“Entrepreneurship runs in my family,” says Shiva Tavakoli, half of the Joon Haircare duo. She and her brother, Kayvon Tavakoli, were inspired by their father, grandmother, and their summers in Tehran to start their brand.
The duo’s claim to fame is the Joon Saffron Hair Elixir, featured in Allure Magazine as one of the “best hair oils of 2017,” made of saffron, pistachio, rose, and pomegranate.
“Joon” means “dear” or “life” in Persian. Many use it to express a sentiment of fondness, adding it to the name of someone close. “You want to take care of yourself, so your hair is like your joon,” explains Shiva.
Shiva and Kayvon Tavakoli inspired by their heritage to create Joon Haircare
Shiva Tovakali own 51% of the company and works full-time with Joon. On the other hand, her her brother works part-time with Joon and dedicates the rest of his time to the other family haircare business, their father’s.
“Joon Haircare pairs ancient Persian secrets with modern chemistry,” Shiva tells Cosmetics Design. “We were inspired by summers spent with our Persian grandparents. Our grandpa ran a spice and her exporting company, and our grandma used these same Persian ingredients in her cooking and beauty rituals.”
“Joon is a haircare line inspired by my Persian grandparents, but it’s more than just about being another brand. It’s really an immigrant story, an underdog story about celebrating your history — whether you come from Mexico or the Midwest,” Shiva explains the significance of the brand as a whole. “It’s about celebrating your story and pushing past boundaries, hardships, borders, or stereotypes.”
The brand focuses on direct-to-consumer sales, as well as stocking salons, and targets those who are typically underrepresented in the beauty industry, despite being members of a growing demographic.
Joon Haircare: a natural continuation of the family business
The siblings produce their elixir in their father’s laboratory. Frank Tavakoli immigrated to Houston at the tender age of 17, and built a haircare laboratory and at one point owned 150 salons in the area. He also established the cosmetic firms Shiva Labs and 21st Centruy Laboratory. The pair have worked for their father since a young age, learning about both business and hair care.
“I’m really fascinated by different cultures and the ingredients people use in different cultures…” Shiva says. “I started with my own culture and that led to Joon.”
But the brand does not just want to cater to and serve a diverse user base. It also encourages the exposure of these demographics. “We also seek to highlight diverse women who have still been underserved in the beauty space,” explains Shiva. “I grew up not seeing anyone who looked like me in pop culture or the beauty industry. So I hope to change that.”
Quality ingredients lead to high quality results
“There are lines for Caucasian hair and African-American hair, but there was nothing really marketed to people with the hair types of Middle Eastern, Hispanic and Asian people. I felt there was a real need,” Shiva explains.
The Tavakoli siblings get the ingredients used in the elixir from ancient Iranian recipes. For example, saffron, a spice “worth more than its weight in gold,” strengthens hair. Meanwhile, pistachio moisturizes and rose smooths and adds shine.
Explore Joon’s haircare offerings here.
