A genuine tale of rags to riches, Sassoon’s life took him from a tough childhood spent in a London orphanage to international success and celebrity.

A renowned gentleman, he got his break as an apprentice at the age of 14 due to his impeccable manners and determination to better his lot in life. Working in a salon by day, he would spend his evenings fighting anti-Semitic fascists on the streets of East London after the Second World War, before signing up for combat in the Arab-Israeli war in 1948 – a period which he described in one interview as “the best year of my life”.

On his return to London, he undertook three years of speech training at the Old Vic so he could get a job in a Mayfair salon and perfect his craft under Raymond Bessone – otherwise known as Mr Teasy-Weasy – before striking out on his own.

Credited with styling the Sixties alongside Mary Quant, there was no stopping his meteoric rise to superstardom. Girls flocked to his New Bond Street salon where they would get whatever hairstyle Sassoon saw fit – and too bad if they didn’t like it.

His major breakthrough came after cutting film star Nancy Kwan’s hair into the geometric ‘bob’ style which became his signature in 1963 – a style emulated the world over by liberated women delighted to finally be free of curlers and hairspray. The nervous star refused to look in a mirror while Sassoon worked on her hair, preferring to play chess with her manager, but as soon as he had finished, Kwan was dispatched straight to photographer Terence Donovan’s studio where he captured the iconic portrait which came to feature in Vogue.

Sassoon’s other career highlights include his revolutionary ‘Five-Point Cut’ debuted by top model (now fashion director of US Vogue) Grace Coddington; and cutting Mia Farrow’s hair for Rosemary’s Baby in a Hollywood boxing ring in in a publicty stunt orchestrated by the film’s director Roman Polanski. Her mention of the style in the film: “It’s a Vidal Sassoon – it’s terribly in” .

While achieving rock-god status both in the UK and over in the US where he relocated his London team, Sassoon lead a double life as a committed family man, father to four children by his second wife Beverly Adams – the eldest of whom, Catya, tragically died in 2002 from a drug-induced heart attack.

Two more marriages followed, the most enduring with his beloved Ronnie with whom he spent his last two decades.

Awarded a CBE in 2009, Vidal Sassoon earned his place in history and his name will live on through his worldwide salons and training academies.

Last week Taru had her first client. Luke taught her the Toni & Guy-cutting for short hair. Taru thinks that cutting went well and the client was happy with it. Toni & Guy –cutting style was different from what we used to do in Finland. Tiia has also done a haircut , which she used her own techniques. We now have our own advertising sign on the street and we do haircuts for £5.

Now we are used to salon routines. The day begins with washing laundry and making coffee or tea for clients. Clients have already become familiar. English people seem to have very thick and dark hair. Finnish people have different hair; it’s usually blond and thin. We have also received an interesting task from Luke. We have to create a collection about Finland…. Stay tuned!

In our free time we have visited neighbouring cities; did some shopping, walked around, sightseeing and took some pictures. We have spent some evenings in the local pub in Cassington, that’s where we live, and we are already acquainted with the local people.

We have visited Oxford a few times and it’s a very beautiful town! We went to London in Easter and it was AMAZING! There were lots of tourists and we were really part of them!

We have lots more plans for these up and coming weeks before we go back to Finland.

See ya soon!

The point is that if you are not a risk taker, very short haircuts may not be for you. So before you lop off eighteen inches of hair, make sure that you have done your research. …

On the other hand if you are ready to take the plunge, perhaps I can help guide you a little.

Contrary to what people think, there is no face shape that cannot wear very short hairstyles with the possible exception of Pixie style haircuts which really do require a thin face and long neck. There are many other short hairstyles, and even very short haircuts to fit whatever face shape that you have. Pop into Curl Up & Dye hairdressers in Witney and we  should be able to help you sort through the photos you printed and make a good choice.

What is important is the weight line of the haircut. Every short hairstyle and medium length hairstyle has a weight line, except for when the entire head is shaved. A weight line is where the hairstyle either tapers in toward your face, or flares out away from your face. You want to pick a hairstyle where the weight line points towards your best feature, say if you have a cute chin. Conversely, if you have a prominent nose, you certainly don’t want the hairstyle to taper in or flare out at that point in your face. The weight line always draws the eye of other people.

Another consideration is if your hairstyle should have fringe or not. Fringes should never cover beautiful eyes, but should help disguise a well proportioned forehead.

The advantage to very short hairstyles or haircuts is that they are sassy, and many people relate sassy to sexy. A very short hairstyle also exudes confidence, and nothing is sexier than confidence.

We look forward to seeing you soon!!!

Stay Stylish x

Not only is it a hot shade right now it can been worn in so many ways.

If you dont want to stray to far from a natural brunette then add some slices of deep cherry and red wine.

Blondes can choose from a palette of pinks in blush champagne or powder puff-go for an all over colour wash a panel through the fringe or micro lights. Pink is reds kissing cousin after all! Book in now at Curl Up & Dye Hairdressers in Witney ready for for your special date on Valentines. Hurry appointments are going quick!

Luke x

Winter 2012 Hair Trends. As we approach the winter season, even though it may be colder outside, we still want to keep our locks updated with the latest hair trends. This winter season is all about updos, and styles that are kept polish, sophisticated and very fashion forward. This means sleek ponytails, side buns, half up half down styles as well as braided looks.  When it comes to shorter styles haircuts are leaning more towards men inspired looks with the trends of pixie cut and cropped styles. Half shaven cuts are also very popular this season, which means hair has simply been shaven on one or both sides of them head while leaving some hair in the middle.

Winter 2012 Haircuts. Haircut trends to wear in 2012 winter season. This season many of the latest trends for haircuts include an array of styles. From the head turning look of pixie and crop styles, to shoulder length bobs. One things for sure short hair is definitely getting  noticed this season with many celebrities flocking to the trend.

Three of the main hottest hair trends includes the pixie, the crop, and the bob, however all three trends are being updated this season with exotic looks. Shorter looks this year are all about putting your own spin on it. You can add your own spin on your short hairstyle in a variety of ways, shaving a section of your hair while leaving the rest cut. Adding unique colors to your hair such as pink or purple. Or simply framing your face shape. Don’t be afraid to experiment and try something different since almost anything goes this season. Pop in and have a chat at our hairdressers in witney.

If you’re not brave enough to cut all of your hair off why not try something new. Update your look easily through the use of blunt, fringe, or side swept fringes. All three styles are perfect for adding something new to your locks without you having to loose your length. For a really daring look for saving your length and still trying some different, try the half shaved style and still keep the other half of your locks long. This can be a great way to update your look and really bring an exotic feel to your style.

Luke x

Me Building theTree

Well we have been extra creative this month at Curl Up and Dye!

When given the opportunity to bring together one of my favourite festive films and my passion of hair design  it was time for me to set out and piece together what we could achieve  for our end result.

After re-watching the film I extracted the essence of poverty and “making do” with natures tools, such as holly berries twigs and ribbon and formed a trial piece which was presented to the rest of the the team.

We then discussed and brain stormed individual ideas to help get our creative hair design, juices flowing! Everybody had really individual perspectives on A Christmas Carol . This really helped us to pull together and develop  two hair creations that were  amazing!

We found two great models both of which had previously worked for hair shows and photo shoots. Their cutting edge looks really helped with the overall look of the hair sculptures and of course the pictures.

During our practise run we played around and re- thought our ideas, tweaked final positions of CHRISTMAS TREES and skilfully made real hair bonnets along with lace and trim.

This brought us forward to the actual day where we started off prepping our gorgeous  models with scalp plaits and basket weaves  and gradually developed the shapes of a Victorian bonnet and tree.

Me with Bekki from the M.A.C.H Team

Three hours into the process the girls from the Claire Hanson M.A.C.H team arrived and added finishing touches with amazing make up, to really give a dramatic feeling  to the overall look.

And its time to transport our human tree and ghost like lady to the studio where every detail was put into final place and a collection of varied shots where taken.

I really Enjoyed this experience and gained a sence of pride in seeing our work  printed, framed and in the Curl up and Dye, Witney, Salon window.