Session hairstylist Anna Cofone has worked for more than 20 years in hairdressing both as a salon hairdresser and now a highly renowned session stylist. Her career portfolio includes working with clients ranging from the most high profile celebrities (Lana Del Rey and Dua Lipa top the list) as well as revered designers, magazines and photographers.
Anna’s reputation from peers and brands within the profession is similarly top-flight. Anna has learned from and worked alongside super-stylists including Eugene Souleiman, Julien d’Ys and Sam McKnight, and is on speed dial for global editorial teams from Vogue onwards. Yet despite swimming in the luxe pond of talent, and her proximity to the famous and fortunate, Anna remains grounded. In a flip side to her jet-setting hair career, Anna has founded the Hair & Care CIC company [a special social enterprise company to benefit a community rather than shareholders].
Hair & Care is a project from the heart, born of a desire to share her experience to help others. It’s a labour of love. Here’s what this means:
Heartfelt: Hair & Care
Anna grew up with a father who was blind. She uses the memory of this experience to offer help to women and girls who are visually impaired, to share help and knowhow in supporting them in learning how to care for their hair. In setting up Hair & Care, Anna and other volunteer hairstylists introduce visually impaired women and young girls the fundamentals of hair care in a safe environment.
The intention is that they gain knowledge, skills and tools to develop their self-care, build their self-esteem and increase their confidence by positive coaching, progressive skill development and peer support.
Anna explains: “Growing up, the importance of self-care was a constant reminder. My father was blind and I vividly remember people often complimenting his appearance, he would it be possible wear a crisp white shirt, a tailored blue suit and red tie, his hair groomed and his shoes always shined. Looking back I realise that this was his own personal way of helping himself to feel seen. Since his passing, it has been a lifelong goal to use my skills in hairdressing to help empower and inspire people with disabilities, particularly the visually impaired.”
Values: Hair & Care
The cornerstones of the organisation are easy to identify. They are;
Autonomy: Hair & Care is a resource to provide vulnerable people with the necessary tools to foster their autonomy. Whether through self-care, mental health, or empowerment.
Community: Hair & Care aims to create a safe space for vulnerable people to find support and share experiences.
Diversity: Hair & Care believes in the progress of all people, regardless of their background, disability or circumstance, and understands that with the right support they can achieve their potential.
Empowerment: Hair & Care provides an opportunity to not only learn basic skills in how to manage,style, and care for their hair but also grow in confidence through feeling seen, heard, and cared for.
The how?
Hair & Care was set up in 2019 and began running workshops, initially virtual in collaboration with the Royal Society for Blind Children, now in person. The workshops are where women and girls receive confidence from Anna and the volunteers. The guests can gain self-esteem, acquire a new skill, and experience less isolation as a result.
Anna says they not only show participants the basics in how to style, and care for their hair, the workshops also provide the opportunity to meet new people, develop new friendships and reduce the isolation suffered by so many of this group.
A variety of hair treatments, styling tools and simple, easy hairstyles are taught to the participants in this session in a way that suits their specific interests and lifestyles. It has a total duration of 2.5 hours. At the moment the workshops are held once a month. However, the aim is to increase the regularity.
The workshops also have an interactive perspective in which participants have to engage with each other. Either by working in pairs or sharing experiences and opinions. To ensure the continuous growth of this interactive community, Hair & Care organizes a series of online events that involve active participation from the workshop participants. This also encourage them to extend invitations to their family and friends, fostering a sense of inclusivity and expanding their support network.
You are needed!
Supporters for Hair & Care are vital, and so far the project has recieved valuable support and donations from hair brands including: Denman; Kao Salon Division including Goldwell, KMS and Oribe; Cloud 9; ghd; and BaByliss.
Hackney Depot has been instrumental in providing and donating a safe and accessible space for Hair & Care to hold its monthly workshops
If you would like to support or donate to the project, please contact: Hair & Care at
hairandcareproject@gmail.com
or visit: www.hairandcareproject.com
From fundraising to personal volunteer roles, you can help Anna Cofone share Hair & Care with as wide a reach as possible through the UK.
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