Traditional salon work isn’t the only way to use your talents – we look at three alternative options for a career in hair.
Working in a salon has a lot of things going for it: camaraderie, interactions with clients, and a reliable source of income. However, it isn’t the only place you can work with hair. We meet three stylists who have taken their careers in exciting directions.
TV AND FILM HAIR
Adam James Phillips
With two Emmy awards for Downton Abbey and Bridgerton and a mind-blowing list of credits, Adam James Phillips knows what it takes to be successful in film and TV hair: a bit of luck and a lot of hard work. But, he says, it’s well within the reach of NHBF Members.
‘It’s realistic and achievable, and this is the time to do it. There is such demand for content and such a backlog of productions that our industry is incredibly buoyant,’ Adam says.
‘The skills used in a salon are transferable. You might need some other skills – like putting a wig on – but many people in the industry have a salon background. I think the best route is to work in theatre first – the West End is an amazing training ground.
‘Be prepared to work hard. When I meet people who are not involved in film and TV, they think it’s all glamorous. There is glamour, like meeting stars or travelling, but you also work hard and do long hours.
‘I was working on the Captain Marvel sequel and we were doing long days on one scene. I was leaving my house at 3am and getting back at 8.30 or 9pm. If you sign on to a long-running production like Bridgerton, that was nine months where I signed my life over. But the financial reward is good, and I love the job.’
Adam’s Disney fairytale ‘I’ve always been a Disney fan and was hired to work on crowd hair for Disney’s live-action Cinderella film,’ Adam says. ‘I was involved in the ballroom scene, and it was the most fabulous set. Lily James, who I knew from Downton Abbey, was playing Cinderella.
‘I remember an amazing moment, at the bottom of the staircase. Lily was at the top and she recognised me and shouted ‘Ad!’ Then she ran down in her gown to meet me. The child inside me’s heart exploded when I realised Cinderella was running down to see me.’
FUNERAL HAIR
Christine Marshall
While some stylists offer services for funeral attendees, there are also those who prepare the hair of the deceased. During lockdown, this provided extra or alternative income for some – but for Christine Marshall of Power Cuts Urmston salon, Manchester, it was just a nice thing to do.
‘I found out that a customer of over 20 years had passed away. His wife wanted to see if I could come to the funeral. She said she tried to get him to the salon before he died, but he wasn’t able to and the funeral director was going to cut his hair,’ Christine says.
‘He was quite particular with his hair and there was no way I was going to let anyone mess it up for him, so I stepped out of my comfort zone, visited him where he was lying at home and did a final cut.
‘I sprayed his hair down and worked as I usually would, and we used puppy pads around his head so hair didn’t get in the coffin. I couldn’t get to the back, so only cut what could be seen. I chatted to him and his wife as though he was still alive, and when I finished, we removed the pads and his hair looked just as it would if he had been in the salon.
‘I didn’t take any money – I didn’t feel I could, and I was happy to do this for a long-term client. Initially, it was a strange experience, but if we went into another lockdown, maybe I could work for a funeral parlour.’
WIGS
Steven Austin
When it comes to fantastically coloured human hair wigs, Bolton-based Steven Austin – Manic Panic ambassador and British Hair and Beauty Award winner – has carved out a niche and is widely regarded as the world’s foremost expert.
‘I’ve always been fascinated by colour, and I was watching Ru Paul’s Drag Race when I realised there wasn’t anyone doing specifically human hair wigs for the drag queens,’ Stephen says.
‘I spent time and money making and buying wigs from different suppliers to see which ones would colour best. By the time I’d settled on a supplier, I’d already made a name for myself with the Drag Race queens. It snowballed from there.
‘The demand is huge. I’d say 95% of my work goes to the US, Brazil, Germany, France, Australia and around the world. I spend 50% of my time doing wigs, 50% clients. It’s great financially, and I’ve gained a huge amount of recognition.
‘Working with wigs is no different to clients – it’s just that wigs don’t talk back. It’s the consultations that are harder. Because I’m sending things across the world, consultations aren’t face-to-face, so I ask for as much reference stuff as they can give me. But the rest of it is just as if you were colouring a client.’
How to… Try something different
How do you get into a new line of work? In the case of Steven Austin, he identified a niche and carved it out himself. But with hair for film or funerals, there are obvious in-roads.
- Hair for film: Adam suggests prospective stylists contact production firms and consider theatre as their entry point. ‘Expect to start as a trainee or junior, but there is a lot of work available for good stylists,’ he says.
- Hair for funerals: With many funeral homes being independent businesses, there is scope for proactive stylists to find work locally. Find your local member of the National Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors (SAIF).
- Other areas: These examples are not the only alternatives – take hairdressing for the homeless, for example, educating prisoners to be barbers, or even hairdressing for fashion shoots. So what are you waiting for?