Q. what is a hairdresser's favourite phone?

It's time to get nosy. We asked hairdressers to name their favourite gadgets, including their phones and personal tech, and they told us why they make their life run so smoothly. One brand in particular kept cropping up again and again... Francesca Dixon, creative colourist at Hari’s Hairdressers “I use an iPhone to take all my client before and after shots and all images which I upload on to my website and social channels.  The quality is great and it has portrait mode as well as a ‘square’ option so that images are perfect size for Instagram meaning there’s no need to crop. I also have a Lummee case attached to my phone for extra lighting to help show colour which is key for me, especially in winter when it gets dark early and you can no longer see the true colour.” Sian Haynes, owner of Inspire Beauty “The screen size of the Samsung S9 Plus is great for working and allows me to leave my iPad at home. I love my in-car phone function too. I’ve had it for the past 9 years, but I still know people without it and don’t know how they cope. It is so much safer, automatically syncs my contacts and calls come in over loudspeaker.” Ken Picton, owner Ken Picton salon "I’ve been an Apple fan ever since the Macintosh days and used to get frustrated when all of the salon software was written for PCs. I now use an iPhone X but I’ve evolved with the iPhones, iPads and MacBook Pros over the years. Because they all sync together it means I am always up to speed with my salon and my family. Another favourite gadget of mine has to be my Away suitcase. It has a built-in compartment for a USB charger. I travel a huge amount and it’s great to be able to charge my devices while I’m walking through airports and queuing for taxis." Roy Gillan, head receptionist, Brooks & Brooks “I use an iPhone and I always have. It’s reliable, fast, has a good anti-viral protection system, great screen resolution and works even better when you have other Apple accessories.” Philip Bell, owner, Ishoka "I have the iPhone X – the camera is brilliant and allows me to capture high quality images of my work. We use Instagram to share beautiful hair images that we’ve created in the salon, salon news and new product information so it's crucial our images look great. Social media is so important for salons today and if you don’t make your presence known on these platforms, it is easy for clients to forget about you and get enticed by other salons that are more digitally active." Steven Diamond, owner, Color Hairdressing “I use a Samsung Note 8 – I do all of our wages accounts through it and all of our promotional stuff. It can be hooked up to a TV and used like a PC, which is great.” Some extracts have been taken from My Life in Tech, which appeared in the April issue of Hairdressers Journal.