Meet the stylist changing the lives of women suffering from hair loss

Here in our latest Meet The Stylist feature, Lysa tells us about being a hair loss specialist, helping people who have suffered from hair loss or thinning hair, and why training and education is so important.

If you would like to appear in one of our Meet The Salon Owner, Meet The Stylist, Meet The Makeup Artist or Meet The Beauty Therapist features email heidi.summerfield@newsquest.co.uk

Hair stylist Lysa Harvey

What’s your full name?

Lysa Harvey

How old are you?

41

What’s the name of the business?

Lysa Harvey Hair and Beauty based at Darcy’s Salon

What’s the address?

170 Bebington Road

Bebington

CH63 7NX

Are you the owner/manager?

I am self-employed and rent a chair

Lysa is based inside Darcy's Salon in Bebington

How many employees do you have?

We are a self-employed salon of four hairdressers – myself, Nicola, Steph and Cam with two beauticians Abbie and Jess and our salon owner is Audrey.

When did you open the salon?

I joined the team in January this year but I used to work here 20 years ago when it was known as Suede. This is where my hairdressing journey really started.

Are you local to the area? Did you grow up here?

Yes, I live in Bebington and grew up in Bromborough. I went to Rock Ferry High School.

Lysa is fully qualified in mesh integration

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Tell me a bit about your salon/business

I have literally done a full circle since starting at Suede when I was 21. I left 12 years ago to have my daughter and become self-employed. I have owned my own salon in New Ferry called HONOR but decided it wasn’t for me so rented a chair, which I love. I feel like I’ve come home again, back to my roots, working alongside some very talented people. Salon life is great and we are a perfect team.

What do you do? What services do you provide?

I am a hair loss specialist creating beautiful new hair for those who suffer from different types of hair loss, from alopecia to stress-related hair loss to trichotillomania. I was nominated at the Beauty Full awards and got through to the finals, receiving a silver award in September for hair loss specialist of the year. For me, being able to help these ladies in the darkest of times is something that I will treasure forever. I am so passionate about this field and I will go above and beyond for these ladies. I’m always researching and always on the lookout for new training. I love new challenges especially blondes and I always keep up to date with training. Education and knowledge in our industry is very important. I’ve just been on a course in London learning about a new product which I have brought back into the salon. I can’t wait to get everyone on board with that.

Lysa specialises in hair loss

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What’s your hair and beauty background?

I have been in the hair industry for 25 years after completing my training at Andrew Collinge Academy. Over the years, I have gained many qualifications in hair and beauty. I’m completely driven by education and my latest course three years ago was to become a hair loss specialist ,which is my passion, using a technique called mesh integration. When I’m not doing hair clinics I’m mainly a colourist and I pride myself on those two areas.

Why this type of business?

I decided to go self-employed fully 12 years ago when I had my daughter. I’m a free spirit and I love being my own boss. To me, coming to work to talk all day is my ideal job and I get to meet people of all different ages, changing their lives.

Were you open during the Covid-19 pandemic? How did this affect your business?

Yes, I was open before Covid-19 and being closed during lockdown was just horrific. With only one income and the same amount of bills, it was awful, but I wasn’t alone - everyone was in the same position. I joined the team at Care at Home, which I loved. It was completely different to my usual job but I felt I was making a difference. As carers, we were some people’s only communication with another human being during the pandemic. It was really sad. I kept in contact with all my clients and I even made home root packages for them, mixing up their colours. They would collect their packages off my doorstep and it worked well. It kept the colour corrections at bay for when I returned!

Lysa won a silver award at this year's Beauty Full Awards

What makes your business different to others in the same area/field? What sets your business apart from your competitors?

I am a hair loss specialist so I feel that offering mesh integration is a unique skill to have and I am so proud of my achievements in such a short space of time.

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Why do loyal clients return to your business?

It must be that mean brew I make! I show up every day and I go above and beyond for every one of my clients, whether they have been coming for 20 years or they’re a new client, I always give 110 per cent to them all. We always share stories together – the good and the bad – and what I love is that many of my clients all know each other now and it’s like one big family.

What’s next? What do the next few months hold for you and your salon?

I have loads going on at the moment. I’m almost finished my level 3 education and training where I go every Tuesday night to North West Training Academy with Diane Senogles. I will be an educator so able to pass on all my knowledge of hair integration to hairdressers who want to learn this skill. I’m also doing my level 3 hairdressing at Wirral Met to become an assessor and teach NVQ students in the future. Watch this space as there are lots of exciting things about to happen with my business – I’m so excited.