Congratulations to Zoë for being the winner of the title of our first Beauty Boss of the Month, after being nominated by Elgon Professional UK!

After congratulating her on being the first winner, we asked Zoë a few questions about herself so that we could all get to know her better...

How did you get into hairdressing?

I have been in the hair industry for 8 years now and I continue to further my education all the time. I love attending seminars and salon shows to bring my clients the latest on trend looks.

I began my hairdressing career from work experience whilst in school, where we would choose where we’d like to spend the week. From this the salon asked if I’d like a Saturday job, which I absolutely loved, so I then decided not to bother with 6th form and jumped straight into a full time apprenticeship, salon based.

I then went on to work in a few local salons once qualified and took this experience with me when I went off travelling to Australia for 7 months. I worked in a few salons out there and gained much more experience before coming back and hiring a chair within a salon. After this point I went on to build my own studio...

Before the first lockdown in 2019 I was hiring a chair within a salon. Lockdown commenced in March 2019 and this gave me the push I needed. My dream was to have my very own salon one day but the best option if we were to be in and out of lockdowns again was to build my own studio in the garden - so that’s exactly what I did.

The salon began being built during the summer time in 2019 and was ready for the grand opening in November the same year. We recently celebrated the salons 1-year anniversary in which we held a party to thank all of my loyal clients for continuing to support me over the years. Building my own salon was the best decision I’ve ever made - I also get to spend time with Marnie, the fluffiest and loveliest member of our team!

What was the most surprising part of the job?

The most surprising part of the job would have to be the transformations I create. When I get clients in who may have been box dying their hair or had disasters at other salons. It’s always amazing to see the before and after and see the clients faces glow up at how happy they are with their new look. 

Some colour corrections may take a few sittings and I always explain this to clients but there are times where we’ve smashed the transformation in one sitting and that’s always a nice surprise for the client too!

What has been your favourite client request?

I do always love it when I have a client ask for a brighter/bolder colour. I’ve created some stunning pinks and coppers. It’s always nice when the client just says ‘do what you fancy it’ll look better than what it is now’ haha!

What are your favourite colour/cutting techniques?

My favourite colour technique has to be a balayage! To achieve this I go in with a full head of baby lights, rinse then apply a root tap blended into a toner. This has to be my ultimate fave - the seamless blend I just LOVE.

Talk us through your average day…

An average day for me is getting up at 5am and hitting the gym which gives me a burst of energy to start the day. My first client is 8.30am and it’s literally one in one out non stop all day long which I love and am super grateful I’m so busy. 

I tend to finish at 5pm and work a little later on a Thursday. I work Monday to Saturday and take a Sunday off to recover!

Where do you get your inspiration?

My hair inspiration who I follow on Instagram are Tia Lambourn @tialambourne_education, Philip Foresto @philipforesto, The Hair painters @hairpainters and The Blonde Chronicles @the.blonde.chronicles.

What advice or tips would you give others?

My advice for others would be to always keep progressing by going on courses to gain more knowledge and skills.

Explore different salons and products. 

Go to hair shows to stay motivated and keep up with the latest trends. The last hair show I attended was Salon International in London back in October. The day from start to finish was epic! Lots of new products were out and available to purchase, different stands and shows to watch and chat to well known people in the industry. 

My tips would be to always give a good service from that moment your client enters your salon door to the minute they leave. Every step of the service will make such an impact on your client. You want to ensure they leave the salon feeling good about themselves. You want them to love their hair so much that they will be telling all their friends about you. And always remember to ask them if they would kindly leave a review for you!

What are your hopes/plans for the future?

To keep learning new skills and techniques; staying up to date with the latest looks out! 

To expand as a business by hiring a Salon Assistant/Social Media Expert. I have recently launched my own brush & comb collection and I hope to create more exciting products to add to my own collection later this year. 

I have recently started doing the hair for influencers on Instagram and I hope to do more shoots and collabs with big names to get my name out there.

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Beauty Boss of the Month is our monthly feature to build each other up and praise all success stories, no matter how small! Super stylist, Hard working Nail Tech, Amazing Apprentice, Fantastic New Salon...

Do you know someone who, after all our industry has been through over the last 2 years, is totally bossin' it?!

Contact us to nominate them, we would love to do a feature on them!