Virgin atlantic grooming experts show crew how to wear their hair

It's a full-time job to ensure Virgin Atlantic cabin crew members maintain their reputation as being  'The Most Attractive Cabin Crew'.

On hand is a team of hair and beauty experts who teach crew members how to style their hair and apply their make-up within the company's style guidelines.

With the help of make-up artist Mim Allgood and hair expert Helen Kavanagh who work as grooming standards managers for Virgin Atlantic, trainees are also inspired to be creative with their looks and put an individual stamp on their flying fashion.

Mim and Helen are involved in training the cabin crew, but started their professional life as grooming experts within Virgin Atlantic's in-house salons and clubhouse lounges. Stylists train at the Bumble and bumble Academy in New York and training continues at Bumble and bumble in London's trendy Shoreditch.

Stylists and make-up artists are also on-hand when Virgin Atlantic crew members are represented on the silver screen. Says Mim: "Film companies frequently ask to use our cabin crew in shoots for airport scenes; we're on hand to style the crew according to the style guidelines. Our job is diverse and always interesting."

Back to the training room and arguably the most important part of the Virgin look is the perfect hairdo that will see cabin crew through the longest of flights. When it comes to hair, rules include no roots, no primary colours and fringes can't go below the base of the eyebrows.

For female members of staff, Helen demonstrates quick and easy styles that look sensational with minimum effort. Says Helen: "I love to use hair pieces and padding for glamorous updos." 

Wet-look products aren't recommended as older passengers could perceive this as unclean hair. Elastic bands must be covered and accessories need to comply with regulations so that they don't interfere with safety masks or hoods.

To encourage individuality, Helen always has a selection of the latest appropriate hair accessories for future cabin crew to experiment with, and mood boards are created by the grooming team to show trainees how the latest styles can be subtly incorporated into their look.

The entire fleet of cabin crew can make the most of their professional look, says Helen. "Cabin crew represent the airline as soon as the uniform goes on and it is our job to ensure they are well-groomed and promote the brand as a glamorous, yet contemporary company."