Catherine: When did you know you wanted a career in hair?
Ceri: I didn’t really know, it sort of crept up on me! I actually did a law degree and didn’t start hairdressing until I was 25. At uni, I started doing people’s hair – colouring, braids, dreadlocks, whatever! – and I just sort of fell into it. I didn’t grow up wanting to be a hairdresser at all; I grew up in the countryside in South Wales, so my world of creativity and fashion was really small. It wasn’t until I went to Cardiff that everything opened up. I’d never experienced city life before.
With law, you do three years, then work in a practice before your final year. After that placement, I just knew it wasn’t what I wanted. So, I went home and said to my parents, “I’m not doing law – I’m going to do hair.” You can imagine their faces! I taught myself extensions and wigs, and I blagged my first job in Bristol as a hair extensionist. It all just went from there really. I did everything backwards – extensions first, then session work, shows, shoots and eventually moving to London. About ten years later, I met Robert (Masciave) through mutual friends, started working with him on shows and then ended up in his salon, Metropolis.
Catherine: Can you describe your training and professional experience?
Ceri: I don’t actually have any formal college training – I learnt on the job. I was 25, fresh out of a law degree, and I didn’t want to sit in college with 16-year-olds. It just wasn’t for me! I learnt my trade with Robert, and without him I wouldn’t have a career. I had the eye – I always knew what looked good and what didn’t – but I didn’t have the skills to execute it.
I joined the salon 18 years ago, and it was terrifying. Robert said I was the perfect guinea pig because I knew how to handle hair from years of session work, but I couldn’t cut a bob or a pixie. He said, let’s see how fast I can teach you using my methods. Within four to six weeks, I was cutting on the floor. His system works! Then I went to Barcelona for a Revlon colour course, and both colour directors at the salon went off to have babies at the same time. I was thrown in at the deep end and learnt very quickly. When they came back, about 90% of their clients stayed with me.
So no, I did not do the formal college route. But was I still exposed to ongoing education, colour theory and constant learning? Absolutely! I just took a very unconventional path.
Catherine: There’s still a negative perception about hairdressers sometimes, isn’t there?
Ceri: Definitely. That whole idea that hairdressers didn’t succeed at school. In reality, you end up being a therapist, an expert in body language and someone who has to find common ground with every single person who sits in your chair. That’s hard. I’m actually very introverted; I was shy as a kid and I like my own space. Hairdressing takes you out of your comfort zone every day, and honestly, it can be exhausting.
Catherine: What do you enjoy most about your job?
Ceri: In the salon, it’s watching someone walk out feeling confident. You give them a cut or colour, and you can see it instantly – they feel amazing. That’s addictive. Hair is so underrated. It’s three-quarters of your face, and when it’s not right, or when someone loses their hair through illness, it’s devastating. You’re changing how the world sees that person, and how they present themselves to the world. Outside the salon, the opportunities are endless – travel, fashion shows, session work, education, trichology. I honestly don’t understand when people say they’re bored of hairdressing! How can you be bored?!
Catherine: I’m about to do my first photographic collection. What advice would you give me?
Ceri: Decide what you want to do and don’t look too much at other hairdressers. You end up copying things without even realising. Look elsewhere – fashion, nature, architecture, whatever! Hair inspiration is everywhere. Practise your styles relentlessly at home and photograph them.
One of the best tips I ever learnt is to use your camera as a mirror. Walk around the model and look at the hair through your phone, and you’ll realise how the camera shows things your eye doesn’t see. What looks good in real life doesn’t always translate on camera. Even when you think you’re finished, look again through the lens. That’s probably my biggest tip.
Catherine: Things are tough right now as a salon owner. Do you have any advice for keeping a salon alive?
Ceri: It’s tricky. We’re lucky in Surbiton – it’s a very affluent area – but even so, people are watching their spending. The key word for me is consistency. Inconsistency kills salons, so find your niche and be consistent. Remember, every client has long-term value. It’s not just one £100 appointment – it could be highlights every six to eight weeks for 20 years. Build strong relationships and make yourself the only place they want to go. Don’t get dragged into discounting; it devalues your time. Instead, work with clients intelligently. Maybe it’s a partial highlight instead of a full-head, or maybe it’s alternating services or introducing them to a well-trained junior for certain appointments so they stay within the salon ecosystem. Once a client breaks the habit of coming in, you’ve probably lost them.
Catherine: I hate discount culture… it feels pointless!
Ceri: Exactly. We do loyalty rather than discounts. Discounting is a false economy. You don’t build loyal clients that way; you just attract people who’ll move on to the next deal.
Catherine: You, Robert and the Metropolis team clearly have a great dynamic. What’s the secret?
Ceri: Recruitment and kindness. Robert is brilliant at reading people’s characters. There’s no drama. We do interviews, trials and two-week placements – it has to feel right both ways. In 18 years, I’ve never heard one team member criticise another. Clients comment on it all the time! Staff disharmony will kill a business faster than anything; people just need to be respectful and kind.
Catherine: Final question – what do you do outside of work?
Ceri: I’m in the gym or outdoors most of the time. I love hiking and I love dogs – I actually volunteer at a greyhound rescue sanctuary now. I like fashion, films and a bit of painting. I’m not a party person; I’m happiest in bed by 9pm. I’m quite boring really!
