Best of the Gold Coast: Top 10 hairdressers as voted by you
IF you’re yet to find a hairdresser you’d trust with your life — or even more importantly — your hair, the people of the Gold Coast have voted for their favourites who will blow you away.
Best of Gold Coast
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IF you’re yet to find a hairdresser you’d trust with your life — or even more importantly — your hair, the people of the Gold Coast have voted for their favourites who will blow you away.
10. Kris Schriiffer — Kiwi and Bull, Southport
2/9 Nerang St, Southport
5679 6176
Kiwi and Bull has only been chopping and dying for six months and co-owner Kris Schriiffer has already found himself voted among the best.
“I’m from New Zealand — kiwi — and my partner Daniel Lainez is from a Spanish background — bull — so we combined both our mascots and thought it was pretty catchy,” Kris said.
“I’ve been hairdressing for nine years but Kiwi and Bull has only been open about six months,” he said.
“It’s been a big whirlwind but we’re both in here and love what we’re doing so it’s great.”
With an obvious passion for hairdressing and customer service, Kris said the client is his favourite thing about the job.
“I love so much about hairdressing its so hard to choose,” he said.
“My favourite thing is making clients feel absolutely amazing and making sure they have a great experience.
“I really do like creamy blondes, I’ve got a particular foil technique which works really well for a natural look and I just love a glamorous, bouncy blow-dry.”
9. David Dibley — David Dibley Hair, Southport
6/175 Ferry Rd, Southport
0410 422 215
David Dibley was suffering a sore throat and husky voice when he learned of his spot in the top 10, which could be attributed to his love of social hairdressing.
“I love the social side of hairdressing; I have so many amazing clients and doing hair is just an added bonus,” he said.
“They’re always so interesting, they tell me about their life, what they’ve been up to, they confide in me and get advice sometimes.
“It’s easy to stay focused because I’ve been doing hair for so long, it’s just second nature to me.”
David sees a lot of hair in his chair and watches as the Gold Coast goes through seasonal trends.
“Everyone is rocking the short hair, the messy bob at the moment but soon I think everyone will miss their long locks,” he said.
“I think extensions will go through a big boom again. I love beachy blondes and coming into summer I think everyone's going blonde again.
“I love doing colour makeovers and extensions, especially extensions just because it’s instant glamour and transformation.”
8. Sam Bordignon — Hair La Natural, Chevron Island
Shop 4/49 -51 Thomas Drive Chevron Island
5538 6133
Sam Bordignon was only a hairdresser for two years before she launched into co-owning Hair La Natural. For the past four years, her colleague Nicky Kent said she has been building relationships and blowing away clients with her customer service skills.
“Sam is well-known for her customer service, she makes sure that everyone who leaves the salon feels like a million dollars,” Nicky said.
“She always gives 100 per cent and if someone isn’t perfectly happy with something she’ll keep going until they are.
“She always listens — she doesn’t tell people what they want or pretend she knows what they want if she doesn’t.”
Aside from her people skills, Sam also has a natural talent for hairdressing.
“She’s really, really good at colouring and balayage, she’s got a really great technique,” Nicky said.
“Colour matching and cutting in extensions is another thing she’s really good at or she’s not afraid to take black hair cases that want to go lighter.”
“She just has a natural flair for it, she can see shades and colour and knows exactly what to do.”
7. Renee Petersen — Neon Hair and Beauty, Southport
5/17 Harvest Ct, Southport
5531 3355
For Renee Petersen, hairdressing has been something she radiated towards since she was a little girl
“I always used to give my dolls haircuts,” she said.
“They weren’t good haircuts, I’d pretty much scalp them so mum and dad stopped buying me dolls.
“But I was colouring mum’s hair from a really young age and from a really young age I just loved hair.”
Renee is one of those lucky humans who genuinely loves what she does, so much so she’s been doing it for 15 years.
“Hairdressing is the best job, it doesn’t feel like work because I go in each day, hang out with some awesome chicks and make girls feel pretty,” she said.
“I really like technical colour correction, rectifying colours that aren’t necessarily bad but just should be something else.
“I think being honest and real is one of the most important things to do in hairdressing and paying every client special attention — no two heads are the same in hairdressing.”
6. Breeony Lee — Minogue Hair, Reedy Creek
1 Kingsmore Blvd, Reedy Creek
5568 0082
www.minoguehairdressing.com.au
Working out of Minogue Hair at Reedy Creek, Breeony Lee loves her job and the salon she works in.
“I really love working here because it’s so upbeat and positive, it seems like everyone is just always in a great mood,” she said.
“I love foils and microfoiling, I like giving people drastic hair makeovers as well but doing the foils just makes the hair bright and fresh.
“At the moment a lot of people are coming in and getting the foils done over the balayage which is awesome because it freshens it up and I get to see them more often.”
Breeony answered instantly when asked if she had any hot hair tips for Gold Coasters:
“Olaplex, which is a treatment that repairs damaged hair — everyone on the Gold Coast overprocesses their hair and swims and is in the sun so the hair gets really damaged over time,” she explained.
“Doing an Olaplex treatment just makes such a big difference; it puts the love and life back into your hair.
“It adds a great intensity that people might not have realised they needed but once it’s done it’s incredible.”
5. Sarah Sumner — Hair Art Boutique, Southport
6/175 Ferry Rd, Southport
0434 382 893
Originally from England, Sarah Sumner has a wealth of international experience under her hairdressing belt.
“I started out in England in Essex about 16 years ago where I did my apprenticeship and everything there and worked for eight and a half years until I moved here,” she said.
“Then I worked for another salon before I decided to open Hair Art three years ago.
“Now, I live and breathe hairdressing, there’s nothing I don’t enjoy about the industry.”
Being a salon owner is a colour that suits Sarah, with the young hairdresser set to go bigger and better this November.
“Everything has been going so well I’m reopening at the Brickworks on Ferry Road in November,” she said.
“It’s just going to be an improvement it’s going to be a massive hair and nails salon — bigger, more beautiful and a little bit posh.”
4. Kristy Gibson — Miss Bliss, Bundall
42 Bundall Rd, Gold Coast
5511 4753
Miss Bliss Hair Boutique is the ultimate ladies sanctuary where owner Kristy Gibson has dedicated her time to making women feel special.
“I just love making people feel beautiful and I’ve just always had a knack for hair,” she said.
“My favourite thing to do is styling, I do a lot of events and weddings and I’ve even been Ashy Bines’ hairdresser for a few years now.
“I don’t do anything too wild, lots of beautiful braids and up-dos, but it’s really special being a part of it all.”
If you can believe it, Australian airline Ansett’s collapse led to Kristy’s career in hairdressing.
“When I graduated high school I really wanted to be a flight attendant but that’s when Ansett went bust so there was no way I was going to get a job,” she said.
“A friend actually suggested I try hairdressing and I ended up loving it, I’ve been doing it about 16 years now.”
“Over the years hairdressing has changed so much and will keep changing but you’ve just got to be open to learning and always being inspired and creative.”
3. Paul Graham — Paul & Paul Salon, Southport
2/7-9 Stevens St, Southport
5527 1523
Paul Graham of Paul and Paul Salon has found a new passion in hairdressing in the business side of things.
“I love everything about hairdressing but I really love being a business owner and the business side of things,” he said.
“It’s amazing growing the business and watching something I love going so well.
“We’re actually opening a second salon in Brisbane soon; things have just been so busy here so we thought we must be doing something right.”
Paul will be running both businesses with his partner, Paul Dumenil, but their regulars will still be feeling the love.
“We’ll both spend time in both salons but we’ll be down here mainly and keep serving our regulars,” Paul said.
“I’ve been a hairdresser for 13 years; I’ve just always loved hair.
“I guess I just like the creative things you can do to make people love the way they look.”
2. Samara Palazzi — La Sorella, Robina
14/492 Christine Ave, Robina
5562 5344
No stranger to being called one of the best hairdressers on the Gold Coast, Samara Palazzi took out the top spot in the 2015 poll.
Her loyal clients have helped cement her spot as a top notch hair artist a year later, proving Samara is onto a winning formula.
Samara owns and runs La Sorella at Robina and said she wouldn’t give up her dream day job even if she won the lottery.
“I could not choose a better career — although actually it kind of chose me,” she says.
“I was just out of high school and I quit my job that I hated and my hairdresser said to me that I should give hairdressing a try.
“My husband says he knows that if I won $50 million in lotto I’d still be back here the next day and it’s true … it’s not work to me, it’s my life.”
Trained at salon legend Stefan Ackerie’s school, Samara was awarded apprentice of the year four consecutive times, and later manager of the year, and five years ago opened her own business.
1. Kirra Longmuir — Trendz Hair Studio, Bundall
6 Ashmore Rd, Bundall
5570 4538
https://www.facebook.com/trendzstudiohair/
She’s young, beautiful and successful and now she’s got the title of best hairdresser on the Gold Coast.
Kirra Longmuir has literally been hairdressing half her life and currently runs two salons in Brisbane and on the Gold Coast, so to say hair is her passion would be an understatement.
“I’ve been hairdressing now for 15 years — when I was 15 I was doing a hairdressing Tafe course that required me to do 70 hours of free work experience,” she said.
“After I completed the 70 hours my manager said “So when are you starting your apprenticeship?” and I was totally taken by surprise because I intended on finishing school but realised I had a passion for hair.
“So with the blessings from my parents I left early and took the opportunity.”
Kirra believes making human connections is just as important as the service you offer and delights in meeting new people and making new friends.
“Most hairdressers would say the transformations are the best thing about hairdressing and yes, that is one of the most exciting things,”
“Seeing someone's confidence improve and seeing them loving themselves sick after you have done something special to their hair is an extremely satisfying part of the job.
“But what I love most is the friends and relationships you form with those clients and even with your workmates.
“I have become so close with my clients and I feel like I’ve known them forever — it’s nice coming to work knowing you can catch up with all your friends.”
Technically, Kirra and her salons are outstanding with her social media filled with stunningly beautiful heads of hair guaranteed to give you hair envy.
“My work and Trendz Studio is famous for our balayage, our blondes and extensions.
“The way I like to explain the balayage look is what your hair would look like if you had left it natural in your teens and not coloured it like your mother said.
“We have been told by our blonde clients that there is just something special about the toners we use that they cannot get elsewhere.
“We also specialise in tape or sewn in weft method extensions which allows us to offer even the finest hair clients the length and volume they have always dreamt of.
Like many successful people, Kirra said she couldn’t have done any of this without her loyal clients and her passionate, talented team.
“Thank you to every one of you that took the time to vote for us, we are so grateful and excited that you love our work as much as we do.” Kirra said.
“All of our loyal clients and the strangers who messaged saying they voted even though they live too far away to have their hair done but admire my salon’s work on social media.
“And thank you to my amazing staff who are all so talented and create such beautiful work that makes me so proud.”
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