Cut-price haircuts grow in popularity with cost-savvy salon-goers

Apprentice hairdressers see customer influx amid cost-of-living increases In short: TAFE Queensland training salons offering cut-price haircuts have recorded customer increases across the state as cost-of-living pressures rise. Customers say there is an element of trust in letting an apprentice cut hair, but the savings allow more money for other luxuries. Educators say the increase in customers gives apprentices more experience in time management, accuracy, and client interaction. Style-savvy salon-goer Denise Kelly admits she had concerns about letting an apprentice hairdresser loose on her luscious locks. "I thought 'Will they over-process my hair? Will they even blow-dry it correctly?'," Ms Kelly said. But the compliments she received after her first $20 wash and blow-dry at a Gold Coast training salon were all the convincing she needed. "My husband liked it, so that's even better," she laughed. Ms Kelly said she could pay more than $70 for a similar service in a fully fledged, professional salon. "Now that I'm a self-funded retiree, we can travel a little bit more because I'm not spending so much at the hairdressers." Apprentice-run training salons at TAFE campuses across Queensland saw an influx of new customers in the past financial year, with bookings increasing more than 70 per cent in some areas. "We think that's obviously related to the cost-of-living pressures," said Deb Blow, executive director of education and training at TAFE Queensland. In the barber-training area of the Gold Coast salon, Simon Zanchetta went from being a reluctant customer to a repeat one. "Whatever happens, you're stuck with it for a little bit of time, so you do enlist a little bit of trust in coming into the salon," Mr Zanchetta said. The TAFE Queensland IT manager said working a level above the training salon meant he could save time getting a haircut, but the $10 price tag was the main selling point. "It's good because it matches the level [of experience] where the apprentices are," he said. Benefits blow both ways The increasing number of customers has benefited the apprentices honing their skills in the training salons too. Hairdressing educator Naomie Diamond said "more bums on seats" meant her students got a better feel for life in a busy boutique. "When the turnover is higher, that allows them to work on their timing and their accuracy," Ms Diamond said. "What we replicate in a simulated environment is what they then take out into their home environment … so being able to produce those skill sets with them is really important." Second-year apprentice Ahrielle Jeffery said working at the training salon, as opposed to the professional hairdresser that she was based in, gave her a different learning experience. "Being surrounded by other apprentices and other people your age … means we're helping each other rather than sticking to yourself," Ms Jeffery said. "We're all going through the same thing, we're all training, trying to do better and trying to learn, so that's really important." The language of style First-year apprentice Chevy Lawford was yet to debut with the scissors but agreed working alongside other junior hairdressers in the busy Gold Coast training salon was helping him develop other important skills. "I love talking, so it's good to just talk all day, every day," Mr Lawford said. While a scholarship in style is the primary goal for hairdressing apprentices, Ms Diamond said learning the art of language was often just as important. "Communication is key in our job, [but] we have to be extremely good listeners," Ms Diamond said. "We all talk a lot, but we have to have moments in our time where we stop and listen because our clients like to be heard." And for the inevitable cantankerous customer — Ms Jeffery said she had learned the best approach was one well-known in the industry. "I always find you can just fight it with kindness," she said.