Still Lovin' It After All These Years! (Volume 6)

 

Over the Back Fence

#6

Renee Rickerson

Still Lovin It After All These Years!

By

Vicki Bishop

 

Meet Renee Rickerson.  You say you already know her?  I sat down recently with Renee and found out there is much more to this long-time Dixon resident than I ever knew.

Renee moved to Dixon from Texas in 1986 to marry Curt Rickerson, a 1978 graduate of Dixon High School.  Curt and Renee are blessed with two children; Ryan and Haley and a Goddaughter, Cherish Faircloth.  Renee’s parents, two brothers and four sisters still live in Texas and have been joined by her daughter Haley who relocated there for employment and to further her education.  Ryan still resides in rural Dixon and works in Saint Robert.

Cosmetology is a very ancient profession, being traced back over 4,000 years.  Renee decided to follow her mother as well as grandmother’s footsteps and studied cosmetology.  Beauty is in her blood.

Her professional career began in Texas working in a high-end salon right out of Cosmetology School.  After relocating, Renee worked in several local salons with her first being Modern Beauty Salon with Anita Cross, Patsy Rollins and Anna Ruth Manes.  She also worked at the Fashion Gallery with Brenda Aaron and Linda Overshon as well as Shear Madness in Saint Robert and with Tonya McMillian at Tonya’s.  In 1991, she opened Renee’s Hair Studio which has enjoyed two different locations in Dixon and is now located in her residence in rural Dixon.  She even remembers which local she gave her first haircut to—John D’Mellow—she still cuts his hair to this day!

In January 2001, Renee’s life changed forever in one moment when she was in a car accident on Highway O at Jones Creek when her car hit a patch of black ice and flipped.  The weather conditions were not good enough for her to be air-flighted, so she was taken by ambulance to Rolla then on to Mercy Hospital in Springfield.  Renee had broken her neck and sustained head injuries that left her in the hospital for several weeks and off work for several months.  The first assessment by medical professionals revealed that she had no feeling in her legs, however after a matter of hours the feeling returned.  Renee, always the professional, said that when the first responders were working on her, she was worried about her clients and what would happen to them rather than being concerned about herself.  Thankfully, she made what is considered a full recovery.

Some years later, as Renee’s daughter Haley was in middle school, Renee rediscovered her love for cosmetics.  When Renee was a young girl, she loved applying makeup to herself and others and dreamed of one day being a Hollywood makeup artist.  She would study hair and make-up fashions in Seventeen Magazine and practice those techniques on others.  When Haley was in high school, Renee began to build a make-up business that we know as Makeup BY Renee’.  Over the years, she has invested thousands of dollars in professional makeup, lights, accessories and equipment. 

Renee is a very talented makeup artist and is in high demand, not just locally but regionally.  She has traveled all over southwest Missouri, Rolla as well as the lake area.  She has even traveled internationally on at least one occasion for a wedding, as well as to Connecticut.    Her brush of perfection is known far and wide.

As if all of this wasn’t enough, Renee is a long-time member of the Dixon Area Chamber of Commerce.  Starting as a volunteer in 1996, then joining as a full-time member in the early 2000s, she is one of the longest standing active members.   Renee finished 2024 as the acting President of the Dixon Area Chamber of Commerce with new officers and board members slated to be elected February 24, 2025.  She has been an active board member for at least 18 years and was a former president in 2019.  You can usually find Renee at most chamber events including Cow Days, trivia nights, pageants, and barbeques.  She has also served as the soccer club secretary, room mom, and judge for a variety of pageants. 

Renee says that after all these years she is “Still Lovin It!”  She still is an active hairdresser in addition to her makeup business.  She is currently working on a skin care line and will soon be remodeling her shop. 

Renee’s Hair Studio is located at 18125 Highway Y, Dixon, MO 65459.  The phone number is 573-759-7515 and private text messages should be sent to 573-433-4252.  You can find her on Facebook and Instagram as: Makeup BY Renee’.

Renee applying makeup to a local resident.

 

Renee with her husband, Curt Rickerson

Renee with other chamber members at Cow Days 2024.

An ad for Renee’s Hair Studio in 1991.

 

 

Renee with her daughter, Haley

 

Ryan Rickerson