A hairdresser from Looe has won four accolades at the Salon Awards 2023.

Clare Munday has been hairdressing for 18 years and runs Elysian Hair based in East Looe.

Opening the salon in 2019, only five months before the first COVID lockdown, and with a six-month-old baby, Clare has worked hard to establish her place within the town, and recently this hard work was recognised, as she and the salon took home four awards.

Winning Colourist of the Year for Cornwall, Best Boutique Salon for Cornwall, Best Colour Salon for Cornwall, and Best Salon Team for Cornwall, it’s safe to say, Clare is proud.

She said: “I felt so proud to have found out that myself and the salon has won the awards, especially having won four!

“I have worked so hard in the last few years building up the business and working on my own skills, so it feels really nice to see it be recognised. “

Clare believes one of the keys to their success is their commitment to growth and learning.

She said: “We are only a small salon and yet in the four years we have been open, we have accomplished so much and built up a busy clientele.

“I think this is due to our commitment to continuing to educate ourselves.

“We all regularly attend courses and this year I was a part of The Fellowship of British Hairdressings, Project Colour.

“This was an amazing experience that allowed me to be mentored by some top industry names.

“I am also an educator for Keune Haircosmetics where I teach for Pro Stylists at our academy in Exeter and in salons across Cornwall and Devon.

“As well as this I do in salon education sessions for GHD where I teach styling techniques.

“All of this gives me experience and keeps me up to date with new trends, products and techniques which I bring back to my clients in the salon.

“I love making other people look and feel good about themselves. My favourite thing to do it colour hair, I feel very lucky being able to do this as a job and my team and our clients have so much fun in the salon.”

While her passion is clear, Clare says she wouldn’t have been able to do any of this without her husband, Scott.

“He has until recently been a stay at home dad to look after our three children so that I could open the salon and focus on the business and my career,” she said. “Without him I wouldn’t have been able to accomplish so much.”