What is 'The Aoki Hair Approach', you ask. Well sit down, make yourself comfortable and I'll tell you.

Without sounding too much like Sheldon Cooper describing the origin of physics, it all started a
long time ago (although … not ancient Greece long ago … ).

I studied to be a speech and drama teacher… yes, I can see you trying to figure out how on earth I went from that to hairdressing. I blame my best friend. Her parents owned a hair salon, and there was something seductive about the buzz and the glamour, watching these incredible hairstyles materialise under the clever lingers of the artists, for artists they… we are.

I knew I had found my vocation, and the rest, as they say, is history… almost.

As an apprentice, I fell in love with textured hair, not surprising really as most of my friends and
colleagues were blessed with it and I pestered them to let me practice on their hair. Before long,
it became my mission, my passion, to celebrate the curl. Determined to be the best I could be,
I travelled the world to take masterclasses with experts, honing my craft. Even a Botswana Bush
Experience took second place to a local Ethnic Salon.

For too long, women have been encouraged to hide their curls, to straighten them instead of embracing them. While it was acceptable to have a perm, natural curls were seen as riotous, unruly, and wholly unsophisticated, leaving countless women at a loss as to what to do with their hair … especially when attending a special event.

No more… over the last two decades, textured hair has become the new black, and I am proud
to be part of the curl revolution. Nothing gives me greater pleasure than seeing my guests, who hail
from all over the world, leave my salon, ecstatic with the style I have created, excited to take away not only products but also advice, to help enhance the kinks, coils, and ringlets instead of minimising them.

A visit to a hair salon should be a thrill, a treat, not a chore; an appointment you look forward to,
rather than dread. One which is wholly dependent on having absolute confidence in your stylist.

Here's where I come in.

I love my job, you might say I'm obsessed, but I can't help it, and believe my dedication is reflected in my enthusiasm. It is impossible for me not to smile, have fun, chat, and enjoy my time with each guest, as I weave my magic.

That's the Aoki Hair Approach; to weave a little magic, to breathe life back into curls, until textured hair is cherished, desired, sought after, coveted, and lauded.

In fact, someone called me the Curl Magician, and you know what, that's a title I am honoured to accept.

Article Appearing in the Melville Gazette, Thursday Dec 01 2022