Over 70 educators commanded 23 different Education Sessions at Hair Festival 2025, held over June 29 and 30, and we were in the rooms, pen in hand, to jot down some of our favourite insights. Across business and creative education and beyond, we can’t possibly sum up two whole days of inspiring presentations, but here’s a snapshot of key takeaways. Read on.
INCH BY INCH with Sarah Emilia from Seamless1
Sarah inspired the audience with her extensions know-how and business advice – talking everything from product longevity to social media, marketing – “undersell, over-deliver” – and price increases.
“I went to education but what grew me a following was hair, but that’s not my lifestyle anymore, so what I had to do was cut the cord,” she told the audience asking about price changes. “This is who I want to be now, this is what I need and this is the only way I’m going to get it. I’m losing followers every day, but I don’t care because I’ll gain that back. that can’t afford you anymore, they can’t afford the old version of you, you’re your new version, and if they love you enough they’ll follow and if they don’t, you’re going to market to a new audience.”
Editorial: Hair Mastery with Richi Grisillo, Chinney Yeap, Michael Beel and Jordan Hone from Moroccanoil
Moroccanoil presented a unique and unmissable on-stage editorial photoshoot, with bold hair looks that included hair printing, sculptural pieces, varied layers and tones and what Richi called a “waterfall effect”. Attendees watched the looks come to life in front of the lens on stage as additionally captured on screen, bringing them on set in dynamic fashion.
“The magic of this technique is the illusion of bringing to life editorial hair,” Richi said. “I want to start shooting it quite stoic and not too crazy, and then we’ll slowly add and remove bits to create that magical moment. It’s like puppetry. I love hair that moves.”
Assorted Creams with Jules Gauci, Holly Breen, Ellie Bolton and Taren Conway from De Lorenzo
The De Lorenzo team created a collection of dreamy blondes, multi-dimensional brunettes and trending mauves and coppers, while teaching cutting techniques such as scissor over comb tricks to blend the hair and reduce harsh lines, as well as colour guidelines to create shine and style tips.
“I like to come through with the dryer and blow out some of the waves to get those really undone beachy waves, especially for your after photos,” Holly said. “If you struggle to get volume for your photos for social media it’s amazing to do that, so coming through and add width and texture and really piece that out.”
Danger Jones: Bigger, Bolder and Brighter with Alexis Thurston, Chrissy Danielle, Tia Lambourn and Lexie Shay
Danger Jones showcased rich colour, pastels, blondes, vivid hues and even one UV effect hair look, courtesy of Marco Venancio. Marco joined other Australian hair artists including Brianna Eason, Holly Sharpe, Madeline Thompson and Cassandra Darko, who created hair looks for Danger Jones in the Education Sessions and Festival HUB. On stage, the global team educated on language to use with clients, while also showcasing layering colour, the brand’s conditioner based semi-permanents, lived-in vivids, working with the colour wheel for vivid hair and beyond.
“It’s cool that we had artists from three different continents on the stage all at one time, we had a European, an American and Australian,” David Thurston shared.
“We’re very much about female empowerment,” Alexis added. “We’re in an industry that’s over 85 per cent women, so we like to put more women in those roles because it’s aspirational when you see someone that shows what you can achieve. We had four artists on stage who were all women and salon owners.”
ILLUME: Celebrating 50 Years of Joico with Katy Reeve, Carolyn Gahan, Andrew Cobeldick, Mikelah-Jayde Riley, Kerrie Di Mattia and Duncan Richards
50 years of Joico meant hair cutting, colouring and styling hair through the decades, think 70s style chunky highlights, social media and K-pop inspiration for our own 2020-era copper bob, a “fifty shades of pink” Barbie, Avril Lavigne, Gwen Stefani and “it girl” inspired 2000s look, enhanced grunge grey in the 80s and rainbow in 2010.
“I wanted to do the half-half with colours but step it up a notch, so I added every colour I could find in the Joico Intensity range. I applied the colours in centimetre sections and pulled everything forward and then blended the colours together,” Carolyn shared. “If you have two colours that normally would neutralise, let’s say you want to mix a purple and yellow, I will put a pink in between and that marries the two colours together.”
The 3 Conversations Every Leader Needs to Master with Alex Daniel from We Ascend
Alex spoke about our fears in avoiding confrontation and why we need to overcome that because the issue means “the boat is already rocking”. He advised that leadership is made in these micro-moments and conversations, and staying silent can limit your culture, confidence and credibility. He also discussed your leadership vision and mission statement, for you and the whole team.
“Your team probably thinks they cut and colour hair or they’re a senior stylist or colourist, that’s just your task or job description, that’s not something to tell your clients as it doesn’t have enough oomph or warmth,” he said. “We’re all about warmth, people are coming in because they want us to make them feel amazing and leave with confidence. We need buy in from the team in our culture and leadership, everyone needs to see the bigger picture. We help people reconnect with their identity, step into their power and express who they truly are.”
URBANA with Andrew Smith and Gianluca Grechi from Milk_Shake
Andrew from the UK and Gianluca from Italy showcased the power of Milk_Shake’s latest URBANA collection, on modern, denim-clad models. Creating these alluring looks on stage, the duo also gave expert tips – Andrew reminded attendees to always move the hair and brush it in different ways to check the cut, fringe and details before the client leaves the salon – and talked through the newly relaunched Lifestyling range, all with URBANA at its centre.
“It’s living in the city as you’d be living in the countryside, so paying attention to the environment, sustainability and spending good time with good people,” Gianluca said of the collection in on-stage media. “Something important for us was to make every girl look in harmony with their colour and show personality, and we wanted to express what Milk_Shake is through more edgy colours.”
GLOW UP with Tabatha Coffey, Kaine Vakai and Nicole Lamers from CPR Hair
The trio talked offered creative and business advice and Kaine even discussed the disconnect between the two.
“I opened up a salon, it was my dream, two years in it became not my dream, that is because the business took over and my creativity left. I needed to pay bills, I needed to keep doors open, I needed to pay rent and all I was focused on was the numbers,” he shared.
Showcasing live hair demonstrations – top tip: curl and style away from the face but directed in towards the face, do everything visually towards the front – and explaining business insights across content, branding and systems, the Session had it all. The team talked through automated processes, such as SMS reminders, that improve efficiency and are an investment that results in long-term savings.
“Structure is key,” Tabatha shared. “It doesn’t mean you have total control over horrible things that happen. It means you have a baseline structure and the foundations there to deal with it when it does. It provides stability.”
The Profit Booster with Sonia Tomas AKA The Salon DR
“Price yourself right” Sonia warned, as undercharging sabotages profit and undervalues your expertise. Another great tip was to “get on your clients’ level physically” to remove barriers, build trust and create a comfortable space for upselling or discussing services by sitting down with them and having a proper conversation. Sonia also told attendees to be proactive as clients don’t actually realise when they’re low on products.
“It’s up to you to remind them. A client might not know they’ve ‘run out’ but will remember when they ‘don’t have it’,” she said, educating under her Three Pillars of Profit concept.
Becoming The Independent Entrepreneur with Angela Rose from Indie Hair Academy
Angela educated on the “CEO mindset shift”, which you can obtain by regularly mapping out and planning your future. Map out where you’re going, why you’re in business and the actual goal, and always think long-term with a growth focus. This mindset is also helped by asking “how can I?” rather than saying “I can’t”.
Key entrepreneurial tips extended from the business side – “always know your financial situation” – to time management tips, reminding business owners that “you also have to look after you”.
“Have non-negotiables for personal time – balance is essential to avoid burnout,” she said. “Work smarter. You can only make more money with less time behind the chair.”
Unfiltered & Unapologetic with Caitlyn Muir from Iconic Coaching
Always pushing salons to be bold in bettering their businesses, Caitlyn tasked attendees with challenging the status quo within their own businesses, while also calling out industry myths more broadly, presenting with Bridget Hulse on the concept of pursuing uncomfortable things in the name of growth.
“Avoid the trap of saying ‘this is just how it’s always been done’, it’s holding you back,” Caitlyn shared. “Success often requires questioning hustle culture, pricing guilt and old-school mindsets.”
The Besties Tour with Lauren McCowan and Jules Tognini
Lauren and Jules showed off head shape hugging silhouettes, defined curls in what Lauren described as “baroque frizz” and editorial texture. For Lauren, styling without compromising hair quality was key, and she taught on creating texture and hold that still maintains hair health. Jules showed how to “remove noise” that pulls focus to lift the face without sacrificing length.
“The best piece of advice I ever got from Dad [Benni Tognini] is that hairdressers are frame-makers,” Jules said. “You’re making a frame for the picture, which is their face. We make the best accessory they don’t take off for eight weeks. So you really need to look at someone’s face and figure out what you like about their face and, more importantly, what they like.”
Cutting through the Clutter of Building You as a Brand with Jordan Tabakman from Inspire Brands
Jordan gave both technical barbering tips with live on-stage cutting – “my biggest pet hate is not blending in the beards to the taper, blending is very important because the fastest point of growth is the sideburn” – and taught personal branding through his own success story.
“All of this has come from stepping out of my comfort zone in different situations, nothing that I’ve done has been overnight, gaining traction has had calculated moves in everything,” he said. “There are calculated risks to what you do in business and who you network with that can really open doors for you. My social media has been organic, I post what I want to post, I post celebrities, and it’s helped build up a tremendous following that has opened up doors in business, sponsorships and contracts.”
Texture Re.Imagined with Chrissy Zemura from Organic SUKU
Organic SUKU brought their texture insights to Hair Festival and met an engaged response for this untapped market. Four looks that showcase an afro, coils, curls and a sculptural upstyle – “you can contain texture and it’s really simple,” Chrissy said – showcased versatile and salon relevant looks.
“It was a fantastic first time for us to be in this space and seeing how people react to what we’re doing,” shared Lani Molefe from Organic SUKU. “The Education Session was very interactive, there were a lot of people there, we showcased four models and there were a lot of questions, it was fantastic.”
BKT Mastery with Leticia Prado
Leticia talked through the service for different hair types, describing the difference between Nanoplasty and Keratin, where Nanoplasty can achieve the same or better results and lasts five to six months and also repairs hair from the inside out, beyond just straightening. Answering that common query of styling post-treatment, Leticia explained that hair can be curled on the same day as treatment once cleansed, but heat protectors are a must.
“It’s like sunscreen for your hair, if you want to avoid damage, they’re not optional,” she said.
Creative Clipper Cutting: The Modern Mullet with Kevin Nguyen from WAHL
International artist and WAHL lead educator Kevin discussed both artistry and business when it comes to barbering, fades and the modern mullet. He discussed longevity, connection and disconnection of the cut and how it pertains to length and the structure and weight of the looks. In business, Kevin discussed topics such as client retention and satisfaction.
“I make my hair cut lasts about a month, I always say it’s not about how clean the hair cut looks, it’s about how clean it looks when it regrows,” he said. “You can do a really good fade right from the beginning but if the grow back is bad, it’s not a good haircut, so I always do a fade that accommodates my clients. Within a month they come back say they got compliments two weeks after their hair cut, that’s how you do a good haircut.”
Reuzel: Showcase with Leen and Bertus, presented by HairCo
Reuzel founders Leen and Bertus took to the stage to show off live styles on stage, such as the flat top and pompadour, with technical tips – “I’ve been really locking my arms into the shape of the haircut and just polishing those last waves off,” Bertus said – and business insights, especially around concepts of marketing and retail.
“Don’t sell products – or rather, don’t sell bull-,” Bertus said in explaining what makes a good salesperson. “This morning I got a really good cup of coffee, I would want all of you to try that coffee. It’s the same when you read a book or see a movie that you really want to share with your friends. At that point, you’re the best salesperson in the world, because it doesn’t take any effort, because you like that product so much that you really want somebody else to enjoy it the way that you do. If you change your mindset like that, you’re halfway. You only have to sell the product once, after that it sells itself.”
Wake Up, Hair! Alfredo Lewis Reveals the Power of PTT-6®, thanks to Calecim with Ozdare
Alfredo walked attendees through the technology and power of Calecim, a hair loss product that’s new to Australia. He spoke through the technical aspects, such as ascertaining the product’s Norwood or Ludwig scale for various levels of hair loss that recommends six or twelve month, as well in-salon or at-home, programs, and showcased the service on stage, explaining the processes, styling and scalp care protocols after.
Beyond the technical aspects, Alfredo talked through the client experience in this vulnerable hair loss service – one that should be offered as a special, luxury experience and one of transformation.
“It’s great to take photos, it’s hard for our clients as they’re seeing themselves every day so I take photos so they can see where their hair was before and I do videos as well,” he said. “We keep a folder, and we really track the differences in their hair. I hear a lot from my clients when their hair comes back ‘wow, I forgot how bad it was’. It’s really nice to go back and be reminded of where we started.”
The Nafta Bunch with Gina Yates, Pete Koziell, Matt Tronson, Steph Meyer, Ben Kane, Tom White and Pete Walstab from Excellent Edges
A myriad of creative looks took to the stage thanks to Excellent Edges’ Nafta Bunch – think colour, cuts, style, texture, structure, male and female looks, fringes, hair extensions and beyond. Both an inspiring show and enlightening from a technical standpoint, the artists offered specific cutting and styling techniques between banter. Pete Koziell’s standout tool was the Excellent Edges Stingrway, which has a unique blade in the shape of a ‘k’ and which he used to shape the model’s disconnected fringe.
“It gives you that dead straight edge,” he shared. “I like to test my tools and use them in unconventional ways because that keeps me excited as a hairdresser and artist, so I’m going to be point cutting, with those Stingrays. Challenge yourself to doing that and curving the scissor as you close the blade to create movement. You can literally draw curved shapes with those scissors.”
The Evolved Hairdresser by Mariana Ibrahim from House of Metamorphosis
Mariana educated on the complex client and hairdresser relationship and the way in which hairdressers uniquely see clients over different stages of their lives and act as a constant, often across generations. This provides a special bond but has its challenges around boundaries, expectations, mental burnout and beyond. Mariana challenged attendees to question outdated thinkings like ‘the client is always right’ and rely on open and honest communication, which will earn you more respect.
Million Dollar Hair Extension Methods by Shakira Jade, Lori-Anne Hall and Tenyka Rowe from Hair Candy Australia
Extensions intel and business insights were both paramount in this Education Session. In business, Shakira emphasised the importance of creating distinct income streams.
Technically, the group showcased the original method of Flat Track Weft Extensions, which are seamless and lightweight – top tip: “try to avoid excessive tension when stitching” – as well as Air Weft Extensions, the “genius weft” technique that hides all beads and Keratin Bond Extensions, which are a long-lasting, natural-looking option for premium clients. The versatile options come down to client and stylist preference and offer a wealth of flexibility.
AIRTOUCH Method: The Future of Seamless Blondes with Alisher Karabaev
Alisher is the only certified AirTouch specialist in Australia and this Session showcased the power of this colouring technique. AirTouch blows out baby hair leaving only the longest and strongest strands for lightening, with the unique 30/40/50 method.
“Strategic parting plays the main role. If you understand the balance you can create any blonde from natural to sun-kissed effects,” Alisher shared. “Unlike traditional teasing balayage methods, you maintain 100 per cent control over colour application by applying the 30/40/50 method. AirTouch allows you to customise every section for perfect blonde balance.”
You Are More Than A Hairdresser with Mariana Ibrahim, Cheryelle King and Jake Putan from The Holistic Shift
This Session kicked off day two by merging education and wellness. Attendees started the morning with an interactive, immersive experience, getting up and moving their bodies, as the ideal preparation for another big day of Hair Festival. Fittingly, elements such as movement during the workday were discussed as selfcare, by simply moving your arms, body and letting go. In this wellness-inspired Session, facets such as the salon’s music were talked about as a great way to re-energise the salon, with team members picking songs to bond and connect through late night shifts.
For more information visit www.hairfestival.com.au
Catch up with INSTYLE and Styleicons!
- Subscribe to our bi-monthly magazine
- Check out www.styleicons.com.au
- Subscribe to our twice-weekly newsletter
- View our digital magazine
- Follow us on social media on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn