The hairdresser changing clients’ hair styles - and their lives, too
Sharyn Black of Vivid Hair and Beauty offers a range of services for men and women suffering hair loss.
One of Sharyn Black’s earliest memories is standing behind her father’s chair playing with his hair as he watched TV. She was four and it was the beginning of a lifelong passion. “I always knew I wanted to be a hairdresser,” she explains, “even when I was really young.”
Black’s first styling job was in 1975, back when clients were asking for perms, soft curls, and shag haircuts. These days, it’s more likely to be balayage and blowouts.
A specialist salon
But that isn’t the only thing that’s changed. Over the years, as the owner of Vivid Hair and Beauty in Gregory Hills, south of Sydney, Black has become known for working with clients suffering from hair loss problems. It’s a passion borne from personal experience.
“Around 15 years ago my mum had breast cancer,” explains Black. “She lost her hair while going through chemotherapy and it really affected her. Watching [that] experience inspired me to become heavily involved with supplying high-quality wigs to [people] going through cancer therapy treatment.”
Today, Black, who is a master stylist, offers premium wigs and a hair thickening service called Microline for men and women experiencing traumatic hair loss, such as female pattern baldness, male baldness, alopecia and hair loss due to scarring.
“We are now the only salon in Australia licensed to offer Microline,” she explains. “It’s non-invasive and very effective.”
Vivid Hair and Beauty is also one of the few Australian salons to offer Hairdreams hair extensions, which are made from luxury, high-quality human hair sourced from Europe (and are popular among celebrities such as Lady Gaga and Jennifer Lawrence.)
“It’s the very best human hair in the world. It's never been coloured, so the brown hair has come from a person with brown hair, the blonde has come from a [natural] blonde,” Black explains.
Afterpay helps clients access services
However, both Microline and Hairdreams hair extensions are priced at the higher end of the market with hair extensions ranging from $250, for example. This, says Black, is where Afterpay comes in.
“Afterpay has given a lot of women and men the opportunity to have beautiful hair without having [to pay] the full upfront cost,” she says. “That allows them to consider this life-changing service.”
"Afterpay allows them to consider this life-changing service.”
For Black, introducing Afterpay for her clients four years ago was a “no-brainer”, and she estimates that the service has increased her business turnover by around 10 to 15 per cent.
Afterpay helps upsells
In addition, Black explains that Afterpay can be used as an upselling tool.
“Afterpay has allowed me to upsell to my customers. I can say to my client, ‘Yes, we can give you the style that you want or the colour that you want, or the hair extensions that you want, and you can pay for it with Afterpay’,” she explains.
For other clients, especially the younger ones, Afterpay has enabled them to add something else to their purchase such as a better-quality shampoo and conditioner to take home.
And when it comes to the Afterpay fees, Black’s relaxed approach is grounded in solid business acumen.
“I don't worry about the Afterpay fees at all because they are a business cost, and running a business comes with costs,” she says.
“Afterpay gives me the benefit of being able to make more money through my business and it also gives my clients the opportunity to be able to get the service that they really dream of having. It’s a win-win. You’re crazy if you don't use Afterpay as a hairstylist.”
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