“I came across House of Tinu for the first time about six years ago, when I moved from Johannesburg, South Africa to Manchester.
“I’m one of those people that is not very good with hair anyway. I’ll just kind of put a hat on and get to it if you know what I mean. I work in the TV industry, I’m a screenwriter, so most of the time I really don’t care what I look like. But sometimes you do have to stand in front of the screen, and you do have to interact with people, you do have to interact with actors, and it’s only then do I realise ‘oh god, I do stick up like a like a sore thumb’ so I wanted a little bit of help in the hair department.
“I’ve got 4C type hair, and I was going through a transition from a perm to natural hair. So, in that state the natural hair is quite delicate. I couldn’t find a hair salon that could cater to my very delicate, in-transition sort of hair, and I went online trying to find somebody that looked in the least bit aware of what was going on with that sort of care.
“I came across Tinu and gave them a call. They told me they were full that day, but could tell I was having a bit of a nightmare with my hair and invited me in regardless. I think what I really appreciated about it was Tinu’s approach. Like so many other hair stylists, she wasn’t a one-size-fits-all person. She actually took the time to understand what I was going through.
“I I think, that day, I required three different types of treatments for my hair, and she packaged that for me and so I was really really impressed – not just with her, but also the staff in her salon. Everybody knew exactly what they were doing. It felt like a harmony; I was being passed from one set of hands to the other for different parts of my treatment, and I felt really understood and really welcomed.
“Sometimes you go into a salon and you’re like ‘this is what’s happening to my hair’, and people just, you know, approach it with the one size fits all, get in the chair, get out and leave attitude – and that wasn’t the experience I had with her.
“I felt like all of them knew what they were doing. They took their time and really wanted to listen and get an understanding for my hair journey as well. Needless to say, I haven’t looked back in six years.
“This hair journey with House of Tinu has helped me kind of reach a little deeper into my feminine identity, if you would. So now, I step through with a lot of confidence and I can rock my Afro very confidently, knowing that every hair is going to stand on point. Or, I can rock my sleeked back sort of extensions look knowing that I can flick it over my shoulder and look sexy as hell. So yeah, confidence is a plus plus and I’m so glad I found Tinu and her fabulous salon!”
