We’ve all done it, been bewitched by a supermarket box dye that makes promises it can’t deliver. This was me a few months ago, being just delusional enough to believe I didn’t need a hairdresser to achieve the results I desired. Ash blonde with terrible roots to dark brown. Easy, right…?
The mental image was shiny chestnut hair for a reasonable price. Clever me. The actual result? Serverus Snape. I need a professional, pronto.
Enter The Hair Salon in Hove, headed up by Oliver Blackaby a seasoned stylist with 25 years’ experience rescuing delusional women from box-dye disasters and generally making people look fabulous. After a thorough consultation (and a sympathetic nod at my self-inflicted mess), we settled on a warm copper with highlights to bring dimension and movement.
Step one — strip out the stubborn dark dye, which, despite being labelled ‘semi-permanent’, clung on like a bad decision. Thankfully, my hair lifted quickly, revealing a bold copper base. Ollie then toned the roots with a richer red and added some face-framing highlights to brighten the front. After a precision cut and bouncy blow-dry, I left feeling like a full-blown cowboy copper icon. Ollie definitely understood the assignment.
The Hair Salon recently celebrated its fourth birthday. Opened by Ollie post-lockdown, the space was designed not just as a calm, welcoming environment for clients – but also as a supportive, balanced workplace for stylists. His ethos? Happy hairdressers make happy clients and it shows. Whether his team are growing with the salon or ready to move on, Ollie supports their journey.
He and fellow stylist Vanessa also champion inclusivity by offering gender-neutral education and hair technique training to Sussex-based hair professionals.
To mark the salon’s fourth anniversary, they’re offering a complimentary moisture or strengthening treatment, plus a hair consultation to discuss long-term hair goals, when you book a cut and blow-dry.
I honestly can’t recommend this place enough. From the warm vibes and reclining wash-basin chairs to the expertly brewed barista coffee and biscuits, everything is thoughtfully done. Most importantly, the team genuinely loves what they do – and it shows in every strand.
