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JAYNE BOND : Bonds & Co . Mid Glamorgan , Wales
“ My salon may be in a small place , Williamstown , not far from Tonypandy , but it ’ s busy , busy , busy all the time . I have a team of 14 , five of us do extensions , and I ’ m the busiest . I ’ ve been hairdressing 25 years and have been a big fan of Racoon extensions ever since they came on the market . I ’ m one of its biggest customers , we book in about 150 extensions ’ appointments every month . Because we ’ re so busy with extension work , we have four ‘ preppers and passers ’. They remove extensions , then cleanse , detox and dry them , ready to pass up to the extensionist to re-apply . This saves a lot of the extensionists ’ time and is a professional , efficient way to work .
“ I ’ m passionate about extensions , they make anything possible , even for those with the finest of hair . My hair is horrid without them , fine and lifeless and without extensions my confidence is definitely affected for the worse . We get lots of clients who come for extensions because they ’ ve had haircut they hate or just can ’ t live with . They come in crying and leave happy and smiling ; now how rewarding is that ?”
WARREN LEE-JENKINSON : Hair by Volume , Southend-on-Sea , Essex
“ About 30 percent of my clients have extensions , mostly for extra length and volume – the classic look Essex girls are known and loved for ! My bills are anywhere from £ 150 for partial work to £ 800 if the client ’ s going for a complete change . I love the huge impact extensions have on people . You can raise their confidence in a matter of hours , make people happy with themselves when they haven ’ t been happy with the way they looked before .
“ Having RAT Pack team mates to turn to when needed is great . For example , when I did my first Hair in Recovery client , a lady not yet 30 with really bad alopecia in her crown area , being able to call on the experience of Elaine , Jayne and Esther was really reassuring . I double checked I was going about it the right way ; regardless of your confidence and training , there ’ s nothing like having a second opinion . While doing this client ’ s hair I literally watched her confidence come back in leaps and bounds , she was absolutely thrilled . Emotionally it was tough , but so rewarding .”
HAYLEY JENNINGS : House of Creation , Ripponden , West Yorkshire .
“ I ’ m from Halifax , a hairdresser for 16 years who began working with extensions in 2004 after a Racoon International training course . Suitably impressed with my work , Racoon approached me to become an Educator , something I really enjoy . I love the way extensions can totally transform a look , even if it ’ s just a few in the fringe area or a flash of colour . Clients can wear their hair the way they ’ ve always wanted , express their real personality .
“ A reason so many of my clients have extensions is down to me being part of the RAT Pack I think . Because we learn new ways of working with them , experimenting artistically and bouncing ideas off each other , it fires your creativity and passion for extensions . We also get the opportunity to do photo-shoots and stage work which is just brilliant . When planning to open my business – finding premises , builders , sorting planning regulations etc . – with my partner Remy McDonagh ( a barber ) one thing that didn ’ t need thinking about was having Racoon extensions on the menu – that decision was a given !”
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