We caught up with our “Kit out your salon with Dyson” winner, Tegan, who shared her story of how she came to be a senior stylist at Nspyre Red, and what she loves about her job, Kitomba, and her new Dyson Supersonic™ hairdryer Professional edition.
Tegan’s story
Tegan always loved hair, she was “that girl”, always playing with the other kids hair at school and doing her friends’ hair for the school ball. Then she had the opportunity to do work experience at an “old lady salon”, shampooing, sweeping and setting hair for local seniors.
When she decided to study hairdressing in Christchurch, her clients gave her handmade gifts and goodies to wish her well, and that’s when Tegan knew she was hooked. She loved making her clients smile, and she could see that she was just as special to them too.
“I love the effect you can have on people, you can allow them to see a beautiful side to themselves. When you make someone feel good, they take that with them when they leave and their good mood is infectious, it makes everyone in their life happier too. There are not a lot of other professions where your clients actually really look forward to seeing you.”
After managing a salon in Melbourne for five years and a two year stint in London’s East End, Tegan returned to Christchurch and joined the team at Nspyre Red.
“Nspyre Red is all about creative styling and pushing the boundaries. We like to influence trends not just follow them, and bring excellence into the art of hair design. We promote inspiration to others and try to bring a bit of magic into their everyday life. We create a welcoming environment that all people can come to knowing they’ll be treated equally and made to feel equally amazing.”
What’s next in hair?
Tegan always tries to keep on top of the current trends, following pinterest, pop culture, fashion week coverage and more. She says the trends to watch out for are lived in, grunge style hair, with low key ponytails, muted colours, faded pastel tints, and grown out roots. Along with that will be avant garde styling, with lashings of gel, sculpted fringes and genderless short hairstyles.
We asked if she had any advice for her fellow stylists and she said: “Keep learning, never let your inspiration go stale. Stay current and incorporate that into your work, if you can do that you’ll be offering your clients a more bespoke experience. Even a subtle twist on a classic style to make it more modern makes it a little extra magic, and your clients will know they really got something special. Really push yourself as a stylist – be comfortable in your discomfort, allow yourself to think outside the box.”
How does Kitomba help?
Tegan’s been using Kitomba for a while after the salon moved from a paper system. She told us:
“Kitomba elevates our level of professionalism. It helps us feel more professional during client consultations and also helps us monitor our KPIs and overall business growth.”
“With Kitomba we know we’re really taking care of our clients. We have easy access to our client records so that we can see everything, like if a client has an allergy or a preferred stylist they like to see. It means we can provide expert service and it protects our clients too.”
“We also love K dollars because we can reward clients for spending, but it also gives a more personalised experience and encourages loyalty and retention, which is so important in a competitive environment. It’s great seeing your clients smile when they get rewarded with a happy surprise at the counter when we tell them we have a reward for them.”
“I honestly can’t imagine using any other system. Without Kitomba, I would not be an organised person. Hairdressers are a bit flamboyant with systems, we’re not figures and computer people. Having the ease of Kitomba makes us feel more confident when it comes to figures because it’s foolproof. We have senior stylists, apprentices, and a bookkeeper who all feel capable and competent using it. I love that we can check our KPIs as we go and push ourselves knowing how close we are to the next target. The insight that comes from Kitomba helps us hone in on areas to improve, monitor growth and reward successes.”
Are the Dyson Supersonic™ hairdryer Professional edition as great as they look?
“They’re so awesome. Just wow, I don’t know where to start! I have neck and posture problems and after 16 years in the industry I was scared I might not still be able to do it 3 years from now, but the shape of the Dyson and the reduced weight will be so good for me. And it gets rid of knots like magic! You can watch the hair become silky smooth as you pass the Dyson over it. It’s so quiet we can have a few going at once and still carry out a conversation. Now I’m spoiled, I honestly won’t use anything else.”
If you’ve got a great story about how you got into the hair and beauty industry, your Kitomba experience or maybe you’re lucky enough to have tried a Dyson Supersonic™ hairdryer Professional edition, we’d love to hear about it below!
