At Pimms Hair Salon in Aldershot, this time it’s the salon that has had the makeover, rather than the clients.

Owned by sisters Sarah Pickup, Lisa Moody and their mother Jane Pimm, the salon has been in business for 23 years and it was time for a new look.

Sarah said: “We desperately needed to redecorate and modernise, so the premises were completely gutted and refitted, and we’re delighted with what’s been achieved.”

Nothing has been left untouched. The floors, walls, dressing tables and furniture have all been changed, and the result is a light, airy salon with clean lines and a simple, monochrome colour scheme.

The beauty salon also had a facelift. Therapist Louise Spreadborough is delighted to be able to offer treatments in more luxurious and relaxing surroundings.

Sarah explained the thinking behind the revamp. “We have a number of excellent young stylists and if we want to continue attracting them, we need to have a modern working environment.

“And of course, our clients also want to sit in pleasant surroundings, and this modern, sleek style appeals to clients of all ages.”

Bringing new stylists into the business is something Lisa and Sarah feel strongly about.
They give everyone who works in the salon the opportunity to progress their training as they wish.

Lisa said: “I’m very keen on the training side of things and I’m an assessor for the NVQ hairdressing course at Farnborough College of Technology.

“We send our stylists to the ASK training academy in London and they receive in-salon training too.”

Keeping up to date with training also means that the salon is on the ball when it comes to following new trends and products.

The ranges used and sold in the salon are from Clynol and Paul Mitchell, and the sisters are particularly excited by a new lightening product from Clynol called Go Blonde.

“This product is a whole new concept in blonde hair,” said Sarah. “It differs from other ones in that it can allow for hair to be safely and gently lightened by five or six shades, instead of the usual two or three.

“It can also be personalised to suit the individual’s skin tones and to give them the exact look that they want.

“A person can now go from dark brown to fair, although I would recommend sticking within your skin tone. So someone with fair skin can take a cool blonde, but darker skin looks better with a warmer tone like strawberry blonde.”

Lisa continued: “Products and treatments have really improved so much and they’re getting better all the time. We have a couple of excellent Clynol treatments which are really popular.

“One is called Recharge which is a quick 30-second, intensive conditioner, and the other is Cleanse and Regenerate, which is actually an exfoliator for your hair.

“You leave it on for five minutes before conditioning and it breaks down all the products that have built up and allows the conditioner to do its job effectively.”

Perms, too, look as though they are on the way back but, as the sisters explained, not quite as we remember them.

“People are curling a lot more, and they’re asking for perms,” said Sarah. “But it’s a softer style often for volume rather than actual curls.

“I think there is a trend for a more feminine look, but things aren’t so dictated by fashion now. People are going more with what suits them, whether it’s long curls or short bobs, so there’s plenty of choice.

“And with such good treatments and techniques available, there’s no reason why we can’t all look our best.”

For details of prices and opening times call 01252  320123.