Hawick hair salon a cut above rest at national award ceremony

When hair-stylist Kirsten Lindores was preparing to launch her business early in 2015, she pondered long and hard about what to call it.

In the end, she found the answer close to home, plumping for Ellava Hair and Beauty, an amalgam of the names of her two daughters, Ellis and Ava.

That choice has proved to be a lucky one as the Oliver Crescent salon has gone from strength to strength and now employs two other hair-stylists and a beauty therapist to tend to its loyal customer base.

Her staff’s hard work was recognised by the business being named best hair salon in the south of Scotland at the 10th annual Scottish Hair and Beauty Awards, held at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Glasgow by the city’s Creative Oceanic marketing agency.

Ellava saw off strong competition from, among others, Fusion Hair and Beauty in Hawick and Hobz Hair and Beauty in Kelso, to claim that title.

Kirsten, 37, of Hawick, believes the honour is just reward for her colleagues for the efforts they put into delivering services such as colouring, cutting, hair extensions, nails, brows, facials and massages.

She added: “We love to maintain a high standard in the salon and love to make our clients feel great when they leave the salon.

“The nomination for the award was done through social media. They got in touch and I had to send supporting evidence on why we were worthy of this win.

“There were six other salons in our category.

“We were so happy when we heard our name being announced as the winner, really proud more than anything as all the girls work hard in the salon. I couldn’t ask for anything better.

“I would also like to thank our loyal customers for their support.”

Nominated in the category for best beauty salon in the south of Scotland were two other Hawick businesses, the Beauty Lounge and Beauty Secrets.

Signature in Kelso and Phase 2 Hair and Beauty in Hawick were nominees for the title of most-loved salon of the year.