Hairdressing in russia: pampering and glamour

  High glamour - that’s the look that Russian hair and beauty clients want when they visit the salon, and it’s led to an increasingly booming industry in the world’s largest country. “The market is fast growing and there is a real enthusiasm for lots of training and educational development,” says Redken Artist Adam Browne, who worked with Russian salon chain Monet on their recent NYC collection. “Russian hairdressers are keen on learning the true foundations of hairdressing and still place a lot of influence on old school techniques which is great.” Paul Falltrick, who visited the country as part of his role as Matrix ambassador, agrees: “In Russia hairdressers are very thorough and prefer to learn precision-cutting techniques as opposed to cutting freely.” The rapid expansion of the Russian hairdressing industry has led to investment in new facilities. For example, L’Oreal opened its new Training Academy in Moscow last Autumn . If features an Evaluation Centre, where researchers will look into the particular needs of Russian women who have to cope with a very extreme climactic environment. There are also new, super stylish salons popping up frequently across the capital city, indicating that many Russian women are placing an increased importance on hair and beauty services. “For a long time, our woman were quite restricted in getting any information about fashion and beauty,” explains Moscow-based hairdresser Dmitri Vinokurov. “During the communist regime in Russia, everybody had to look the same without showing any individuality. Nowadays, Russian women all look very stylish and modern.” An all-encompassing salon experience is, says Adam, the focus in Russia. “A lot of emphasis is placed on the customer experience and making the salon a destination to be pampered in,” he explains. “unlike the UK or USA it is not about quick fix or speed services being in demand. Instead they tend to concentrate on the total package of hair and beauty and add on services are popular.” Dmitri agrees: “Visiting the hair and beauty salon is like a holiday for many Russian women – they can enjoy themselves and forget about their domestic affairs!” He also says that women on low earnings are just as concerned about keeping up appearances. “Even if their income is not very high, the spend lots of money in salons to improve their natural beauty,” reveals Dmitri. Perhaps the focus on glamour is unsurprising – our most common association of Russian women is with super-groomed and gorgeous models such as Irina Shayk and Natalia Vodianova. Even if they’re not always bound up in expensive furs and dripping with diamonds, Russian women do like their hair to look ultra-luxe. “Glossy, lustrous hair is one of the most coveted looks in the country,” confirms Paul. Although the fashion runways of Paris, Milan, New York and London do have some influence in Russia, following specific trends is not so important as fitting into an overall aesthetic. “They are not so trend-orientated and don’t have much of a street style influence,” says Adam. “It’s more about traditional beauty and high end glamour. As a result, their blow dry market is huge. Women tend to focus on having long, flowing hair – it’s conservative beauty.” Tatiana Nitchenko,  four-time winner at the Russian Hairdressing Awards, believes the glamour-centric hair focus of the country is due to celebrity influence. "TV and popstars dictate the fashion in Russia," she says. "This is where such high demand for glamour comes from. Everyone wants to be part of the showbiz world, so wants to dress and look like stars. In Europe the fashion is performed by models, but in Russia this role is played by TV stars and wives of oligarchs." However, while glamour reigns supreme, there may be signs of change in the air, as street style starts to make its presence known. “The youth are starting to bring hipster style more and more toe the forefront,” says Adam. “As the youth market develops it may change things.”