Anyone with curly, wavy or textured hair knows that finding the right stylist can be a struggle. Luckily, there’s been a surge of salons that embrace curls.
Neel Morley travelled to the US to learn the DevaCurl technique and has since opened the first Melbourne curly-centric salon. Her clients – or curlfriends as she calls them – can walk in looking like Dulux dogs and glide out with envy-inducing ringlets.
Neel Morley
Finding the right hairdresser is a tricky quest as it is, and for those with curls, the struggle is doubly hard. Neel Morley owns and runs the colourful Neel Loves Curls, a salon that can transform even the most unruly kinks and coils into envy-inducing ringlets. His home, a converted rope factory, looks like the giddy set of a musical: it’s awash in 250 masks from around the world and murals by local artists.
The Brighton, England-born stylist moved to Melbourne and began specializing in curly hair after learning the DevaCurl technique in the United States. Now, the owner of Australia’s first curl-centric salon has clients travelling interstate and internationally to visit him. He also hosts events to thank the nurses who helped him through a kidney transplant and champions the notion that a frizz is just a curl waiting to happen. He also teaches his clients how to style their own strands with tricks such as using curl prong clips and diffusing their hair while it’s still wet.
Melissa Rhodes
A true specialist understands how each person chooses to live with their curls. They aren’t afraid to question the status quo, and prefer to help you achieve versatile results that match your lifestyle. Unfortunately, many salons have begun claiming to be curly hair specialists but offer the same product-reliant, one size fits all approach. These salons are often rife with red flags.
A self-described “curl whisperer”, Jess aims to empower her clients to embrace their natural waves, curls and coils by using a deconstructed dry cutting technique and artistic flare. Using vegan and curl friendly products, she creates shapes that compliment an individual’s features and personality.
This Prahran salon is a well-kept secret, but word-of-mouth keeps the place buzzing. Tina Mudd is a New Zealand native who knows her way around a curl, even possibly backwards. She’s not here for a slap-dash snip and cut – her consultations are carefully planned, precise and all about lock love.
Tina Mudd
There’s no doubt Tina Mudd is one of the best curly hairdressers Melbourne has to offer. She’s a New Zealand native who’s brought her scissor wizardry to the iconic Greville Street stretch in Prahran. She keeps her salon pretty low key, and word of mouth keeps a steady stream of clients coming her way.
Danika is all about the curls! She specializes in textured and natural hair, and loves to empower her clients to love their curly tresses by educating them on how to care for their wavy and curly locks. She also stocks curly girl approved products and teaches clients the importance of hydration.
For those in the Gippsland area, check out Second Story salon. Trish and Francine both have decades of experience with curly hair, and their salon is a relaxing space dedicated to curls and wavy tresses. They offer a full range of curl services, from cut to colouring and everything in between.
Neel Loves Curls
Neel is a hairdresser who specialises in curly-haired clients. His curly hair salon is the first of its kind in Australia and people travel interstate to visit it. He teaches his clients how to manage their curls, and is a big advocate of embracing them rather than trying to straighten them. He also conducts events to thank nurses and other healthcare professionals who helped him through a dark time in his life, and is on a mission to increase organ donation. His passion for his work and his belief that he was given a second chance at life are apparent in everything he does.best curly hairdresser melbourne
