Ebony Jade O’Brien voted Burnett’s best hair colourist 2024

South Burnett businesswoman and hair stylist Ebony Jade O’Brien has been voted the best in the Burnett for the second year in a row, taking out 25 per cent of the vote in our most recent poll.

South Burnett businesswoman and stylist Ebony Jade O’Brien has been voted the best in the Burnett by South Burnett Times’ and Central and North Burnett Times’ readers for the second year in a row, taking out 25 per cent of the vote in our most recent poll.

A delighted Mrs O’Brien, 28, who owns HairDo4U in Nanango, said this week that to be recognised for two years running was a beautiful thing.

“It’s nice after last year even winning Burnett’s best, but to be two years in a row that’s really cool, just to see that obviously our clients are happy with our work and my work in particular and it’s really a nice feeling; you have to appreciate it I suppose,” she said.

Winner, owner and senior hair stylist - Ebony Jade O’Brien of HairDo4U has been voted the Burnett’s Best Colourist for the second year in a row.

“We build obviously personal relationships with a lot of our clients so, I’m just grateful and thankful that they are continually supporting us throughout all these years.”

Sophie Cross of Ivy Lane Hair Studio came in second, with 19 per cent of the vote, Carmen Moore of DC Salon came third with 7 per cent, Stacey Baldwin of The Fox and The Hare, and Mackenzie Baldwin of Studio ONE Hair and Beauty Salon tied for fourth with 6 per cent of the vote.

Mrs O’Brien is a veteran hair stylist and small business owner with 15 years experience in the industry.

“I have always wanted to be a hairdresser, just from when I was a young age, I was always playing with my nana’s and my mum’s hair, I was always busy with my hands and hair dressing,” she said.

“I would have been seven or eight years old. I remember I had a little hair dressing kit in Nana’s house, she used to love when I would sit down, even combing her hair, playing with the brush, learning to blow dry, she liked me doing that and I just really enjoyed doing it,” Mrs O’Brien said.

Mrs O’Brien studied Certificate 3 in Hairdressing during her school holidays, completed high school in 2013 and travelled Manilla, and taught hairdressing as a volunteer job to gain experiences and improve her skills.

“I just took that as my passion and realised I was actually good at it and just continued to try and better myself and improved my skills,” she said.

“When school sort of came around, I just got to do some work experience and straight to it. I just loved it; went straight from there then eventually went on to buying my own salon.”

The mother of two said she wanted to continue striving and expanding her business.

“The biggest challenge was Covid, and dealing with the mental load of losing clients when they pass away as we build personal relationships with them and when staff move on to other things,” she said.