What We Saw on the HJ Academy Stage at Salon International 2024

This interactive stage was filled with the hottest new talent and industry trailblazers...

Saturday 12 October 

HJ Pod 1

10.30 - 11.30 Hannah Marcia Larden

11.30 - 12.30 Sasha Perkes

13.30 - 14.30 Darrel Starkey

14.30 - 15.30 Amy Sillis

15.30 - 16.30 Giuseppe Manco

HJ Pod 2

12.30 - 13.30 Aaron Firmstone

13.30 - 14.30 Poppy Devine-Smith

15.30 - 16.30 India Sparacia

Modern Barber Pod 3

10.30 - 11.30 Aaron Ottley

11.30 - 12.30 Aurelija Norvaisiene

12.30 - 13.30 Aaron Halsey

13.30 - 14.30 Jai-Li Rayneau

14.30 - 15.30 Must Dash Barber

Jai-Li Rayneau

Raw Talent 2024 Graduate Finalist Jai-Li showcase Cornrow braiding. Her business aim? To try and bridge the gap between barbering and hairdressing when it comes to braiding. Working from both Hairjessers in Furzton and barbershop Do it for the Heart, Jai-Li is on a misison to change the face of braiding. 

Poppy Devine

A slick wet look, inspired by the ocean. Poppy explains: "Myself and Tracey Devine Smith coloured a wig and then we liked how much it looked like a sea creature with the green and lilac colouring. So I thought I'd take it a step further with the wet look styling."

Darrel Starkey

A gorgeous, sculptural Afro was Darrel's style of choice for the HJ Academy stage. “I always teach “Think WIG” - that's Where Is it Going?" If it's a hair loss patient it needs it to look natural, for a show like this you need structure, for a drag queen it needs to be glued to within an inch of its life!"

Aaron Halsey, Max Oliver Lewes

Aaron cut a Mod cut where versatility was key. "I want the client to be able to style it sharp or more undone," he says. 

MustDash Barber

A Modern Mullet that is very short at the front moving into longer lengths at the back. "Today we are re-shaping a grown-out mullet, I want to change it up a bit."
 

Sunday 13 October

HJ Pod 1

10.30 - 11.30 Sammy Bickle

11.30 - 12.30 Casey Styles

12.30 - 13.30 George Newton-Beck

13.30 - 14.30 Ben Brazzo

14.30 - 15.30 Darcy Hosford

15.30 - 16.30 Sara Bergantini

16.30 - 17.30 Lucy Bryan

HJ Pod 2

10.30 - 11.30 Kelly Rowney

11.30 - 12.30 Teresa Weller

12.30 - 13.30 Victoria Tryhorn

13.30 - 14.30 Emma Simmons

14.30 - 15.30 Lucy Upton

15.30 - 16.30 Michelle Summers-Davies

16.30 - 17.30 Andi Pearce

Modern Barber Pod 3

10.30 - 11.30 Sid Da Barber

11.30 - 12.30 Liv Plum

12.30 - 13.30 Tommy Winding

13.30 - 14.30 Emma Moriarty-Richardson

14.30 - 15.30 Dan Burnett

15.30 - 16.30 Jaiden McCarthy

16.30 - 17.30 Killian Maddison

Sammy Bickle

Sammy showcased a bold session look, featuring an extra-long hair piece created out of hair strands and polystyrene. She talked the audience through the creation of the hair piece, while also sharing general session styling tips and tricks. Discussing her inspiration for the hair look, Sammy said: "I wanted to portray a sense of power – that you can be a boss in the board room and still have hair down to the floor." 

Kelly Rowney 

While on the HJ Academy Stage, Kelly recreated a disconnected wolf cut she she submitted as part of her BHA Collection, where she has been named a finalist. Offering up advice for those thinking of entering the competition next year, she said: "Prep, prep, prep! Be brave, experiment and be open-minded to change." Finishing off her look, Kelly added a slight wave in the hair, finishing with texturising spray to highlight the cut. 

Sid Da Barber

Sid decided to cut a short back and sides, with a slight taper and some sharpness around the edges. He explained to visitors that his goal was to keep as much length as possible at the front, before diffusing the hair to enhance his model's perm. 

Casey Styles

Casey's theme for her hair look on the HJ Academy Stage was 'We Can't Hear You Over All This Noise'. She utilised Koroba braids – an African technique that was used 5,000 years ago. Koroba means 'basket' in Yoruba, and is used as a map to direct you into the afro. To build the look, the hair was prepped with a base of cane rows, and afro kinky hair was crotched in. She also used a brick layer technique to add volume. 

Teresa Weller

Teresa, another finalist at this year's British Hairdressing Awards, sponsored by Schwarzkopf Professional, showcased a hair-up. She explained that she wanted to let the hair do the talking, by creating lots of volume (with the help of some padding). To finish off her look, she used a working hairspray, explaining: "These are great because you can just keep moulding and moulding."

Liv Plum

Liv was on hand to showcase a disconnected cut with a taper, leaving the edges "nice and soft for a touch of femininity". To enhance her model's curls, she dried the cit with a diffuser. When asked if this cut would only work for clients with curly hair, she explained: "No, this look could work on different textures – because I've taken some of the weight away it sits really nicely." 

George Newton-Beck

George decided to create an editorial look by using the hair as makeup, taking extensions around the side of the face and neck and working them into intricate swirls. To provide hold and shine, he mixed together gel with oil which gave the perfect wet-look finish. 

Victoria Tryhorn

Victoria, a former winner of Assistant of the Year at the British Hairdressing Business Awards, created a grunge wave, alternating the direction of the iron throughout so the hair didn't sit too uniformed. to reinforce the grunge theme, she prepped the hair with a dry shampoo to provide a matte look. 

Tommy Winding

Over on the dedicated barbering pod, Tommy got to work cutting a soft mullet, before finishing off the edges with a feather razor. He styled the look with a hairdryer and her fingers, working to keep movement in the fringe. 

Monday 14 October

HJ Pod 1

10.30 - 11.30 Ashley Long

11.30 - 12.30 Dodge Mackay

12.30 - 13.30 SNAP! Award Winners Announced

13.30 - 14.30 Jess McDermott

14.30 - 15.30 Richard Scorer

15.30 - 16.30 Terri Harris

HJ Pod 2

10.30 - 11.30 Mark Sherwood

11.30 - 12.30 Irene Moreno

12.30 - 13.30 SNAP! Award Winners Announced

13.30 - 14.30 Noel Halligan

14.30 - 15.30 Katie Miller

15.30 - 16.30 Justin Mackland

Modern Barber Pod 3

10.30 - 11.30 Hannah McKnight

11.30 - 12.30 Wez Jones

12.30 - 13.30 SNAP! Award Winners Announced

13.30 - 14.30 Auburne Enkel

14.30 - 15.30 Sam Carter

15.30 - 16.30 Luke Hartley

Ashley Long

Ashley demonstrated the invisible weave method, installing some pastel pink extensions before finishing off the look with a soft wave.

Mark Sherwood

Winner of the Colour category in 2023's SNAP! Awards, Mark took to the pod to showcase not just his colouring skills, but also his styling capabilities. First, he demonstrated colouring some wefts live, explaining: "It's a very visual process, I'm just working to create contrast. You don't want it overly blended because then it becomes a bit muddy." Then, he used some pre-prepared wefts to create a basket weave.

Hannah McKnight

Hannah kick-started the barbering pod on Monday by cutting a taper fade with added texture on the top. While working, Hannah discussed her work as an educator in prisons, and also explored the topic of future-proofing your career. 

While you're here, why not check out what happened over on the HJ Stage, too?