Want to see the world?

If anyone fancies working abroad, read this article by Rachael Gibson from HJi 

Expert Advice for Hairdressers Working Abroad

Working abroad is an exciting opportunity for any hairdresser, providing the opportunity to fly the flag for British hairdressing internationally while boosting your profile on a global stage.

But presenting to an international audience isn’t all 5* hotels, sell-out audiences and high-profile shows. Here, we speak to three hairdressers who spend their lives presenting abroad to find out the reality behind travelling the world with work.

Skyler McDonald, seanhanna, Putney

Where have you presented internationally?

Europe (everywhere!), New York, Las Vegas, Malaysia, Mumbai, Bahrain, Dubai, Australia

What do you enjoy most about presenting abroad?

I love connecting with different audiences. It is always exciting working with different teams and every country has its own unique vibe.

How difficult is it to scout models when you’re abroad?

I think finding models is always hard and finding models that reflect our brand values is always the challenge. But with thought and perseverance, we usually do OK

Is it hard to get models who are willing to undertake the transformations you’re planning when you’re working abroad – especially if there’s a language barrier? 

This really does depend on the country I am working in. I found the Middle East quite challenging getting co operative models. But in Europe this is usually not a problem.

How difficult is it to get all the kit you need out with you?

It’s definitely getting harder – airlines are far more strict with their weight allowances than they used to be, even a couple of years ago. I do have to put more thought into how we deal with this. I try and get my team to travel as light as possible so we can all share the weight allowances for products, tools and styling. 

Do you have any top tips for hairdressers who might be travelling abroad to work for the first time?

Clearly agree everything upfront. If you want full control over your models make sure you say this – if you don’t, you might find that the company you’re working with has organised your models for you. Even things like excess baggage can be problematic; it’s important to agree what is acceptable and who is responsible before you sign any agreement. 

You also need to agree what happens in the event of your booking being cancelled, either by you or by the company. Make sure you are fully insured in case of any unfortunate illness and accidents while you are away. Finally – enjoy the experience! 

Mark Woolley, Electric Haidressing

Where have you presented internationally? 

All over the world, from Australia to Asia to the USA and all over Europe.

What do you enjoy most about presenting abroad?

Representing and presenting British hairdressing and absorbing ideas from other cultures. You never stop learning there is always a new technique or inspiring collection you have never seen before – creativity feeds creativity.

How difficult is it to scout models when you’re abroad?

Traditionally you would need to use an agency but social media has opened up a whole new array of platforms to source models – for Cosmoprof we simply tweeted and posted on a Italian Model website/blog and over 30 models turned up at the screening. 

Is it hard to get models who are willing to undertake the transformations you’re planning when you’re working abroad – especially if there’s a language barrier?

It has been known! You can always communicate through visuals if language is a barrier.

How difficult is it to get all the kit you need out with you?

Over the years you learn to refine your essentials and get it all in an on-flight case.

Do you have any top tips for hairdressers who might be travelling abroad to work for the first time?

Don’t pack £500 scissors in your hand luggage – trust me I know what happens!

Isabella Hyde, House of Rush, Piccadilly, London

Where have you presented internationally?

Last year was my first international presentation. I first headed to South Africa and then a month later I went on to San Diego, California. It was without a doubt the highlight of a year on the FAME team! 

What do you enjoy most about presenting abroad?

The biggest enjoyment is all the new faces. People seem to be extremely attentive to ‘London’ hairdressers and all the hosts are so friendly and make sure you enjoy every moment of the trip.

How difficult is it to scout models when you’re abroad?

I found it differs with each trip. We went to South Africa with ghd and styling was the main focus. We had pro models who were all lovely, cooperative and relaxed as we kept their hair as it was and used styling techniques to present. 

Restyling can be difficult – in California, Unite had street-cast a variety of girls as there was not enough time for us to do it ourselves and prep for the shows. This meant the models were varied in looks and flexibility towards changing their hair – I waited for an edgy model who was open to change and was lucky to find one show up, although other models I had to sweet talk into it a bit more! 

Both trips so far have been English speaking, but I’m sure talking with an interpreter is not so easy – I hope to find out soon and have an international trip with RUSH.

How difficult is it to get all the kit you need out with you?

Luckily each time I have been away all of the kit has been provided – you can have difficulties with power voltages causing naff hair dryer situations and of course HEAVY luggage!

Do you have any top tips for hairdressers who might be travelling abroad to work for the first time?

Be prepared to be open-minded with style options and be prepared to improvise on ideas; you have to suit the models made available and they may not be the typ
e of model you had in mind. 

I would also recommend that you pack Alka-Seltzers as late nights/networking/entertainment/ early mornings are probable. Keep fit and eat well before the trip too, as energy is required to help you through the long flights, jet lag, hard work, prep, shows, and after parties!

Paul Falltrick, Paul Falltrick Hairdressing, Romford, Essex

Where have you presented internationally?

I have worked in so many different countries including the USA, Japan, Canada, Barbados, Thailand, Philippines, China, Morocco, Australia, Spain, Austria, Romania, Ireland, Hong Kong, Scotland, France, Taiwan, Russia, Italy, Portugal, Czech Republic, Turkey, Bratislava, Tenerife, Sweden, Belgium, Prague, Mexico, Poland, Greece, Ukraine, Hungary and Germany…

What do you enjoy most about presenting abroad?

Working internationally is always really special as you get such as buzz from different markets – each one is so diverse. The audiences can be much bigger when working abroad too which provides a great networking experience and fresh inspiration.

How difficult is it to scout models when you’re abroad?

The majority of work I do abroad is on behalf of Matrix Haircare as part of the Global Design Team and in these instances I’m normally taken straight from the plane to a model casting. We normally work closely with a model agency in the country we’ll be presenting in, supplying them with a brief prior to the trip – they then set up a casting of 100 or more models, which I will personally whittle down to around 12 depending on the looks we’ll be creating.

Is it hard to get models who are willing to undertake the transformations you’re planning when you’re working abroad – especially if there’s a language barrier?

Working internationally can be difficult initially but the more you do it, the more it becomes second nature. I’ll bring mood boards and my iPad to castings, working on a very visual rather than spoken basis with models in order to explain the transformations we’ll be doing. Matrix also always provide me with a translator too, so I have someone on hand that can help me communicate with the team where needed.

How difficult is it to get all the kit you need out with you?

When organizing my kit for presenting abroad, I’ll always take as much as I can,; in particular my favourite formulas incase they haven’t launched in the particular country I’m flying to. It’s always a bit unnerving to hand over my luggage with scissors, styling products and everything else I need but it has to be done – I haven’t lost anything to date so fingers crossed that remains the case. In terms of products, I’ll always have a meeting with Matrix before flying to my destination to discuss what the team and I will need whilst away and they tend to arrange its delivery to the destination.

Do you have any top tips for hairdressers who might be travelling abroad to work for the first time?

Do your homework. I can’t stress the importance of research enough when you’re working abroad. The cultures and trends can differ so vastly, so you need to have done your homework to make sure you’re ready to hit the ground running when there.

Take wefts with you/ Don’t work under the misconception that hair will be provided for you, it’s always best to take what you need just in case.

Work out your terms: If you’re travelling on behalf of a product company, ensure you discuss the partnership in detail e.g. whether they’ll be covering expenses, if you need to bring products etc. before you depart.

Be prepared: I always make sure I have local currency to hand in case I need to call a cab once I land and also have all the important details of my contacts in the country and at home noted down.

Sleep as much as you can. Presenting internationally is hard work and the schedule can be intense, so make sure you’re well rested before you go.

To be a bridal hairdresser.

Another great post from Rachael Gibson HJi, to help us see all the career opportunities available to us

A women’s wedding day is the most special day of her life and one where she wants to look at her very best. It’s a combination that makes working as a bridal hairdresser one of the most rewarding, but also most pressurised jobs you can have in the hairdressing industry. 

Bridal specialist Andrew Miniark reveals the pleasures and perils of wedding work.

“Looking back, my hairdressing education feels like it was in double speed. I was doing a salon apprenticeship at Mario Hairdressing in Market Harborough; day release at Leicester Southfields College, where I completed my City & Guilds and Advanced City & Guild; and two evenings a week training in my mother’s salon.

“My mother was an amazing mentor. She passed on all the skills she had picked up in the 1960s – so I had a great foundation of classic and glamorous styling. Learning from her, I found that I was at my best and most creative working with long hair. So I started to enter avant-garde and evening hair styling categories at the NHF competitions around the country and did really well.

“Shortly after I qualified, my mother and I entered a bridal and bridesmaid styling competition and we ended up winning, which cemented my love of wedding and big event hair.

“Being a bridal specialist is far more than being a hairdresser and encompasses many roles. Firstly it’s about creating fabulous hair. I tend to have one or two trials to work through ideas and eliminate any styles that make the bride feel uncomfortable.

“More than hair though, I’ll help plan out makeup, give advice on dresses, and I can often end up as a confidante and help a bride work out problems in the run up to the big day.

“On the actual day, the most important quality you can have is a calm temperament! Things can go wrong, the bride can get emotional and you might have to change timings; so the ability to work under pressure and to short deadlines while meeting the highest of personal expectations is essential.

“This is a job that has taken me all over the world and it is such a pleasure to share someone’s celebrations. If there is a downside, it is that you always have to work weekends, but that is hardly a negative when you are around so much excitement and joy.

“If you think that bridal hairdressing could be for you than the most important skills you will need are personal ones. Be calm and organised and plan meticulously.

“My biggest tip for budding bridal stylists is to hide all the pins and grips, as having one on show ruins the perfect look. You also need to be true to yourself. Never big yourself up and say you can do something that you’re not sure how to do. Honesty keeps you positive and relaxed.

“Also never show nerves. When a bride starts to panic, always remember that a hairstyle can be changed in an instant.”

You could be a TV hairdresser

After half term we are starting another unit. This one is all about different career opportunities. We will be posting all about the different things we can aspire to be.  Which one would you want to be? Its your future..

Many thanks to Rachael from HJi blog.

How to Land a Job as a Top TV Hairdresser

by Rachael Gibson in Career, Future Talent

If hairdressing is your passion, but you also love the idea of being in front of a camera, working as a TV hairdresser is your dream job. The One Show’s resident hairdresser Michael Douglas reveals how he got his big break and what life as a television hairdresser entails.

“My hairdressing career began with an apprenticeship at Every Generation salon in Leyland, Lancashire, but I almost didn’t complete my training.

“About one year into it, after neutralising about 17 perms in one morning, I went to the local motorbike shop to ask for an apprenticeship. Thankfully they turned me down.

“Aside from rinsing perm lotion and removing and cleaning rollers (it was 1989), I have nothing but fond memories of working there – I can’t think of a better place to have started my career.

“When I was 18, I moved onto Gary Spencer in Preston and Southport, which was a huge moment in my career. He gave me the opportunity to teach hairdressing and sent me on the road that I am still on today. Two years later I got a job at Wella in London as a teacher.

“But my big break came about by chance. I was invited to a stag do in Budapest and it turned out most of the folk on the trip were from the TV and film business. I pitched myself to a development producer, Andy Abrahams, whose role was to come up with ideas for TV programmes.

“We filmed a showreel of me presenting a pretend TV show in Camden Market where I would grab people in the street and cut their hair right there and then. The pilot was sent to the Discovery Channel and within a couple of weeks they had commissioned 30 episodes.

“My experience presenting with Wella had helped me develop a presenting persona, which helped massively when it came to making television. But television is one of those things that the more you do, the better you get.

“The job involves lots of early starts and long days. You constantly have to think of things to say that are informative and entertaining, but sometimes there are scripts to memoriseand present – which is the thing I find hardest.

“There is also quite a lot of voiceover work, which takes practice. Sometimes you might do the voiceover a couple of months after you filmed the show, so it can feel a bit weird.

“There are loads of positives of working in television. It’s great fun, you meet lots of interesting people and there is lots of travel. However, one of the things I find hard about it is that you have no control over the finished result – that’s all down to the director.

“If you’d like to pursue a career as a TV hairdresser, you will need a genuine enthusiasm for what you do, lots of self-confidence and great public skills

“I’d recommend you get someone to film you doing hair and then work on coming up with ideas that are quick and easy to explain, but aren’t too basic.”

Being a Colourist.

This one tells you all about being a colourist!

More career opprtunities to follow.
I really like Fayes advice for students at the end

Another great post, thank you Rachael Gibson at HJi.

I Want That Job! Faye Turner at Mazella and Palmer

by Rachael Gibson 

Got a passion for colour? Think your enthusiasm could help others? A future as a specialist colour educator could be for you, as Faye Turner from Mazella and Palmer reveals.

When did you decide you wanted to be a hairdresser? 

I didn’t really grew up wanting to be a hairdresser. I remember briefly wanting to be one at the age of 8 – when my mum took me in for a perm – but the idea didn’t take off as I also wanted to be physiotherapist and a travel agent.

I actually fell into hairdressing after a short spell in retail at the age of 21. I became a receptionist at a hairdressing school, and over the months decided that I wanted to re-train as all the students looked like they were having so much fun and loved what they were doing. On my days off as a receptionist, I would come in and join the students practising their hair ups and my love grew from there. Thankfully they were looking for assistants, so it was perfect timing for me to leave the desk job and become an apprentice. And so the passion began.

Where did you train?

I trained at Vidal Sassoon. I joined their apprentice program, which saw me training at their Staff Training School one day a week completing my NVQ level two. I did that two days a week till I completed my NVQ level 3, then five days week for 6 months before qualifying into a salon. During that time I was trained by the amazing Annie Humphreys. It was the hardest, most fun and most emotional two years of my life, but it taught me so much about myself and the hairdressing industry.

What was your first job like?

My first job as a qualified hairdresser was at a salon in the City of London. As a young, just-qualified colourist is was tough gig. My clients were city bankers, PAs to directors and movers and shakers, so I had to learn pretty quickly that time, for them, was money. I had to do my job well, be very professional and not run behind. It was so much fun and the team there were amazing.

When did you decide you wanted to focus on colour?

I joke sometimes that it was when I took two hours pointing in a outline for a graduated bob on a training day that my decision was made! But seriously, everyone told me I was going to be a colourist and I rebelled for a while,  but it was never a decision I really had to make. I love colour, colour loves me and has been a long happy partnership.

What is it about being a colourist that you love?

Im a self-confessed colour nerd. I love the psychology of colour – how its plays with our feelings and preconceptions. I love finding unusual colour mixes and finding someone that it would look amazing on. Having a client leave looking great because of the colour I mixed, chose and applied is one of the best feelings ever. I’m always looking for new combinations, new products and the illusive toner that doesn’t fade after time.

What is your average day like?

I would say I never have an average day – every day is completely different. Today I’m having a office day and at the moment all ‘free’ days are spent concentrating on building the new Mazella&Palmer colour courses for our Foundation and Salon Creative courses. I’m creating lectures, head sheets and learning plans for our first Colour course next month. It’s exciting working to a deadline and creating a a colour education program that answers the whys of colour as well as the hows.

At the weekend I was in Greece for a cut and colour seminar, and next week I’m in Finland. When I’m away, they are very long but very creative hours. We attend model calls, have hair preparation days, then show days. As well as making sure all the models are coloured, I dress them and make sure we have photos of everything for our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. When I’m at home, I see clients, visit product companies to keep updated on new and exciting products and research new collection ideas. Its never a dull day at Mazella&Palmer!

Do you still go on courses to boost your colour knowledge and techniques?

I think it’s really important to keep educating yourself, whatever level you’re at. We can never stop learning and there are always new advances in products and technology that can help us achieve great looks. For inspiration, seeing another colourist work can inspire you greatly with your own work too. They may have used a colour mixture you have never thought of, or placed it in a different way. With our education system at Mazella&Palmer we talk about the “why’s” and I really believe that why you do something is very important. Knowledge is the key to being a great successful hairdresser.

What piece of advice would you give your student self?

The harder your training gets, the more you will learn and the better you will be.

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