GEORGIA BELL

Georgia Bell. A colour enthusiast, freelance educator and owner of Twisted Scissors Hair Salon in the UK. With a huge passion for our industry, Georgia tells us how she ended up working for Sophia Hilton, what inspire to her to open her now hair salon, whether she was destined to be in the hair industry, the importance of education and much more.

Georgia, who did you work for and how did you start a career in hairdressing? What does it mean to you on a professional and personal level?
I started out hairdressing at 14 as a Saturday girl for a little salon near me called Weldon hair. l then went to Huddersfield and started a fashion degree at Huddersfield University. l soon realised that actually hairdressing is where my heart was.
I took myself out of university and enrolled on an evening hairdressing course at the local college then applied for a voluntary position in a salon called XTG (this stood for X Tony and Guy) and 3 great women called Faye, Sam and Lisa trained me up.
The hair industry is my entire life. l adore it on both a professional and personal level. It’s everything you want it to be if you’re willing to work hard ….the sky’s the limit.

“Sophia Hilton and her team at Not Another Salon are one of my biggest inspirations. I wrote to Sophia asking if l could come to London once a week to assist the team. After around 6 months l ended up becoming an assistant working at the academy. This was invaluable. “

Did you ever think you were destined to be in the hair industry? Where did you train and what were your experiences and inspiration?
From the moment, l became a Saturday girl l just loved the buzz of the salon. There’s no better feeling than transforming somebody and making them feel amazing.

You are the founder and owner of Twisted Scissors Hair Salon and an Educator. Can you explain the education that is provided by you and how you ventured in opening your hair salon and who inspired you throughout your career?
I opened the salon three years ago. It was around this time l started entering industry competitions and l was fortunate enough to be getting to the finals but l wanted to expand my education and knowledge further not just for myself but also for my team. That’s when l started to assist other stylists in the industry that personally inspired me. Everything l have learnt l pass that onto my team. We have regular trainings evenings and also help one another with our personal strengths and weaknesses.
The industry is fast moving its important me and the team keep up to date with our own education.

You worked at Not Another Salon for Sophia Hilton. Can you share the experience and interest working with all the creative and vivid color work?
Sophia Hilton and her team at Not Another Salon are one of my biggest inspirations. I wrote to Sophia asking if l could come to London once a week to assist the team. After around 6 months l ended up becoming an assistant working at the academy. This was invaluable. l was there for a year and a half and even to this day its one of my best experiences. l’ve learnt so much and it was amazing witnessing all the latest techniques. The bleeds and colours that they create are amazing and l’ve made some of the best friends from working there.

Georgia, what’s your professional advice on placement of foils and mixing of colors? As you know all brands have many color lines for permanent and semi-permanent colors as well as bleach. What is very important when mixing peroxide with color, using bleach and multi-color applications during foil placement and rinsing color?
The most important when working with any colour range is sticking to ratio and making sure you weigh everything out. We always carry out consultation before every appointment and perform a skin and strand test. Bleach is a pretty dangerous product so l always ensure every bit of hair is assessed correctly. Every colour technique that is carried out is determined by hair type everything is taken into consideration colour buildup, lifestyle of client, time frame etc…. This then helps us decide which technique I best. We also have a lot of aftercare advice and informative sheets available at the salon.

“I think putting yourself out there is a risk and, yes of course, l make mistakes just like everyone. l’m human but l don’t regret the risks l’ve taken or this adventure l’m on. Sometimes you need to make mistakes to learn from.”

What has been your proudest moment and biggest accomplishment to date? What experiences did you have working and collaborating with well-known brands?
Up to date my proudest moments are as follows; recently l got onto the Colour Rebel Artistic team for A.S.P. This will be a 2 year programme where l’ll be working with a brand l truly believe in and learning from a personal industry inspiration Tracey Devine Smith.
I recently made it through to the Kerastraight Collective another huge leap for me, l’m so excited to be working with Tom Connell, Jez Barnett and Katie Braden and pushing my session ideas further.
I recently did a podcast for Dom Lehane on ‘How To Cut It’ and a live colour demo on hairdressing live for Paul Davey. I’d say these 3 things are some of my proudest moments to date.
I am also a member of the Fellowship and on on this years colour project. The Fellowship for British Hairdressing is a fantastic organisation and l can’t recommend them enough if you’re looking to become a platform artist. They also run some brilliant courses.

If somebody walked in to your salon, came up to you and said that he/she wanted to be a hairdresser, what would you tell them?
I would tell them to go for it because the industry can be anything you want it to be and more. If you work hard and have drive and determination anything is possible.

Who inspires you and which creative hair stylist/hair artist do you follow?
There are so many up to. l’d say my top inspirations are Sophia Hilton, Tracey Devine Smith, Carolyn Chapman, Brandon Messenger and Ben Brown.

Any risks you’ve ever taken that you don’t regret or has been a learning lesson for you?
I think putting yourself out there is a risk and, yes of course, l make mistakes just like everyone. l’m human but l don’t regret the risks l’ve taken or this adventure l’m on. Sometimes you need to make mistakes to learn from.

Who and what has been a great influence in your career?
Sophia Hilton. l’m a huge fan girl she continues to help and guide me and she’s a very busy woman. So l’m really thankful of that.
Dom Lehane, because of his amazing podcasts on How To Cut It in the hairdressing Industry.
John and Katy from Akito Scissors, because they are always there for me they are like my hairdressing mum and dad.
Jez Barnett and Tracey Devine Smith, because they are top mates and make a lot of time to guide me.

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Can you give us the inside scoop on what the next big hair colour trends will be in Spring/Summer and Autumn/Winter 2019?
 I’m seeing a lot of warmer tones becoming popular which is nicer to see. Coppers and reds are on the rise.
I think Balayage is a technique which continues to grow in popularity and is here to stay.

What’s the single, most important piece of advice you can offer other hairdressers who are looking to become successful in their own careers?
Be humble and work bloody hard and be relatable.

Thank you for taking part in this interview. Is there anything you would like to add or share with our readers that we haven’t covered?
I offer freelance education and you can find me and my courses on Jo Robertsons hair Agency or contact me directly via my Instagram Georgiabelhair or facebook.
I would also like to mention l recently did my own presentation at colour world UK in London alongside Not Another Salon and Innoluxe . This was an amazing opportunity and l loved every second. There’s a few organisations l’m involved with that are amazing and l think its really important to be part of them to advance your career and educate yourself. They all help you grow from doing courses to competitions and providing advice. That’s the hairdressers charity, HairClubLive and the NH and the hair and barber council. Also l’m a member of Hair Tribe tv and Hairdressing Live brilliant online educational platforms.

Georgia Bell will be doing an inspirational weekend for High Performance Stylist (HPS) in July with David Barnett and Andrew Barnett as well as collaborating with Ben Brown.