it’s their business
Helen Charles Salon London Brings World-Class Hair to Weston By Stacey Bomser
F
or the past forty years, Helen Charles
has been making her mark on the hair industry one head at a time. Her creative coifs have graced the pages of high-end fashion magazines and her flair with hair has earned her numerous awards and accolades. But, her true passion is making her clients look and feel their best everyday. The owner of Helen Charles Salon London shared her personal philosophy and predictions for the trends we’ll see in tresses this coming year.
continuously educating myself as well as my team members, improving our skills by continuously adding to our knowledge and sharing our craft with each other.
Why is it important to stay current on the latest techniques and trends? It is important for us to be
aware of the way fashion evolves and give advice on current trends. I find that by visiting London regularly and attending hair shows globally, I am able to maintain a forward thinking attitude in our industry and guide my staff accordingly towards their educational needs. Why is education so important to you and your salon? This is the only way I know how we can build loyalty from our clients and offer the professionalism that they are looking for. I have been in this industry 40 years and can still claim that my work is totally up to date. This could not have happened if I stayed
very modern and present. Hair experts nowadays are armed with a litany of products to achieve overnight success and even jump start slow growing hair. Of course, hair extensions are an extremely fun option. We have the exclusivity of Dream Catcher Microlink extensions, which, in my opinion, is a safe, natural and inexpensive way of adding volume or length, or even panels of color. When it comes to men, grooming will torpedo their personal style to a new level. Regardless of short or long styles, a cut should emphasize a man’s jaw line so that it appears square and masculine.
In addition to hair, what services does the salon offer? We are a full-service salon and offer the best
in hair, facials, nails, waxing, massage and make up, as well as men’s barbering and grooming. We are also able to give extensive scalp advice with regards to hair loss and scalp disorders, due to my husband Jeff’s trichology certification and experience. Any special services you would like to highlight? We have just launched our “Unlimited Beauty” program. This offers members four different packages
Helen Charles (seated) and the staff at Helen Charles Salon London will have you red carpet ready, everyday.
What made you want to become a stylist? Initially,
to create beautiful hair styles and color. This, in time, changed to wanting to help people feel and look beautiful. We all have a purpose in life and it is mostly to help others in one way or another. I believe I have certainly found my purpose, especially now that I am very involved raising funds for different charities including Operation Smile, an international children’s charity that helps treat facial deformities.
What is your expertise? I understand what the client wants and needs in the way of improving their image and self-confidence. I have the ability to match correct techniques of cutting and coloring to different texture hair. In my opinion, all hair textures are beautiful and can be compared with different groups of fabric, such as silk, satin, velvet, cotton or linen. So, to use an incorrect technique on a certain texture can lead to less than perfect results.
with my knowledge of 40 years ago. Hair is just like any other industry, it is forever evolving and as new technology comes in, it is our responsibility to pass the benefits of this to our clients.
What differentiates your salon from others? What makes us unique is the fact that an initial consultation with myself, my husband Jeff, or another creative stylist is always offered before a new client is allocated to a service provider. This is to ensure that the client receives the most suitable service that he or she is looking for according to the experience, creativity, personality and personal budget.
You have come up with some of your own techniques. Where do you get these ideas? Designing haircuts and color is a natural progression in our industry when passion and experience sets in throughout our career. I follow the fashion and film industries very closely and am of the strong belief that trends in hair are always influenced by these forums. My inspiration for new techniques usually comes from studying the great hair artists in London such as John Freda and Trevor Sorbie who, like myself, were both trained by the late, legendary Vidal Sassoon.
As a salon owner, what is your philosophy? My philosophy is to stay at the forefront of fashion by
What do you see as the trends for 2013? I think there is something about long, straight hair. It feels
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such as blow dry’s, massages, mani and pedi’s, or facials, for a monthly fee of $87 per package, for as many visits as they wish. What product lines do you use for your salon services? We use L’Oreal (including Inoa) and Goldwell for color, Kerastase, Bumble and Bumble and Moroccan Oil for hair care and styling, SkinCeuticals for skin care, Jane Iredale for make-up, and OPI and Essie and Shellac for nail care. With these carefully chosen, top quality products, we are able to enhance the skills of our service providers even further.
The Helen Charles Salon London is conveniently located at 1660 Market Street in the heart of the Weston Town Center. To schedule an appointment call (954) 349-9220. Salon hours are 10am to 6:30pm daily, except Thursday when the salon stays open until 9pm. For more information on the salon and its services, visit www.helencharlessalon.com.
January 2013 | To Advertise in Our City Weston, Please call 954-306-1007 | www.ourcityweston.com