Salon of the Month

West End Hair – Chapel Street Windsor

Olga Sutcliffe, owner of westendhair is heading off to London for December, such is the demand for her services on the international scene. Olga will be based in London and able to travel for hair extensions for clients and training courses.
Olga is a hair extensions professional that has catered for a number of both international and Australia celebrities. Check out her site for specials and a look at some of the celebrities she has worked with. Who would have ever thought we’d be calling Kate or Jamie celebrities.

West End Hair featured in the Vogue May 2006 issue which featured  the ultimate hair salons across Australia. Olga has not rested on her laurels and has driven westendhair to new heights. Specialising in hair extensions, but also offering a wide range of other services including cuts, colour and dreads. Makeovers and specialised makeup courses are coming soon.

The West End Hair site is full of great ideas for your clients or your own hair. Whether your thinking a clip in for a wedding or a permanent weave, you’re sure to find something you love.

Back to the 70’s wearing clip in hair extensions and styled into a funky afro. Curls and waves are back!

Olga styled Ashley’s hair with a GHD. Ashley is wearing her clip in long 70’s era Eurotexture clip in hair extensions.

Olga clipped in 3 layers to Ashley’s natural hair and styled them out into a 70’s look (as seen here), a loose but classic hair up an asymmetric loose cocktail wear and a cute pinned pulled back pony tail.

Marcus Strath

Marcus Strath is the owner and creative director of Style Me 24/7. Marcus knows that

when we look good we feel good; his passion is to enhance natural beauty allowing personality to shine.

Marcus began his career at the age of fifteen at the famous Lillian Frank Hair Salon in Melbourne, it was here that his passion for hair and beauty was formed. Marcus met and mix with top international models and movie stars and well known Australian personalities. Washing Diana Ross’s wig for her concert would impress the most fastidious of us, imagine for a sixteen year old boy from Sandgate! His fondest memory from his time working with Lillian Frank was an invitation to dinner where he sat beside the most famous hairdresser in the world, Vidal Sassoon.

After only seven months, the sixteen year old was poached by the man who changed the concept of hairdressing in Australia, Edward Beale. Here Marcus enjoyed four years of elite training, not only on the salon floor but doing hair for TV commercials, high fashion shoots, parades and fashion editorial.

Over the years to follow Marcus worked between Sydney and Melbourne while continuing his studies in London, Paris and the States. He was also employed to train ‘up and coming’ artists at Edwards Cutting School.

At twenty three Marcus opened his first salon in Collins Street, Melbourne incorporating a concept of hair and beauty for men and women. Three years later he opened his second salon in the prestigious Church Street, Brighton while continuing to travel between Sydney and Melbourne for his high profile clients and photo shoots.

Marcus was hungry to offer clients a total look so when the first Make Up College opened he lined up for another two years of intense study and training. He was then asked to write a hair, makeup and skin care column for a national beauty magazine which lead to another area of his work with the best plastic surgeons and dermatologists in the country.

Throughout his career, Marcus has trained and worked with some of the best hair and make up artists and has earned himself a reputation of the same.

For more information check out Marcus Strath’s Style Me 24/7
Marcus uses and recommends Indola colour products.

Carbon Fiber Combs

Carbon fiber combs and why everyone is raving so much about these little beauties!

Well I’ll tell you, that sagging comb with to much wet hair weighing it down becomes a thing of the past. That plastic or acrylic comb is no longer the professional’s tool of choice.  The new alternative, carbon fiber combs, don’t flex. They stay nice and rigid holding the hair with clean even tension. Even that really thick, heavy, wet, hair is easy to control with no flex .

As Michael Gordon founder of Bumble and Bumble salons New York says carbon fibre combs can last a lifetime.

Leader Carbon Combs are the first choice for among professionals. Their elegance, refinement and quality are all indications of a first rate product. A quality Leader carbon fibre comb can last a lifetime. They are the ultimate top quality carbon comb from Japan. The combination of carbon fiber and nylon results in a super strong, lightweight, anti-static and chemical resistant comb.

Scissors for Stylists now sells carbon fibre anti-static Leader combs for the special introductory price of $17.95.

I asked Jeremy Hoolihan the owner of Scissors for Stylists what makes these combs so special and whether I should buy one for my kids hair. He said Carbon Fibre Combs are a tool. A professional quality tool that can last a lifetime. He suggested all I needed for my kids was a plastic comb, the inner stylists within me felt crushed. Seeing my disappointment he suggested a Leader 270 would be best for use in the bathroom to comb conditioner through my kid’s hair.

There are different sizes and number of teeth on the combs. Jeremy said the finer the teeth the more tension. While I was trying to put the phone down Jeremy continued to effuse.

“I was very attached to my fantastic plastic, but now my carbon fiber comb is my trusted work mate. I have a new control over hair, one of precision and strength. After ten haircuts in a day, in and out of hot water, bleach, tint, nothing no stains no damage still with its nice smooth teeth solid rigid back. Yes this will be in my kit next to my Shui scissors for years to come.”

The Shop is Yours! What Next??

Opening a Hair Salon Part Seven The Space

Ok you’re getting there. You’ve got that key and the rent free period. You’re still working and not telling a soul at work what you’re up to. Good.

Draw a plan. Grab some graph paper, measure out the dimensions of the floor plan and make lots of copies. You’re going to need existing plans and plans of your layout which in turn gives you your list of equipment.

You now have 2-3 weeks to get open!!!!!

Put newspaper across the windows, you want people to become curious. This is one of your first marketing tools.

Need to get your electricity connected, gas, and that new business phone. Sometimes your utility provider will want security deposits this usually comes in your 1st bill.

Style Street Update

A BIG WELCOME to all the new subscribers to our email updates. Thanks for joining up. Feel free to ask any questions, either in the forum, or using the contacts page.

Some answers to your questions:

You can write about anything you’d like to as long as is about the hair and beauty industries. Write about your career, hair extensions, education, employment, scissors, products, tools, makeup, spas, the list is endless.

The competition winner will be drawn at an hairdressing event night in October and announced on this site.

What’s coming this week:

• Another installment in Jeremy Hoolihan’s series, Open Your Own Salon with Only your Scissors.
• September Salon of the Month.
• and there is lots more under development.
• You can already submit jobs for free and list your salon for free.