Meet the award-winning stylist making waves in the hair industry

The talented hairdresser has a studio suite at Truth Hair on Woodchurch Road in Prenton ensuring clients leave feeling full of confidence and happy with their new look.

Here in our latest Meet The Stylist feature, Jordan, who is 24, tells us how he got started in the hair industry and why education and training is so important to running a successful business.

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

What’s the name of the salon/business?

Jordan Heyes Hair, based out of my studio suite in Truth Hair in Prenton

What’s the address?

369 Woodchurch Road,

Birkenhead,

CH42 8PE

Are you the owner/manager?

I own my business, Jordan Heyes Hair, but not the salon space I work out of.

How many employees do you have?

I’m a freelance stylist so I don’t have any employees myself, however I work with the amazing team at Truth, led by Abbie Nelson, as well as two other freelance stylists.

When did you open the salon?

I started my business back in April 2021, after opening again following the most recent lockdown. It was decided that the business needed to be remodelled to a self -employed format and I found that this way of working was perfect for me. I’ve been doing it ever since.

Has it always been in the same location?

No. In May of this year, I relocated my business to the studio in Truth. Prior to this I had worked out of a salon in Neston for three years as a freelance stylist, which is the same salon where I had been employed as a stylist for three years as well.

Jordan Heyes Hair is based in a studio suite at Truth Hair

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

Yes, I grew up on the Woodchurch estate, about five or ten minutes away from Prenton. I’m always in the area because it’s central to so many things. It’s so convenient.

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Tell me a bit about your salon/business

I wanted to make my business a safe space where people could come in, get top class hair, have a laugh, cry or a moan about their week. Basically, I wanted to create an experience where people could come and take a deep breath and be what they needed to be and leave feeling amazing about themselves. One of the core values of my business is healthy hair. I always make sure my clients are well-informed about their home care. I believe that a lot of issues people have with their hair comes from lack of information or simply too much choice for products, that’s why as standard for all my appointments, we talk about home care, what issues they have and what they feel they need. I recommend which products would work for them and plan a routine. All I really want for my business is to have somewhere where we can have a laugh, create the hair of your dreams, and walk out feeling great about ourselves. From that came the mission statement of Jordan Heyes Hair: “I love what I do! Making you feel the best version of yourself and having a laugh while doing it!”

Another one of my core values is education. In my career, I feel like I have never, nor will ever, settle for what I know. I am fortunate to be in an industry that is constantly evolving, meaning that there is always something new to learn and something to try out or modify. I try and reflect this in my business every day.

What do you do? What services do you provide?

I offer a wide range of services, being a gender-neutral stylist, from extensions to haircuts to blow-dries. I try to cater to the needs of as many as people as possible although, as I’m not trained in barbering, I don’t offer those services. I do however specialise in colours, specifically vivid colours, balayages and corrective work. I have always loved a challenge and this sort of work provides just that.

Why did you decide to open your own salon?

I decided to open my own business because salons were closing all the time in 2021 across the UK and I thought it would be difficult to find employment in another salon. I thought “what have I got to lose?” and made the leap into self-employment along with our other stylists, where we had an established clientele. It turned out better than I could have expected and in the years since it has just snowballed with one amazing opportunity after the other.

What’s your hair and beauty background?

I trained for two years to get my NVQ Level 2 and 3 at Wirral Met College and from there worked with Hair Attitude to refine my skills. I have also worked as an assistant at Not Another Salon on Brick Lane in learning skills from one of the most well-known colour salons in the industry, as part of a brief retraining programme. I then came back home and giving even more back to my clients and my business. I have also been part of the Fellowship for British Hairdressing’s Club Star Art Team. This is a team where up and coming stylists work alongside icons within the industry and refine our skills in all aspects of hairdressing, some of which would be nearly impossible to break into. From that, we created the teams Discipline Collection which has since been published in four industry-leading magazines. That was a real ‘pinch me’ moment.

Why this type of business?

This type of business works well for me now because being freelance allows me to explore all avenues and projects without having any limitations. However, it wasn’t always smooth sailing. There was a lot of stress and worry at the start and navigating the relocation wasn’t the easiest either. But it has all been worthwhile thanks to the support I have been shown by my amazing clients.

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

I wasn’t freelance before the pandemic, however when the salon reopened again, the reception we received was quite overwhelming. I was booked up for more than double what was the norm. I think the pandemic made people realise how much they needed to get out of the house for a few hours and the self-care that comes with that. Also, doing hair is harder than you realise - it’s not as easy as it looks on TikTok!

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Pops of colour

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

I think what sets me apart from my competitors is the importance I place on education and transparency with my clients with every part of their hair appointment. It was instilled in me during my training that a hairdresser should always be a student and that stuck with me. I am always trying to learn new things and educate myself so that I can keep up with the newest trends that my clients are consuming on social media and television, delivering top quality hair. The other thing, I believe, that sets me apart is the transparency I have with my clients. I am always 100 per cent honest and I feel this helps to build a trusting relationship meaning we can really go in depth about what they want and then achieve their perfect result. This, for me, takes the whole situation from transactional to a real experience and true relationship.

Why do loyal clients return to your business?

I think clients return because they feel fully welcomed in the salon and it’s a place where they can come in, relax and have a great time before leaving with gorgeous hair that is tailor made to them. Every head of hair that leaves the salon is completely bespoke to the client.

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

The next few months are looking crazy for me. Obviously, we have the Christmas season coming up so my books are looking wild. Then in the new year, I plan to put everything I have learnt from the past year into every aspect of my business. Club Star Art Team and the Joico Colour Excellence Programme has been a game changer for me this past 12 months. The things I have learnt have completely levelled-up my business perspective and my hairdressing, completely elevating my skills. I’m excited to graduate with my colour excellence team in February as well as work with the fellowship next year to educate the next generation of up-and-coming stylists with my knowledge and experiences. With my Fellowship Art Team this year, we were able to create our own photoshoot collection called Discipline. That was an exciting experience for me and I would like to explore my ideas for my own collection. After taking home the Stylist of the Year and Future Talent awards for Merseyside at this year’s Salon Awards in November, I’ve been pushed to go even further with my skills and deliver an even better service to my clients as well as to give back to my industry and community in whatever way possible. But no matter what, you will always find me behind the chair, first and foremost.