Poole hair salon wins Daily Echo's Hairdresser of the Year

Novalux Hairdressing opened its new salon in Alder Road less than a year ago amidst the coronavirus pandemic.

Having received hundreds of votes and hundreds of nominations for the award, NovaLux was found to be head and shoulders above the rest of the field after obtaining 40 per cent of the votes.

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After working at her previous salon for nearly 25, owner Nova Fanner decided last year to go solo and set up her own salon.

Having been selected alongside longstanding salons across the conurbation, Nova said she was surprised to have found out she had won the award.

“It is amazing", she said.

“I am shocked because I only opened here last December.

“There were so many other fantastic salons that were nominated and have been around for ages, so it was a big surprise when I had heard I had won.”

The salon was only open for 30 days before the BCP Council area was put into Tier 4 measures with the third lockdown following in January.

Following the announcement, NovaLux, like many other salons and businesses, were forced to close for four months.

Having worked for a security firm carrying out lateral flow tests for council staff, the salon reopened in April this year.

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Over the last six months, Nova says her client base has grown and grown, with the salon quickly forging a glowing reputation for its customer care, stylish interior and professional finishes and colouring.

She added: “Since we have reopened, it has been really good. A lot of my clients have followed me here from the salon I used to work at, and it has just got busier and busier.

“Everyone says how fresh, lovely and bright everything is.

“A lot of my new clients have heard about me through word of mouth and recommendations from friends and family which is really nice. Of course, reviews on Google and social media do help but I think that personal recommendations from people you trust is still very important.”

Novalux Hairdressing has also made it through as a finalist in the best new salon category in the UK Hair and Beaty Awards 2022, which the winner of the national competition to be announced in March next year.

In the coming months, Nova is looking to grow the business by hiring more young budding hairdressers, with the possibility of a second salon opening in the area.

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She said: “We just want to expand. It is just me and a young girl who is doing her training at the moment. I would love to expand the salon and maybe set up another one somewhere else.

“I wanted to make sure that I could do I on my own and I didn’t want to rely on anyone else and this award has proven that all the hard work has been worth it.

“I just want to say thank you to me clients. They are the ones who have nominated and voted for me. If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t have won this award.”