The Salon Educators
Deborah Whitehead is the founder of The Salon Educators and she is on a mission to bring a breath of fresh air into the UAE hairdressing scene. Her aim is to give experienced hairdressers an opportunity to revive
their inspiration with new ideas and to cultivate new talent, which together, will raise the overall standards and qualifications of hairdressers across the country.
Deborah has been a hairdresser for over 20 years and remains as passionate about training and her specialist skills as the day she started in the profession. She says “when you walk into a room, while clothes might
be eye-catching, it is the hairstyle that defines and frames a face. And if you don’t like your hair cut it is not always as easily changeable as an outfit”.
Deborah began her career in the UK at the age of 16 with a three year apprenticeship in Northumberland, followed by additional training in London. By the time she was 21, she owned her own hair salon, which
eventually grew into five premises.
Most people would have thought that owning a chain of salons would have been sufficient success, but Deborah has retained a passion for evolving and honing her own skills as well as sharing her knowledge by
training her own staff.
Deborah came to Dubai with her family in 2000 and worked in different salons, culminating in having her own salon which she subsequently sold. While she still has a group of loyal clients, she wants to focus
more on the educational side of hairdressing and has created The Salon Educators.
The Salon Educators will offer hairdressing training both to those who want a career in hairdressing and existing hairdressers who are interested in furthering their qualifications and experience through regular
workshops and seminars. By offering good practice and creative opportunities, The Salon Educators aims to raise the standard and quality of hairdressing salons in the UAE, as well as offering an outlet for their
creativity.
Deborah explains, “Being able to style and colour hair is every bit as creative as an haute couture fashion designer. It has to be wearable, manageable and suit the individual’s lifestyle.”
“Over the years here I have seen, experienced and heard about fabulous salons and hairdressing disasters – a customer’s experience can vary enormously and with so many different nationalities, there are no formal
qualification standards for hairdressers here.”
She continues, “As with most professions, styles and trends change, research developments improve hair colouring techniques and new technology and equipment also play a part. Currently there isn’t a forum for the
many talented stylists and colourists to show off their creativity, share their knowledge or for beginners who want to learn the profession. We aim to create that platform and anyone is welcome: the expatriate wife
who would like to learn and have a “portable career”, a school leaver who wants to qualify, to the established hairdresser who wants to brush up his or her skills and further their knowledge.”
In addition to establishing a hair academy and holding hair related events, Deborah will offer bespoke hairdressing, salon consultancy and business development. “You may be great at doing hair, but you have to
be able to balance the books too” Deborah adds.
To introduce The Salon Educators, Deborah organized two Hair Show evenings on Friday 16 and Saturday 17 October 2009 at which top British hair experts from myhairdressers.com demonstrated their skills. The
team included former Vidal Sassoon educator - and hair genius - Stacey Broughton, celebrity hairdresser Lee Stafford, top colourist Tracy Hayes and rising colour star Bee Dixon. They demonstrated the
latest styles, cuts and colours on 12 models before a live audience each evening. The event, held at The Shangri-La Dubai, was open to the general public to witness the models’ transformations.
On Sunday 18 and Monday 19 October the myhairdressers.com team gave one day workshops for hairdressers. These top hair experts shared their knowledge and tips with hairdressers of all levels, giving
inspirational demonstrations covering both basic and advanced cutting, as well as colouring and styling techniques. Attendees then had the opportunity to practise the various skill sets whilst interacting
and receiving one-on-one tuition from the team. All participants received a qualification certificate to reflect what they have learned.
It is anticipated that these public events and workshops will become regular events throughout the year.
More information: www.saloneducators.com
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