Safe space

Pixie and Nate, owners of #BADHAIR in the UK, have set out to make a change – their autism, LBGTQ+ and anxiety-friendly salon has their clients coming back time and time again. A great idea for SA to follow?

What was the driving force behind the launch of #BADHAIR?

Having a full autistic family, we understand how traumatic a haircut can be to neurodivergent clients. We noticed there weren’t other salons operating to accommodate this and Nate had always wanted to open his own salon one day, so we thought, ‘Maybe now is the right time to take the crazy jump and make it our own’. To be able to help so many people, that’s the best thing for us. We have children begging their parents to come back to #BADHAIR, and they hated having their hair cut before!

What was your inspiration for the name?

It needed to be something really individual, people don’t expect a salon to be called #BADHAIR. A lot of our clients have never wanted to go into salons or don’t know much about hair, so I’m always hearing, ‘I’ve just got bad hair’. Well, not once we’re finished with them!

What are some of the adaptations you’ve made in your salon to accommodate your client base?

We have a mixture of yellow and white lighting to reduce light hypersensitivity, as well as separate speakers throughout the salon that can be adjusted according to the client’s preference – or off altogether. We have a box of new ‘fidget toys’ that the kids (and adults!) can play with and keep as a distraction tool, but most importantly, there’s no pressure on our clients. If they want to come and hang out in the salon a few times before having a cut, that’s fine with us!

What small changes could other salons make to ensure clients with autism, or other additional needs, feel comfortable?

Announcing what you’re doing, before you do it, is the biggest one. Checking they’re okay throughout and being patient with them during the process. It’s important that the client feels you’re happy to sit and spend the time understanding what they’d like you to do. Asking simple questions and giving straightforward instructions goes a long way!

Do you have anything in store for the future of #BADHAIR?

Yes! We will definitely be growing our team soon, and our goal is to train every employee to learn that level of understanding - having patience and making your client feel comfortable is key. It would be wicked if one day we could open another #BADHAIR (or even a few)! But for now, our goal is to do really good hair and make everybody that comes in feel comfortable to be who they are.

If they want to come and hang out in the salon a few times before having a cut, that’s fine with us!