Sally brooks reflect on her time as british hairdresser of the year

It’s coming to the end of my year as HJ’s British Hairdresser of the Year and I just wanted to say a big thank you to everyone for such an amazing and busy year. It has given me an opportunity to speak to stylists I wouldn’t normally speak to, and share ideas with hairdressers from all across the country. The British Hairdressing Awards has, and always will be, the one Awards that gets recognised by hairdressers here and internationally and continues to keep British hairdressing number one in the world. What we do the world follows – and while we live in the British hairdressing bubble, it’s easy to forget how respected we are as an industry. The British trophy sits on my reception desk with pride, not just for the fact that my name is on it but for the list of names before me that have not only contributed to British hairdressing, but have changed the industry to what it is today thanks to their passion, talent and vision. Our heritage is as important as our future; the skills and lessons from the past will continue to be used for generations to come and be an inspiration to many more. Let’s continue to keep the British Hairdressing Awards as a platform for the new generation to value and give them a chance to one day see their name on a trophy and add their contribution to the industry alongside the list of names already there. At Brooks and Brooks we have an incredible team of young stylists who are constantly looking to push their creativity and want to take part in as many opportunities as possible and we encourage them 100%. They are, after all, the future of our industry. October was a crazy month for us – we presented at Noise in London at a secret location alongside Tom Connell, Tim Hartley and Richard Ashworth – and took to the stage at the Tribute show at the Novello Theatre to a present a show to 100s of creative-hungry hairdressers. The two shows couldn’t be more different but the concept is the same – to showcase creativity at its best. David Hindley for Tribute I also attended Salon International and was interviewed by various international journalists from Singapore, Spain and Argentina. It’s important to give some time to international publications who not only talk about what I am doing but about British hairdressing and why it is number one in the world. Jamie, myself and the team headed to Leeds this month to work with the super-talented L’Oréal Professionnel ID Artists for two days. It’s an amazing two-year programme for some of the most creative individuals in the industry. We worked on ‘thinking outside the box’, how to come up with new ideas from things in our day-to-day lives and the 70 hairdressers absolutely nailed it! The energy in the room was amazing and it’s true: Creativity is contagious – so pass it on! My documentary is in its final stages of editing and we can’t wait to share it with you so keep watching for announcements coming soon! In the next few weeks the 2018 British Hairdresser of the Year will be announced. It has been an honour to fly the flag for British hairdressing and whoever lifts the trophy will have a fantastic 12 months in front of them! [ytp_video source="whUlQ68NRJs"]