created for myself, the requests poured in, and Nubi Hair Designs, LLC was officially born.
My journey has been defined by following these two parallel paths—the technical discipline of engineering and the artistic expression of hair design. Today, I have found my “happy middle,” and I am proud to be known as the Hair Engineer.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road. Balancing a demanding career in engineering while scaling a beauty business has been a constant exercise in endurance. Both fields require intense mental and physical commitment, and there were many moments where the juggle felt overwhelming.
One of the biggest hurdles was adapting to the shift in customer expectations. In engineering, success is objective—you meet the specification, solve the problem, and you’re done. In the beauty industry, success is deeply subjective. I learned quickly that even with meticulous work, a client’s vision might differ from the final result. This forced me to pivot, embrace humility, and master the art of navigating client expectations—a skill set that felt entirely foreign compared to my technical background.
What has kept me going is a refusal to quit and a commitment to constant improvement. My engineering training taught me how to be a methodical problem-solver and how to remain calm under pressure. I apply those same analytical tools to the beauty space, continuously refining my craft to provide better results. Ultimately, I take immense pride in the process: the willingness to start over when necessary, the commitment to sharpening my skills, and the joy of empowering and beautifying women through my work with every step forward.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Nubi Hair Designs (NHD) is my wig and hair extensions business — born out of a lifelong passion for hair and beauty, combined with a hands-on, craftsman’s approach I picked up long before I ever touched a wig, from doing my own hair to over a decade as an engineering professional.
We specialize in all things hair design — bridal/formal hairstyling, wigs and hair extensions. What sets us apart is the combination of craftsmanship and personal attention to detail. Beauty is subjective — every client comes in with a picture in their head, and my job is to translate that into something real, adjusting and refining until it’s right. I bring an engineer’s problem-solving mindset to that process: patient, detail-oriented, and committed to getting it right, not just getting it done.
What I’m most proud of, brand-wise, is that NHD started as something genuine — people noticing my own hair and asking who did it — and grew into a business built entirely on that trust. It wasn’t manufactured as a brand first; it became one because the work spoke for itself.
When you come to Nubi Hair Designs, you’re not just getting a wig or extensions — you’re getting something crafted with real skill and attention to your specific look. I never stop refining my craft, because my goal is simple: help women feel beautiful and confident in their hair.
What matters most to you?
What matters most to me is empowering women through my craft. I believe a woman’s hair is her crown and glory (1 Corinthians 11:15), and I take that seriously in everything I do. My commitment is to help every woman feel beautiful, confident, and aware that she has unlimited options when it comes to how she wears her hair.
That commitment is why I never stop sharpening my skills and pursuing excellence. Every detail matters to me because the payoff isn’t just a finished look — it’s the smile on a woman’s face when she sees herself reflected back exactly how she imagined, or better. That moment is my ultimate satisfaction, and it’s what drives me to keep growing in this craft.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.nubiHD.com
- Instagram: @nubihair
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100017942595889
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nubihairdesigns
