During ADHD Awareness Month (October), we caught up with Level 2 Hairdresser and co-owner of WoW Hair and Beauty Bar, Paige Jones.
Paige shares her experience working with neurodivergent clients and how her social media strategy is helping them feel less anxious to come into the salon.
Creating accessible content
We get a lot of neurodivergent clients at WoW. From ADHD to Autism, we have a wide range of clients who have social and learning difficulties, as well as sensory differences.
The uncertainty of what an appointment involves can sometimes stop someone from booking. We want to show the process of what to expect when clients book in with us. That way they can have a look and know what to expect.
We’ve only just started doing the videos and voiceovers. We’re making it part of our social media strategy to make sure our content is more informative and helpful to our clients.
Adjusting our services for ADHD
I have learnt a lot from working with clients who have ADHD. We make sure there’s additional time to help manage any restlessness or fidgeting. We sometimes use things such as fidget toys or we suggest taking a break to get any ‘wiggles’ or ‘bounces’ out.
I had a client where they had a super fidgety day. They wanted super intricate nail art. I tried to give it a go but, in the end, we decided we had to find something else. They were really pleased that we were able to adapt the service and were happy with the final look. That’s all it takes – having an open conversation, being flexible and coming up with a solution.
A community approach
I don’t know why more salons don’t accommodate people who are neurdivergent. It doesn’t take nothing out of my day to make sure someone gets to have an appointment and an experience they don’t get elsewhere. I don’t understand why you wouldn’t try – people come back then. We’ve got clients who just come in for a chat and pop their head through the door and say hello.
We are a community. Although we are LGBTQ+ ran and gender neutral, everyone is welcome. We are very inclusive. We promote our salon as a safe place and the people who come through our door use it as that. We love them all.
Our clients describe the salon as a community hub. Yes, you’ve had your hair and nails done but you’ve also come to meet your friends too. I look forward to seeing our regulars. We all follow each other on social media and keep up to date with each other.
If you love working with people and making them feel good about themselves, then a career in hairdressing might just be for you. Check out our latest vacancies or visit our hairdressing apprenticeships for more information on how you can get started.
