Review: Kathryn Lewsey
My hair was in the need of some serious TLC, with split ends and roots galore. So when I was kindly invited to experience the work of hair stylist, Jason Collier, it felt like all my barnet wishes had been granted.
An award-winning stylist, Jason’s star-studded client list includes the likes of Victoria Beckham, Eva Langoria and Sienna Miller. He clearly has the Hollywood seal of approval, so naturally, the thought of little old me getting my strands snipped by Jason was rather exciting.
Jason is based at Kitch, a cute 1950s kitchen decor themed salon owned by Luca Jones and Scott Humphreys. Tucked away in a side street in the heart of Angel, this adorable pastel-hued place stands out from most hairdressers as it offers both salon and barber services, but believes in equal prices. While many salons differ their prices depending on whether you’re a man or woman, Kitch offers equal pricing, based on hair length and timing, rather than gender.
Meeting Jason there on a sunny Saturday morning, we chatted about my hair concerns with ABBA’s greatest hits playing in the background. Jason said he would spruce up my dull, rooty blonde, along with cutting my strands back into a healthy, redefined shape.
Mixing up a creamy blonde colour, Jason got started, meticulously applying the dye and foils to sections of my tresses. As he worked through my hair, Jason dished out some barnet advice. Since relocating from Australia to the UK, I’d noticed that whenever I washed my hair, the strands were often left sticky and greasy – no matter how much I rinse! Jason suggested that London’s harsh hard water could be the cause and suggested I purchase a shower head filter, which the salon also uses.
Once the colour was applied, I went upstairs to wait for it to develop – and the salon’s adorable French Bulldog, Gaston, kept me company.
After around thirty minutes, Jason led me over to the sink area where he rinsed out the dye before adding a toner to my locks. Once that had done its thing, Jason used an incredible Kevin Murphy shampoo and conditioner to get my tresses squeaky clean and soft.
Back downstairs, he cut off all the pesky dead ends and reshaped my hair into a blunt, shoulder-length finish. Jason then dried and teased my newly-coloured locks into a sleek ‘do with plenty of volume and shine. Even better, using the shower head filter on my strands had made a huge difference – I purchased one as soon as I got home.
Walking out, I was on cloud nine with my transformed hair – it was blonder, shinier and healthier. Jason really is at the top of his game in the barnet biz, he created exactly what I wanted, with precision and friendliness. Who can blame all the A-listers for wanting his expert hands on their hair?
Jason Collier at Kitch salon
4, Charlton Place, London, N1 8AJ