Hey all!
So this is my first newsletter. I’ve been wanting to do one for ages but I’ve had so much going on-mummy duties, wifey duties, and not to mention completely renovating the amazing house we bought and opening up my new salon!
This year marks 25 years in hairdressing for me, so I felt like this was the perfect time to start telling you all about the exciting things that are going on, both in the salon and in my life.
My hairdressing journey
So my hairdressing journey started when I began training with Toni and Guy. I moved around different salons in Oxford and then in 2008, I moved to Bristol with a friend. I worked at Toni and Guy in Bristol for a while then I started teaching at Reflections Training Academy. For those of you who know me, you’ll know that I suffer from allergies and the teaching allowed me to take some much needed time away from dyes and other chemicals.
From there, I worked in another salon up until my son was born in 2015. That was the year I decided to become self-employed. I love my job but I also really love and value my family life. I’ve never looked back.
Our new home-and my new salon!
I worked out of my dining room for six years until last summer, when me and my husband (a really well-known graffiti artist in Bristol-check out his Instagram page here) decided we needed a bigger house. The kids are getting bigger and we both wanted space to work from home, and we came across a total gem of a house in Kingswood.
It’s like a mini secret castle tucked away on the High Street, and hardly anyone knew it was there. We’ve done a complete renovation from top to bottom. Me and my husband have outhouses to work from, there’s loads of land, and we even found a secret room under the kitchen!
In the next newsletter, I’ll give you the details of the Instagram and Snapchat accounts we made for the renovation incase you want to have a sneaky peek…
So as well as my new home, I opened the doors to my new salon. Welcome to the new Salon La Reine! It’s a total dream come true.
Salon News
We now have apprentices
I’ve now taken on some lovely apprentices and I’m training them well to keep the standards high in the industry. You might have seen me post a picture of some very poorly fitted hair extensions on a client who came to me recently. I hate seeing things like that. Poorly trained stylists are taking peoples’ money and ruining their hair. Some rules to abide by with hair: when choosing your stylist, look at examples of their work, ask about their qualifications and experience, and DON’T go cheap!
We’re now an eco-friendly salon
We now use eco-friendly products that are better for the planet and for your skin. I get dermatitis so I know how important it is to not expose your skin to harsh products and chemicals. The new products are better for me and safer for my lovely clients. Experience them for yourself next time you visit.
We’re now officially a Five Star Salon!
I’m delighted to say that we’ve been awarded the Good Salon Guide 5* award. This is the highest standard that a salon can achieve in the industry for both customer service and for the services I can offer, being a Colour Master and Hair Extension Master, not to mention our Blow Dry Bar.
This award is normally only given to the bigger salons with loads of employees so it’s a huge achievement and honour for Salon La Reine. We will continue to provide the very best service we can to all of our clients and we will keep on pushing on and improving.
Bristol Boss Babe
As you might know, I started a networking group last year for self-employed women in Bristol. It made sense to me, because I’m a bit of a hairdresser’s hairdresser. People from across the hair and beauty industry come to me to get their hair done, and we all send clients each other’s way.
But Bristol Boss Babe is for self-employed women in any industry, so whether you craft, run a creche, or you’re a personal trainer, you can come along and network, share ideas, and get some support. When all the house-related craziness has settled down, I’ll hold some open evenings and social get togethers where people can come along, tell everyone what they do, and we can share ideas, offers and discounts. Work takes up a lot of time, especially when you’re your own boss, so it’s nice to be able to spend some time with people who are in the same boat.
Find Bristol Boss babe on Insta here
Coming soon
Colour, hair extension, and hair replacement masterclasses
I’ve decide to start running masterclasses for hairdressers and beauticians who are qualified to AT LEAST NVQ Level 2. Watch this space for more information…
That’s it for our first newsletter,
Until next time,
Lorraine
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