Headmasters

Friendly and professional staff that looks after me, making sure I leave with a smile and a trendy haircut every-​time! Very luxurious interior and extremely clean and organised, not like most other salons I visited before. My stylist is also always up to date on new trends as they go on regular training.
In West Hampstead there is many options but none as good at Headmasters!

I can’t believe it took 3.5 years for me to come here, and it’s such a pity that I’m moving because I would love to come back.
I had an evening appointment with Vanessa. What I really appreciated about Headmasters was that I could get my hair cut and colored after work instead of trying to squeeze it in during a busy weekend, or duck out of work for a few hours. Who has time for that?!
Vanessa is a magician as far as I’m concerned. Soon after I arrived, she sat down with me to discuss what I wanted. She asked if I was open to a suggestion, and when a hair dresser offers a suggestion, I get giddy. Why? Because to me that says she (or he) is super-​excited about their job, and more likely to give a result their client is happy with.
Her suggestion was a bit radical at first, but she was so excited, that I started getting excited, too. Her inspiration was Frankie from the Saturdays, and she said that my face shape and «petite features» would work really well for the cut. She Googled a picture to show me what I was getting myself into, and while I wasn’t sure if I’d actually be able to pull of the asymmetrical cut, I figured she was the professional, and probably knew better than me.
We started off with a color. Since I’ve been in Britain, my hair has mostly been various shades of blonde. Not just blonde, but a blonde that didn’t quite fit my pale skin tone, and I was ready for something different. I’d suggested going back to a brownish tone, and let her do the rest. The result was perfect. She gave me their «summer highlights» color which toned my hair down to a chocolately brown with a few more natural looking bits of reddish blonde. I absolutely love it.
Then the cut. I’d been eagerly anticipating the cut while I was waiting for my hair color to process. I’d not seen so much hair go flying off my head before, but as I saw more and more hair come off my head, I started seeing Vanessa’s vision.
By the time my hair was finally dried and styled, I was in love with my new look. Vanessa knew exactly what she was doing, and I couldn’t be happier. If I was sticking round the UK, I’d be back to Headmasters, and visiting with Vanessa every 6 – 8 weeks.

This saloon is in the centre of Richmond, and pitches itself at the premium end of the market.
However, the haircut I received was well below standard. Despite giving very clear instructions of what I wanted, along with clear photographs, I received a totally different hair cut that was also technically poor, uneven, and no shape at all on the top as rather than cut it into shape the stylist seamed to cut it by thinning it and spent only 10% of their time on the top compared to 90% on the sides.
I went the next day to my old saloon with my tail between my legs and they couldn’t believe how badly it had been cut. Or more precisely, how they clearly stopped cutting it when time was running out.
Many of my friends have had similar experiences when trying out stylists at these type chain saloons as its clear there isn’t much quality control when taking on stylists, even ones they charge over £30 for.
The golden rule is get a personal recommendation, and try the independants.