WELCOME

HAIR: JAMES EARNSHAW

HAIR ASSISTANT: EMILY DYER, KH NOTTINGHAM

MAKE-UP: MEG LINDOW

STYLING: MELIA BIRCH

PHOTOGRAPHY: ASH MARTIN

Knowing your worth. That’s a line that comes up time and time again in our industry. We recently held a focus group, and it became the underlying theme to our whole conversation. This month’s HJ Debate is very much on that topic too - charging what you’re worth. I loved Palette & Bristle founder David Cassidy’s comment on how other industries treat price increases. “Tesco doesn’t send out a memo when the price of milk goes up,” he quips. Quite true! For too long the hairdressing industry has been undervalued and looked down upon, but we know how many amazing business brains, caring colourists and boundary-pushing stylists exist within it and we shouldn’t be apologetic or self-effacing when talking about, or pricing, our craft. (Shameless plug - if it’s not already on your radar, our Salon Growth Summit will inject your business with confidence and fresh purpose, and is being held 1-2 March.)

I always love chatting to our HJ Voicenotes columnists, this issue Maria Evangelou shares her reset for January. Don’t roll your eyes about new year's resolutions though… her column is full of practical and actionable advice, we promise! In addition, we have your industry calendar for 2026, with the awards, exhibitions, events and competitions to take note of.

And it wouldn’t be a January issue without our dedicated British Hairdressing Awards, sponsored by Schwarzkopf Professional, section featuring the winners and all the snapshots from the night. Plus, we start showing the British Hairdresser of the Year nominee collections in full this issue, they’re a real feast for the eyes. If you’re thinking about entering the awards next year, know that we’re looking forward to shaking things up, so stay tuned on our social pages for all-important updates.

This is my last Ed’s Letter for a little while, as I’ll be heading off on maternity leave in January. I’ll be leaving you in the more than capable hands of the HJ Team - our current Deputy Editor Sian Jones will be ‘acting up’ as Editor, we have a new recruit who will fit right in within the industry and our Content Editor Chlo Weldon will be supporting and continuing to be your go-to for all things social.

I’ll be seeing you later in 2026!

TEAM HJ

Executive Director Jayne Lewis-Orr jayne.l@thepbgroup.com • 020 3841 7360

Managing Director Mark Moloney

Editor Charlotte Grant-West charlotte.g@thepbgroup.com • 020 3841 7369

Deputy Editor Sian Jones sian.j@thepbgroup.com • 020 7349 4798

Content Editor Chloe Weldon chloe.weldon@thepbgroup.com • 020 3841 7362

Group Sales Director Jackie Brown jackie.b@thepbgroup.com • 020 3841 7366

Group Sales Manager Matt Crane matt.c@thepbgroup.com • 020 3841 7367

Recruitment and Classified Nur Suleyman nur.s@thepbgroup.com • 020 7349 4796

Senior Events Executive Anna van der Walt anna.v@thepbgroup.com • 020 3841 7377

Exhibition & Awards Executive Betlem Martinez betlem.m@thepbgroup.com • 020 3841 736

Awards Contributor Angela Jones angela.j@thepbgroup.com • 020 7351 0536

Executive Assistant Katie Matthews katie.m@thepbgroup.com • 020 7349 4792

Head of Global Marketing Chloe Monina chloe.m@thepbgroup.com • 020 7349 4799

Marketing Executive Paige Mowbray paige.m@thepbgroup.com • 020 8194 8484

Contributor Jenna Waggitt