Industry icon Shelene Shaer, owner of Tanaz salon in Illovo, speaks to Jassy Mackenzie from Hairnews about how to get creative and keep inspired when colouring hair in the salon.

Diary date Ahead: The EOHCB KZN Hairdressing, Nail Art and Make up competition is on Sunday 23 July. This promises to be an awesome event and there will be sections for everyone to enter. Come along and test your skills or support your salon. Diarise the date now, so you have time to start practicing and prepping for success in this event! Venue: Hilton Hotel, 12-14 Walnut Street, Durban For Information: Dane@eohcb.com See the entry form, and competition sections and rules, below. Click Here to download the Entry Form

Creative hairstylist Donovan Grove, owner of DNA Salon in Bedfordview, Johannesburg, has recently been chosen as the new Intercoiffure fashion director for the Oceania region. This is a great honour and we look forward to seeing Donovan’s creativity and vision taking this role forward into the future.

Exciting news ahead! From today, your industry news is going to arrive in your inbox in a quick, accessible, fun and easy to read format. The online daily Hairnews e-newsletter will replace the SA Hairdressers Journal monthly magazine - meaning that you receive everything from style inspiration, awesome videos, and stop press news items fast and fuss-free. And if you love social media, make sure to like our Hairnews.co.za Facebook page for all the latest info. The SA Hairdressers Journal team of Jassy, Des, Brad and Belinda will be your mobile e-news team. SAHJ owner Carol-Ann Jamison is bidding a sad goodbye to the industry as she moves on to new challenges in a different industry. We will still be producing print publications three or four times a year - the next one will be our famous Colour Supplement, which will be posted out in October, and you can look forward to some amazing new concepts in 2018. Cheron will be staying in charge of our print media sales. Salon owners only will also be receiving a weekly, exclusive, e-newsletter on all things business which will arrive on Mondays - and just to brighten up your life, we'll send out the Sunday Beauty newsletter to keep you updated on skincare, cosmetics, fashion, fitness and health. If you would like to get in touch with us, email info@hairnews.co.za or message Jassy on 082 891 8537. There are fabulous prizes up for grabs if you send us the emails of everyone in the salon - to make sure that nobody misses out on all the daily inspiration. We hope you enjoy reading Hairnews as much as we're enjoying our new roles as online reporters! Wishing you all the best for a fabulous, fashionable and fulfilling June.

Do you want to stand the chance of winning a fabulous hamper containing each of the Goldwell Stylesign products? Simply send the names and email addresses of every stylist in your salon to belinda@hairnews.co.za and include your cellphone number. This competition closes at end of day on Monday 5 June. Winner will be announced on Wednesday 7 June. Don't delay... send your email now! Thanks to Goldwell Stylesign, everyone can be a creative artist in the salon.

Kirsty Jooste, Manager of Carlton Hair Constantia, speaks about hairdressing as a career and her advice to other stylists wishing to excel.

Fashionably funky rainbow styles created by the makeover experts at Pasquale Intercoiffure, Kempton Park.

After enjoying a weekend break from the blog to recharge and refuel, I looked in the mirror on Monday and saw the sight every woman fears the most... visible root growth! This was bad... and getting worse with every minute that passed. Horror filled me, and with shaking hands I dialled the number of Carlton Hair Hyde Park. The next day, I arrived there, ready for the incredible experience of having my hair done by maestro stylist and international fashion guru David Gillson. And while I was enjoying the top-class service, care and cappuccinos this salon offers, another well known industry icon arrived - Lesley Kahn, from the Carlton Hair Academy. Here's a photo of us taken after David had put the finishing touches to my new style. And I must add... at Carlton, you can also have the most incredible make-up done on site by David-John who will make you look like a film star in just a few minutes. (Spoiler alert: I was in a rush so didn't have a chance to have this done before the photo was taken!) Now, there's another salon in Hyde Park, which is part of a chain that I know well - the renowned Franco International group. This salon recently opened next to Exclusive Books, and the decor is absolutely beautiful - it's like stepping into another, glamorous universe. Franco International is a salon chain that is focused on - one might even say obsessed with - education, and every one of their stylists is expert, passionate and professional - superstars in their own right. I had a quick look in and took a photo of Tara and Tasmin outside this gorgeous salon. From there, I had to run a few errands, and along the way I stopped off at a little shopping centre in Greenside. As I sprinted for Woolworths, I heard a familiar sound... the buzz of thousands of hairdryers. I stopped mid-run, glanced to my left - and saw a salon whose name I know really well - Xpertease. This is an award-winning, well established salon which up until now, I hadn't had the privilege of visiting. Well, it was absolutely pumping... the busiest shop in the centre. It was the owner, Gail's, day off, so I couldn't say hi to her, but I took a quick photo of the glamorous reception area. The blog will be back soon with more updates - and some very exciting news. Keep reading, and don't forget to sign up to receive our e-newsletter - there's a magnificent Biosense hamper up for grabs this week.

Today, I headed into central Cape Town to meet up with the legendary Byron Mayer, owner of the fabulous Carlton Hair salon group and training academy, and the distributor (among other fabulous products) of Davines in South Africa. We met up at the new Carlton Hair headquarters, a beautiful building in Wale Street, central Cape Town, which started its life many years ago as a church and has been used for numerous different purposes since then. It was fascinating to hear the plans for this building, which will gain a whole new lease on life while retaining its original character, once the refurbishment is under way. The building is also occupied by a company called Honest Chocolate. This means that divine cappuccinos are just a click of the fingers away, and it also means that everything smells of chocolate, all the time! What an amazing experience. From there, I headed out to Somerset West, where I was delighted to meet up with the legendary Clinton Valjeaux, owner of Jeauval salons, at his brand new salon at The Sanctuary mall. This is their first Cape Town salon and here's what it looks like - Jeauval clients and fans will recognise the colourful, funky branding! While I was in the salon I thought it would be a great idea to ask Clinton if he would do a short video interview on what it was like to set up a salon in a new and different city. Clinton and I ended up putting together our first ever Hairnews salon mirror interview! Enjoy! There will be more blogging next week - have a fabulous weekend and stay tuned on Monday!

The day began with a gorgeous drive into leafy, peaceful Constantia, where I met Jean Witte, owner of Synergy Hair Intercoiffure. This was the first time I'd been to her gorgeous salon and I was quite surprised to find the shiny tiled floor covered in cardboard. The reason? Well, amid great excitement, they were unpacking the brand new Wella SP (System Professional) product range... Synergy is one of a select few salons that have been chosen as flagship destinations in Cape Town for this innovative range. By the time I'd had coffee and a chat with Jean and Shawn, who despite running a wildly successful salon business are two of the nicest and most down to earth people you will ever meet, the range was all unpacked and ready for the photo opportunity above! Just a few minutes' drive away, in Diep River, is the professional products and distribution company Salon System, which is run by an industry icon, Len Theunissen. Len originally started his career in accounting. Then he moved to hairdressing... as you do! He owned a chain of salons and has trained more than 600 apprentices. Back in the days when hairdressing was all about doing a quick cut, Len's record number of clients within a single day was 81. Can you believe it, hairdressers of 2017? Pick yourselves up off the floor! Constantia Mall is a very busy place. It's so busy that my GPS tried to direct me to a wine farm instead. Bravely, I kept trying to find the mall... after all, I could actually see where all the cars were parked, and I had an exciting meeting to attend. The meeting was with Kirsty Jooste, who is the dynamic and lovely manageress of Carlton Hair Constantia. Kirsty has spent her 10 year hairdressing career with Carlton and she loves the creativity of her job, and making people look and feel fabulous. Training and more training is her number one advice to other hairstylists - she's travelled overseas numerous times to do courses with top international educators - and she agreed to do a quick video interview for our Hairstylists of South Africa series. (This is my first time trying this, so if the video doesn't embed, here is the link to it:) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSVreVlZIvM After this awesome interview, I turned around and who should I see in the salon opposite but another good friend - Mark, from the successful salon chain Edge for Men. Mark was hectically busy with queues of gents waiting for his awesome barbering services - and also busy opening another salon, he told me... but he took a moment to be photographed. Then, it was time for a lightning drive from Constantia to the sumptuous Kloof Street House, where I had a lunch time appointment with two of the biggest movers and shakers in the industry - Eric Way and his husband Martyn. Eric is a fashion designer who spent years working in the UK and has thousands of fascinating stories to tell. He started hairdressing only a few years ago after returning to South Africa, and has taken the barbering industry by storm. His training academy, the Groomed Academy, offers incredible education for those who want to learn or perfect their barbering skills - skills which are hugely in demand at this time. What a lovely way to conclude an awesome, sunny day (does it ever rain here?) More tomorrow!

You see, I have this idea that Cape Town is all quaint little streets and European-style cafes and parallel parking in spaces that are 5 cm too small for your car. (Actually it wouldn't matter if the spaces were 2 metres bigger than they needed to be... I'm hopeless at parallel parking. I have to drive round and round until I find a space I can drive into from the front). Yesterday took me to the fabulous Hands Down Distribution, which has headquarters in Kenilworth and a second branch in Bellville, and is an emporium of all things hair, and nails, and tanning... I could have spent an hour or two in the shop just browsing round all the different brands and products. But instead, I went a little way down the road and found myself at the elegant salon Platinum Hair and Beauty. I had time for a flying visit - just enough time to photograph hairstylist Claudia at work, and to wish I could spend the whole day there! Then I drove around the corner, down the road... and that was where I found a gigantic mall. The Tyger Valley mall. I parked frontwards in a parking bay in the massive lot... and promptly lost my car! I think I need retraining when I go back to Jo'burg. But anyway... I headed into the mall and immediately found myself in hairdressing mecca. Just look at the beauty of this salon, one of the renowned Tosca Hairdressing chain. Tosca's Kelsey Swanepoel and Vanessa Bryan are posing in this shot. Then, round the corner, down a corridor... and I found another exquisite hair salon, also part of a large group - the Partners Hair Design salon chain. They have 14 unisex and 8 gents' salons in the Western Cape. Here's what it says on their website: "Just over 30 years ago, carrying a smattering of luggage and rather empty pockets, a young hairdresser from the United Kingdom arrived in South Africa, harbouring an unparalleled determination to succeed in his chosen profession. Armed with his wife’s support (and the funds raised from selling her car!) and all his savings, Lewis Thomas took the first step towards realising his dream when he opened his first hairdressing salon in Cavendish Close, Cape Town, in 1984." Posing for the photo above are Partners team Kaylyn, Chumisa, Tamson and Daphney. All I can say after such a fabulous morning is... if you are in the Bellville / Tygervalley area of Cape Town, there's no excuse for you not to have awesome hair. None at all! The rest of the day was spent catching up with industry supporters and suppliers that I am proud to call my friends. Chris Parker from ESP is a business guru and a talented writer who also knows how to code computer software... ESP can get your salon computer system working magic for you! And then it was off for a meeting in Epping at the bustling headquarters of Modern Hair and Beauty, distributors of renowned hair and beauty brands including Wella, Kadus, Sebastian, Nioxin and Intraceuticals. It was a privilege to sit down with the dynamic MD Chris Stofberg and his marketing team including Nadia, Jaypee and Tiffany. They are absolute rock stars... I meant to take a photo of the team but I didn't, so here's a photo of how I think of them! And that concludes today's blog... Tune in tomorrow for more!

They told me Cape Town was boiling hot. Then they told me that there were gale force winds. There was talk of rain and storms. But when the plane landed yesterday... well, it was absolutely perfect! The most beautiful still, calm, mild and sunny autumn day. Thank you, Cape Town. First things first... I needed good hair, fast, so I booked into a Steenberg salon called The Hair Cafe. Mandy, who did my blow dry, was the most amazing, professional, skilled hairdresser and if I had been a "mystery shopper", I would have given her ten out of ten for everything. What a beautiful salon and what an awesome experience to start my trip. From there, it was off to the incredible Bistro Sixteen 82 at Steenberg wine estate, for a wonderful meal, chat and catch-up with Maxine de Lima of Joico and Kevin Murphy. Not only is Maxine a passionate, knowledgeable and driven ambassador for the hair industry and the renowned professional brands she manages, she's also so much fun to have lunch with that I ended up leaving late for my next appointment! There was barely time for us to take a selfie! From the sweeping vistas of the southern suburbs, I headed into the buzz of Kloof Street, where I met up with Eddie van Rensburg, who manages the American Crew brand in South Africa. Eddie singlehandedly looks after all aspects of this elite men's brand which is now in more than 100 salons countrywide, and this is due to Eddie's enthusiasm, hard work, marketing skill, and business experience. The photo above was taken at Scar Hair, proud stockists of American Crew and other top professional brands, where we popped in for a surprise visit and to meet Andrew Guilfoyle, the owner. You simply have to love a salon where you arrive, and there's an impromptu photo shoot happening outside - but you're not even sure who's the model and who's the hairdresser because everyone looks so fabulously fashionable and funky. The photo above features Varushka from Scar Hair with her model. And it was really awesome to say hello to another friend and hairdressing icon, Salome de Wet. We even managed to get a sneaky action shot of Andrew himself, on his way to Scar Hair's upper level. This salon is simply gorgeous and its design, layout, decor and branding are world class. And Andrew has more plans in store... very exciting ones! What a fantastic day it was. Stay tuned... more updates to come tomorrow!