“When I was 15, I had a really bad experience in a hair salon and knew that I could do something to prevent others from experiencing the same thing or being made to feel the same way,” Naomi Brooks says. “I began working officially in the hair industry at 16, but I had been braiding hair for family and friends since I was 10.”
She then took her passion to launch The Hair Sanctuary, a Manchester-based salon that specializes in weaves and colouring textures, in 2013. She also educates other stylists and offers business development coaching.
Get to know Brooks, Afro textured hair and The Hair Sanctuary and more.
How does it feel to be part of the hair industry and what would you change?
It’s a great industry to be a part of with many different avenues that you can venture down if you want to expand and diversify your skillset. If I were to change anything about hairdressing it would be the perception that people have of hairdressing. Many people see hairdressing as a Plan B for people that didn’t get good grades at school but it so much more, there are so many aspects to the job, styling hair and making people feel good is just one aspect of it.
As your salon predominantly deals with Afro textured hair, can you kindly explain the technique or the special way to handle this type of hair?
Textured hair comes in many different forms and there is no one way to handle it. As a stylist I always ensure that I treat each head of hair with care and handle it in the way that is best for that particular client.
What was the deciding factor in opening your salon? Did you find a a gap in the hair market?
The deciding factor in opening my own salon was due to the lack of progression in the other salons in which I had worked. I wanted to provide a professional space for stylists where they could come and learn and progress. There wasn’t necessarily a gap in the market but I did recognize that there was an opportunity to provide clients and stylist with a quality experience both in and behind the seat.
Can you tell us more about how you go about creating a new look? How much research and planning do you put into it? Do you leave room for improvisation?
When it comes to creating a hair collection, lots of research and planning is involved, I liaise with the photographer and stylists and make-up artists to ensure that we are all on the same page. I use mood boards to gather ideas for a theme and to allow the team to understand the brief thoroughly. For the actual hair styles, I tend to have a vague idea of what I would like to create but I improvise on the day. I don’t practice the look beforehand and I find this method works well for me.
On your services list, you cater for Crown Protection Services and The Extra Experience. Can you explain more?
The Crown Protection services is protective styling, these are styles that help to protect the hair such as wigs, weaves, braids and twists. These are styles that will last a few weeks allowing the client to minimize manipulation and therefore protecting their hair.
The Extra Experience services are very popular as lots of our clients are very conscious about the condition of their hair and opt for services such as treatments to ensure their mane stays healthy.
What makes The Hair Sanctuary different to other salons?
The Hair Sanctuary is different other salons as we are a very inclusive salon, we work confidently with European, curly, kinky and coily clients. All of our stylists are trained to work confidently with different hair types which means that no client is refused service due to a lack of experience from our stylists.
We also stand out as a salon due to the brands that we work with and the unique services that we offer such as the Avlon texture release as we are one of the only salons in Manchester that offer this service to clients.
In the age of social media and intense competition in the market, what advice would you give to someone looking to start out a business in the hair industry?
If you’re passionate about what you do, chase your dreams as there is room for everyone. There is a lot of competition but there are still many gaps in the industry, and you might be exactly what is needed to fill that gap. There are many ways to start you own business in the hair industry for example you could be a salon owner, a session stylist or even a freelancer so decide what you want to do and go for it.
How can stylists ensure they maintain levels of creativity, wherever they are and whoever their clients are? Is this something that flows naturally or something that you can learn?
I believe that everyone in the industry is creative and I think that you can learn to maintain your levels of creativity if it doesn’t come naturally to you by trying to stay on top of your game. Stylists have to make a conscious effort not to get stuck in a rut. There are many things that can help such as taking part in photoshoots, attending training courses, following trends and techniques and putting them into action, attending / hosting model nights where new training can be put into action.
Where do you feel most creatively inspired, in a salon or in an educational setting?
As much as I love my salon and educating other stylists these are not the places where I feel most creatively inspired. I feel creatively inspired when I’m travelling or when I’m watching other stylists work, it is during these times that I get most of my ideas. I love watching other stylists work as it allows me to see new techniques and learn new skills that I then can’t wait to try out on my own clients.
What pitfalls did you encounter, and what did you learn throughout the course of your career?
With having a business for ten years, there have been so many pitfalls, the most recent would be staffing and trying to find staff that are passionate about hair dressing and want to learn to progress and grow within the industry. Over the years, I have learned to go with the flow and try not to control things too much. I have learned to trust and delegate more and to be open to change as you never know what’s around the corner.
What are some things that people don’t understand and need to be educated about Afro hair?
Stylists and clients often see their afro hair as ‘unruly’ and ‘wild’ and as something that needs taming. Afro hair in all its forms is beautiful and unique. My only piece of advice for all clients and stylists is reframe their thinking about afro hair. They need to embrace it, whether it’s curly, kinky, or coily and to learn to work with it, not against it. Afro hair is not a challenge.
You were selected as a judge for Most wanted and the IT List, tell us about your experience?
It is always great judging competitions; I love seeing people’s passion and dedication for the industry shine through in their work. I found the experience inspiring and I loved seeing what the stylists had created. Being around all of that creativity prompted me to enter more competitions myself to help keep my own creativity alive. I really enjoyed the experience and hope to be invited to more judging in the future.
Interview: Romy
Images: Naomi brooks
Instagram: @thhairsanctuary
