Kayleigh Hendrix Tawse was destined to be a hairdresser.
Her first glimpses of a salon as a child lit the spark for a career in cutting and colouring, which has seen her bestowed with numerous awards for her work.
Now, her focus lies at Hendrix Hair, her own salon on Aberdeen’s Rosemount Place which puts an emphasis on comfort and inclusivity.
The gender-neutral salon is open to men, women and everyone in between. Coffees and snacks also come as part of the service, due to Kayleigh being a self-confessed ‘feeder’.
But at the core of it all, it’s Kayleigh’s passion for hairdressing and resilience to overcome challenges that gives Hendrix Hair its je ne sais quoi.
Born to cut
“The first time I ever went to a proper salon environment was getting my hair done for my mum and dad’s wedding,” says Kayleigh.
“I remember thinking ‘wow, this is amazing’.”
“The hairdressers were so nice and the environment was great, I was just blown away by it.”
From there, it wasn’t long until Kayleigh found herself crafting cuts of her own.
“From the age of 14, I started working in a salon,” says Kayleigh.
“I worked nights, my holidays… I just loved hairdressing and was keen to be in amongst the industry.
“Everyone used to say to me how much I wanted to be a hairdresser, and it’s always just stuck.”
Building a reputation
Starting out at Toppers in George Street and later refining her craft at other renowned Aberdeen salons such as Ishoka, Kayleigh quickly built a reputation for her work.
She also won several awards for her hair colouring work, which pushed her further towards her hairdressing dreams.
“It was a bit of a whirlwind of a time.” Kayleigh laughs.
“But I do think that it gave me the confidence to make me think that I really can do this.
“I had the dream to be a hairdresser, but gaining recognition for it does give you that kick up the butt to really push yourself to go for it.”
Challenges
Unfazed by the challenges of the pandemic, Kayleigh pushed ahead to open Hendrix Hair in September 2020.
“Getting the salon all kitted out between also working 12-hour shifts was intense, but it was worth it,” says Kayleigh.
“I knew exactly what I wanted for my own clients and knew that the only person that could fully deliver it would be me, too.”
However, as well as the pandemic, Kayleigh was later faced with much bigger challenges to overcome.
“I think with business, there’s always things that crop up that you have to deal with,” she says.
“I actually just lost my dad in September past. Having to care for him a lot whilst juggling the business was hard.
“But that’s the thing with business – if you love it, you just keep going and ploughing through.
“People invest in you as a person for your work and that’s what it’s all about.”
Salon with open arms
Cutting, styling and colouring are Hendrix Hair’s core offerings.
But it’s the salon’s openness for all forms of people that forms Hendrix Hair’s key facet.
“We’re heavily focused that we’re gender-neutral, so everyone is openly welcome to feel confidently themselves here in the salon,” says Kayleigh.
“Men, women, trans people, anyone can get their hair done both comfortably and professionally. That’s what we push.
“We don’t charge per service as such, aside from our colouring, but our cutting and styling is based on time durations, which I think is the way it should be nowadays.
“People want that and I think there’s a bit of a gap in the market for it here in Aberdeen.”
Friends, not clients
Comfort is another key ingredient to the makeup of Hendrix Hair.
It’s founded by Kayleigh’s motto that “you’re not a client when you walk into Hendrix, you’re a friend”.
“Sometimes you can walk into salons and maybe feel uncomfortable, I wouldn’t want that for here,” says Kayleigh.
“We want to get to know people and understand them. There’s also good coffee, good snacks – we’re definitely feeders here!
“It’s just a comfy vibe.”
‘Home from home’
Kayleigh’s bubbly personality is infectious.
It’s evident even from just one conversation that she has the ability to make people feel at ease in her company.
Even better, as Kayleigh describes, walking into Hendrix Hair isn’t like most other salons – it’s a home from home.
“It never feels like I’m coming into work every day,” says Kayleigh.
“I love seeing all our clients and getting to know them better.
“We want the salon to be a place where people can leave their troubles at the front door. That’s a win in itself for me.
“If we keep doing what we’re doing, then I’m happy.”
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