Goldwell uk guest artist lisa whiteman takes the spotlight

This is a sponsored post from KPSS Lisa Whiteman has a wealth of knowledge and expertise having worked in the hair industry for 25 years. She is the co-owner and director of the established Webster Whiteman salon in Mayfair, London. She’s also trained and mentored many salon owners and talented up-and-coming hairdressers both nationally and internationally. Her high standards and professionalism have led to numerous top industry award nominations and she was named the Global Partner Category winner of Color Zoom in 2012. Here, Lisa speaks exclusively about why she’s partnered with the brand and her main inspiration… Why did you decide to team up with Goldwell? After years of working with various brands, I found Goldwell to be one of the most professional. The colour choice is diverse and it gives my team and I complete confidence when working with the products. What are you most excited about this year? After 30 years of hairdressing in the West End, I’m very excited to be building my own brand in central London. I’m focusing on my new salon in Soho, my team, training and my commitments as a Goldwell UK guest artist. What are the challenges you face when opening a new salon? Bums on seats in the new salon and making sure the spreadsheets match up to my expectations for my first year of business. It’s a consistent challenge in London because overheads are so high. What are your words of wisdom to pass on to people starting out in their career? Starting out in hairdressing is very hard and physical work so you should really push through this period in your career and not give up. Focus on learning a diverse range of skills to keep your options open for the future. The more knowledge you have as an apprentice under your belt, the more confident you will be with clients. Always remember that clients are the day to day bread and butter which can eventually lead into learning more creative skills once qualified. Who are your big hairdressing icons and who inspires you? I don’t have a specific icon that I gravitate towards as I like to follow all of the hairdressers in the industry. I do look to Sam McKnight for inspiration and I love Peter Gray. I worked alongside him once at Global Zoom in Berlin and he was incredible to watch. He has a very easy going and relaxed attitude while working which is something I love about him. It’s much easier to learn from a hairdresser who is calm and open to instruction, while creating beautiful work at the same time. Do you have a signature hairstyle? Colour-wise I love using my signature 3D effect techniques. I use monochromatic tones within a global colour using Goldwell Elumen, Topchic and Colorance. This gives the hair some diversity as the client wears and washes her hair between salon visits. It’s important that clients get the most for the money they spend in with us in the salon. What are your predictions for the biggest trends this year? There will be a more relaxed feel to styling on the high street, with natural movement and an understated matt finish. Also, I predict stylists will use more products to create an urban feel and colour for a raw and organic finish. Can you describe your hairdressing philosophy in three words? Positive, engaging and accommodating. To find out more about Goldwell and its guest artists head to goldwell.co.uk