Young stylist is making waves in the hair and beauty industry

She started working in a salon at just 15 – after school and at weekends – and this was the first step in the journey to starting her own business – Livs Lox.

Here in our latest Meet The Hairdresser feature, Olivia tells us how the Covid-19 pandemic affected her studies and plans to open Livs Lox and how she has her sights set on taking home some top industry awards.

If you would like to appear in our Meet The Salon Owner / Meet The Business Owner feature, email heidi.summerfield@newsquest.co.uk

What’s the name of the business name?

Livs Lox

What’s the address?

Sophie Jane Makeup Academy,

1 Leigh Street,

Warrington,

WA1 1UG

Are you the owner of the business?

Yes

When did you open the salon / business?

I started Livs Lox three years ago but began working at Sophie Jane Makeup Academy in early 2022. I was the only hairdresser in the academy and following huge demand and growth, I have continued to hold this position ever since.

Olivia has been the only hairdresser at Sophie Jane Makeup Academy since early 2022

Has the business always been in the same location?

No, I previously had a home salon, which I outgrew.

Are you local to the area?

Yes, I was born and raised just outside of Warrington. I attended Lymm High School and have a friendship group based in Warrington.

Tell me a bit about you and your business

The LivsLox brand began after working in a relatively uninspiring salon for several years. During this time, I fell in love with the idea of creating a work environment with a youthful, vibrant and exciting vibe, enabling me to express my talent and exceed the demands of clients. This led to the creation of my home salon Livs Lox which I operated after work and during the weekends, until I eventually outgrew this set up due to the high demand for my work.

Olivia's most recent client with her new extensions

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Meet the hairdresser striving to be the ‘Crème de la Crème’

What do you do what services do you provide?

The services I offer include colours, blondes, extensions and styling. I also provide therapy sessions – a friendly face to confide in!

What’s your hair and beauty background?

My journey began in a salon at the age of 15, working after school and at the weekend. At 16, I joined college with the aim of becoming a qualified hairdresser, however this was not for me due to the lack of hands-on experienced gained. I left college and continued my qualifications as an apprentice. After the Covid pandemic passed and all my exams were completed, I was working full time at a salon while setting up and opening my home salon – Livs Lox. After working both jobs for a year, I outgrew my home salon due to a significant uptake in clientele, thus taking the leap into the self-employed world at the age of 20. After just over a year as a self-employed stylist, I am now proud to be the only hair stylist located at the Sophie Jane Makeup Academy. I have an amazingly loyal client base and I’m booked up to six weeks in advance. My brand means the world to me and I have ambitions to expand into my own salon within the next five years.

Why this type of business?

I have always had a passion for hair sine a very young age and I fell in love with all things hair. My work enables me to transform clients’ self-confidence on a daily basis, which is extremely rewarding. I also love the social aspect of the industry - not only have I made friends for life but I am also constantly reminded that my role is essentially a therapy session for many of my clients.

Olivia wants to open her own salon in the next five years

Were you open before during after the Covid-19 pandemic? Did this affect your business?

Unfortunately, Covid-19 delayed me qualifying but I utilised my time while I was furloughed to ensure I was ready for my end point assessment. I had built up a business but had to start the process all over again. I didn’t let this stop me and as we came out of lockdown I passed my qualifications and began to build up a new client base. The next two lockdowns were awful and I used my time to expand my skills and completed my hair extension course.

READ MORE:

Talented team at Orford salon treat clients like movie stars

What makes your business different to others? What makes you stand out?

I am a diverse stylist and I'm confident in my ability to exceed the expectations of clients due to my ability and knowledge of all things hair. I believe my personal approach to work ensures that each client is treated with the utmost attention and their specific wants and needs are met time and time again, which has created a very loyal client base. Also, I understand that appointments with the hairdresser can be very daunting for many girls. This is something I try to eliminate with a friendly, inclusive vibe surrounding my brand. Finally, the quality of my service alongside competitive prices is truly unmatched, which has led to rapid growth and high client retention.

Olivia specialises in balayage

Why do loyal clients return to your business?

I pride myself on being a friendly, caring person as I take every client under my wing in all aspects of life, whether that be professional or giving personal advice. I have driven my younger clients home from their appointments, attended clients’ appointments to provide moral support, and arranged payment options for clients who are unable to pay on the day of their visit. I believe that the service I offer is unmatched in terms of price, quality and customer service. This has helped to form an extremely loyal, rapidly growing client base which could rival any other in the industry.

What’s next? What do the next few months hold for your business?

My business, Livs Lox, has recently reached the finals of two national awards in six different categories. I have been shortlisted as hairstylist of the year, extension specialist of the year and best blondes at The Hair and Beauty Awards 2024. I’ve also been shortlisted for hair stylist of the year, hair extension queen and best balayage at The Beauty Awards UK 2023.

Olivia has been shortlisted for the extension queen award at The Beauty Awards UK 2023