Bay duo sets out on hair-raising mission

Ryan and Christilene Bush hope to raise PE styling to international standards

HEADCANDY hair and beauty salon has set themselves apart as being a cut above the rest through ensuring that each client receives an international standard of hairdressing when they enter the Westbourne Road studio.

Co-owners and married couple Ryan and Christilene Bush established the studio in August 2010 after working abroad for five years and realising the major gap in the standard of hairdressing between Port Elizabeth and the rest of the world.

The studio has since employed 11 stylists and beauticians.

The Port Elizabeth-born duo left for London – referred to by stylists as the hair capital of the world – in 2005 to intern at internationally acclaimed Sanrizz Studios.

Having been exposed to the standard of London hairdressing for two years, the Bushes decided to continue to broaden their understanding of the trade and worked on numerous cruise liners for three years before returning to Port Elizabeth.

When they opened their own hair studio in 2011, the pair armed themselves with one of the world’s leading hair styling brands Davines – which is the only brand used in the studio.

Through their association with Davines, Christilene was invited to participate in the Davines World Style Contest hosted in 2013 in Johannesburg. After winning the national leg of the competition she was invited to the finals in Paris, where she was placed among the top 10 stylists internationally and walked away with one of the titles awarded at the event as the world’s best stylist for 2013.

The newly acquired title quickly elevated the studio’s reputation, which has now become one of the metro’s top hair styling studios. The steady incline of both the salon and her reputation continued last year when Christilene was invited to showcase her hairstyle collection Kaleidoscope in London at the Worldwide Hair Tour.

It is through their international experiences and exhibitions that Headcandy remains the salon of choice for many Port Elizabeth residents, Christelene said.

“When we returned to PE it was very evident that we were miles behind the other cities in terms of trends, standards and service.

“Hence why we wanted our international travels and experiences to form the foundation of what we are trying to do here at Headcandy.

“We intend on educating other stylists in and around the Eastern Cape to produce the same standard of international styling and bring our province on par with the rest of the world in terms of hairdressing,” Christelene said.

The Bushes’ dream of raising the standard of hairdressing is taking shape with each passing year and in August the duo will launch one of only three Carlton Hair Academies in the country.

Ryan said: “Hairdressing has been known as a trade for those who couldn’t do anything else, but we want to change that perception because it is actually something that empowers you.

“It exposes you to a different world of travelling and putting yourself on the fashion scene. If you really embrace what you’re doing, you will notice all that industry can provide for you.”

-Tremaine van Aardt