DESCRIBED AS THE ‘FIRST LADY OF COLOUR’ AND ‘BEST TINTER ON THE PLANET’, JO HANSFORD MBE HAS RISEN TO THE TOP OF HER PROFESSION AND RUNS THE LARGEST FEMALE-OWNED INDEPENDENT SALON GROUP IN LONDON

April 2023: Jo Hansford MBE is preparing to celebrate a landmark anniversary: 30 years since the opening of her first salon in Mayfair, London.

From begging the bank for a loan to start her business to becoming the colourist of choice for the Queen, Jo Hansford has proved to those who originally dismissed her with snippy comments that hair is big business.

In 1993, when Jo Hansford first opened the doors to her Mayfair salon, all the leading names at that point were men such as Vidal Sassoon, John Frieda and Nicky Clarke and, to this day, Jo is the only woman in hairdressing who has turned her name into a business brand like her famous male counterparts.

When Jo started out, the only alternative to grey was going to the hairdressers for a blue rinse, and dyed hair was a shameful secret. As a colour expert, Jo realised that there was a unique opportunity to put hair colour at the forefront of a salon rather than hidden away in the background.

Jo Hansford MBE explains:

“I was up against it as soon as I opened my first salon given it was the middle of a recession and other industry leaders said I would be lucky to last three months. I remember them saying: ‘She’s a woman, she’ll soon be gone’. I knew the transformative effect colour had and I was determined to build a salon renowned for its expertise and I think I’ve done just that.”

Clientele come from all over the world, the ones who fly in from Europe, America and Australia are affectionally called “our hair miles clients,” says Jo. Regulars include the rich and famous, members of the Royal family as well as international royals, politicians, stars from stage and screen, businesswomen and men, along with everyone in between.

Jo Hansford MBE comments:

“All our clients get the same treatment. We value each and every one of them and are always grateful that they choose to come to us. We never take them for granted – as soon as you do that standards can slip. We never ever rest on our laurels. Our clients are used to having a five star lifestyle based on quality and exceptional service, and we therefore have to constantly deliver at every touch point.”

Given the UK is globally recognised as having the sharpest stylists and colourists than its continental and transatlantic rivals, Jo and her expert team also train the next generation of hairdressers as part of L’Oréal Colour Trophy and have worked with stylists all over the world and specifically in India.

Jo sums up:

“People don’t recognise hairdressing as a serious career but it is a highly professional and skilled job and you can be incredibly successful through it.”

“We offer a life-long career and many of our staff have been with us for 20 or more years.”

“It’s fabulous to be in an industry that currently cannot be taken over by robots and we still get to use our brains and skillset. I still love my role and, to work alongside my team, there really is no better place I would rather be.”

A six star salon experience

The salon Jo set up 30 years ago is very different to the one that a Jo Hansford client will walk in to today.

At both Jo Hansford Harvey Nichols, which is located on the 4th floor of the eponymous department store, and Jo Hansford Mayfair, clients are offered an innovative and bespoke range of hair styling and colour services as well as the option to book in and see hair, beauty and specialist experts.

Joanna Hansford, MD of both salons, explains:

“We very much position ourselves as a six star salon, offering hair and beauty services in the most luxurious of surroundings, with a guarantee of them
being delivered by experts who are trained to the highest technical standards.”

“Clients coming in to the salons want to have the ultimate experience and it is wonderful to deliver this in every way we can.”

What makes Jo Hansford a six star salon?

• Swipe to book: Traditionally appointments were booked over the ‘phone in a column diary, now it is highly digitised with state-of-the-art software. Appointments can also be booked online and via WhatsApp making it even easier for clients to book in whatever time zone they are in.
• A welcoming team you would see in any top hotel: The salon has its own dedicated reception and cloakroom staff who act as a personal concierge for many clients. Want your dog walking while you have your hair done? No problem…..the team will do it.
• In-house chefs: Jo Hansford Mayfair boasts its own in-house chef who caters for clients’ culinary requests as hair gets coiffed. Jo Hansford Harvey Nichols’ clients can order cocktails and a delicious selection of food choices from the department store’s restaurants located on the Fifth Floor.
• Bespoke colour: Gone are the A4 ring binders with synthetic hair colour looped in neat rows. Now clients are offered iPads where they can view the latest trends in colouring and styling and see what options may suit them alongside their consultation.
• Vegan colour: The salon has a dedicated vegan colour specialist, offer individual services for clients from flawless highlights, beautiful balyage right through to a dramatic colour change and colour correction.
• Green Salon Collective: As part of its commitment to sustainability, Jo Hansford Harvey Nichols has teamed with with specialist recycling service Green Salon Collective to ethically dispose of salon waste. Everything from hairspray cans, colour tubes, foils and disposable towels is either recycled, reused or composted, ensuring it is kept out of landfill. Hair clippings are composted or turned in to fertiliser or used to make booms to absorb oil spills in the sea.
• Hair solutions: stylists and colourists are continually educated to advise clients and deal with personal hair problems and hair issues impacted by menopause, detox diets, thinning hair, loss of hair. The salon has its own consultant trichologist, Hugh Rushton, who has more than 40 years of experience in hair and scalp related problems. The team also work with Mandeville, Europe’s leading niche specialists in handmade European hair wigs and hairpieces, providing a solution for all types of hair loss, from alopecia, chemotherapy, thinning hair and scalp traumas.
• Extensions: a full head of hair or boost to existing hair continues to be in demand for many clients and the salon offers ethically sourced Gold Fever and London Hair Lab extensions which are premium and proven to protect hair.
• Staying connected: Access to a first class Wifi system is critical for clients. While clients still enjoy magazines and newspapers, they can work while in the chair or relax and read Jo Hansford’s blog and see latest trends online. Many bring in their own laptops and work on mobiles, and the salon helps to keep them 100 per cent charged thanks to readily available chargers.
• One-stop destination for hair and beauty: Clients are time-poor so Jo Hansford salons offer a range of services. As well as in-house manicurists, the team has a long-standing relationship with their beauty and aesthetic experts including Dee Stanford, Alicia Janiec and Emma Wedgwood, and also work with Flavia Morellato, the lymphatic drainage expert, and FacePlace, Hollywood’s trusted skincare experts responsible for keeping some of the most beautiful and famous faces glowing.
• Private rooms: For those who seek privacy or for CEOs who want to work while having their hair done, they can bring in their PA or run a work meetings in one of the private rooms at Jo Hansford Harvey Nichols. For those who want the ultimate bespoke experience or pampering from head to toe, the salon’s private rooms can be booked out for the whole day.
• Reaching a global audience: The salon has never advertised, preferring word-of-mouth and PR. Jo Hansford explains: “It’s the one thing I invested in when I opened and it’s what we still do today. Third party credibility and endorsement has always been so important and valuable to us.” In addition, the salon reaches global audiences with Instagram and Google reviews.
• Flexible teams: The salon has staff who work full-time, part-time, weekends while others are self-employed. The salon is proud to support working parents and a lot of its female staff are working mums.

Jo Hansford concludes:

“I feel incredibly proud of what I have achieved and I still get the same thrill at seeing someone leave the salon happy, full of confidence, with their hair looking amazing, just like I did when I first started. It is addictive seeing clients being transformed and it is the reason why I always want to come back for more!”

Blow dries at Jo Hansford salons start from £65; a cut and blow £150, and colour appointment start from £130.

To book an appointment, please contact:

Jo Hansford Mayfair: Call 020 7495 7774 or email reception@johansford.com

Jo Hansford Harvey Nichols: The salon is open seven days a week, from 10am-7pm Monday to Saturday and 12pm-6pm on Sundays. For bookings, please call the salon on 020 7112 1493 or email Harveynichols@johansford.com

January 2022: The UK’s leading hair and colour salon Jo Hansford Harvey Nichols is offering clients a chance to update their look in 2022 with a range of new services launching this month.

These include a Jo Hansford Hair History Colour Consultation, the chance to have a full (hair) MOT including a Hair & Scalp check up, Haircials, Split End SOS treatment and, continuing the trend of Veganuary, vegan tints and vegan hair colour.

The new services will also be offered alongside the salon’s range of expert colour and styling services.

Joanna Hansford, MD of Jo Hansford salon, explains more:

“Healthy hair is beautiful hair and we always believe condition is an essential part of the process at Jo Hansford as it provides the foundation to perfect colour and styling. Our Mayfair and Knighsbridge salons provide a wide range of hair spa treatments, some of which offer instantaneous results to moisturise, repair, and ensure the ultimate shine, and others which involve consultations with the UK’s most respected independent hair experts.”

“Hair is often neglected when it comes to the New Year with people focusing instead on diet and exercise but giving your hair an annual review and really checking colour, hair health and overall style is the fastest way to getting a new look without having to detox, diet and change your lifestyle in an extreme way.”

The services in detail include:

1. Jo Hansford Hair History Analysis:

This involves one of Jo Hansford’s expert colourists reviewing a client’s colour, a detailed discussion in relation to the full history of the hair colour and an analysis of the hair shaft.

The hour-and-a-half long session also includes a wet porosity test to assess condition and from this, the Jo Hansford colourist will be able to see whether a client’s hair can withstand the colour requested and how easy it will be to create the desired result.

Louisa Moore comments:

“We often have clients who believe they have no colour on their hair as they had something done years ago which would have washed or faded out or was a semi-permanent. However, these products can often stay on the hair longer than you may think and the hair will need more attention to detail when colouring to get the perfect look.”

The consultation will include expert colour recommendation and utilise actual hair pieces which will be held next to a client’s face so they can see how the colour would look next to their skin tone. The colourist will also share inspiration and suggestions via a number of sources including the salon’s specially programmed ipads and style and colour books. For the truly bespoke look, there will be an opportunity to create a client’s own pin/mood board of images.

In addition, the pre colour assessment would include:

• Patch test (as usual)
• Strand test (if required)
• Clarifying shampoo to remove any product buildup
• Hair mask to prep the hair in advance of colour – this will help to reduce any breakage and strengthen and condition the hair
• 15-minute scalp stimulating massage
• Blow dry

Prices from £80.00

The salon is also able to create a number of bespoke packages depending on the client including:

1. First foray into colour (new colour clients)
2. Rebuild and gloss (stressed hair needing SOS)
3. Colour correction/change (those wanting a complete change for the New Year).

Prices from £150.00

2. Trichological MOT: The Hair and Scalp Health Check-up

Jo Hansford’s Knightsbridge salon, which is located on the Fourth Floor of Harvey Nichols, is proud to partner with one of the world’s leading trichologists, Dr Hugh Rushton of The Rushton Clinic. As part of Dr Rushton’s in-salon consultancy services, he and his team will be offering Jo Hansford clients The Trichological MOT: The Hair and Scalp Health Check-up.

What is it? Using high magnification digital video and photo technology, this detailed check-up service thoroughly assesses all aspects of your hair and scalp’s health.

Why is it useful? Dr Hugh Rushton comments

“Regular checking of your hair and scalp can be vital for numerous reasons. The importance of a regular assessment of our skin, particularly in the areas that are difficult to see ourselves, cannot be understated. Spotting any changes early provides the best opportunity to ensure we receive potentially lifesaving medical intervention without delay.”

But a Hair and Scalp Check-up does not stop at just looking for abnormal lumps and bumps. It offers a chance to assess and monitor many common ailments, such as dandruff, inflammation, and hair loss. Objective assessment by magnified video and photo technology will help accurately manage and track the improvement of these stubborn conditions. Plus, a detailed assessment of the hair and scalp will ensure there are no signs of hair damage or other hair shaft abnormalities that might prevent a client from achieving the look they desire.

Consultations from £85.00

3. Haircial

Jo Hansford’s signature Haircial for 2022 will encompass the Kerastase Fusion Scrub, a range developed to deeply cleanse the scalp and the hair from pollution particles. It is a new, efficient way to answer today’s main hair concerns: greasy scalp, dandruff and lifeless lengths. This not only cleanses the scalp but will result in healthier-looking, bouncy and shiny hair.

How it works: Clients are given the choice of two scrubs: ‘Apaisant’ that will soothe the scalp or ‘Energisant’ to energise and volumise the hair. Next steps is an application of Jo Hansford Intensive Masque which will be left on the hair with a warm towel wrapped around it for 10 minutes. This will renourish and moisturise hair that has been left frazzled by too much styling, straightening and tonging in the run up to Christmas. The haircial works to repair the hair, quenched with an innovative infusion of moisturising and strengthening ingredients.

Hair will then be trimmed to remove any split or dead ends to ensure it is looking its ultimate best for the New Year ahead.

Jo Hansford signature Haircial treatment lasts for 90 minutes and starts from £180.00.

4. Veganuary – go vegan – with vegan hair colour too…

Jo Hansford Harvey Nichols also offers its clients the option to have vegan colour. The specialist colourist uses Oway products, both for colouring and care. These are the first and only professional hair care and colour line made with biodynamic (and organic, fair trade and non-toxic) ingredients. The high performance colour comes in packaging that is fully recyclable materials.

Bridget Kearney who specialises in vegan colour at Jo Hansford Harvey Nichols comments:

“The quality and longevity of a vegan colour are equivalent to regular colour; one can expect excellent richness, vibrancy, and shine. As with any colour service, the quality of the hair and any previous colour work will impact determining how quickly your colour can fade.”

Prices for colouring from £130.00 for a tint and from £315.00 for a full head of highlights.

5. Jo Hansford Split End Treatment

Jo Hansford Split End Solution is a keratin hair-repairing treatment that coats the ends of the hair to nourish and seal them.

The treatment smoothes and soothes hair that has been damaged from too much sun, sea or hair straightening, leaving it shiny, sleek and in optimum condition for hair growth. It is perfect for anyone who wants to grow their hair, but split ends mean they have to forgo this to have frequent trims. With two formulas for coloured and non-coloured hair, those with tinted or highlighted hair can also book in safe in the knowledge that the treatment will not strip or dull just-coloured hair.

The application process involves three shampoos with a clarifying shampoo to take the moisture out of the hair, rough-drying, plenty of keratin applied on the hair, 20 minutes under the lamp and straightening to finish.

Price from £150.00 and includes a blow dry.

Jo Hansford Harvery Nichols will be open seven days a week, from 10am-7pm Monday to Saturday and 12pm-6pm on Sundays. for bookings, please call the salon on 020 7112 1493 or email Harveynichols@johansford.com

Jo Hansford Mayfair salon is open Tuesday to Saturday 8.30am-6pm and Monday 830am-5.30pm (Reception only). Tel: 020 7495 7774 or email reception@johansford.com