Hairdressing; it’s a skilled, highly entrepreneurial profession and the biggest and most powerful sector in the £28bn-a-
year British beauty industry. Now Malcolm Murphy Hair have demonstrated they are not only a leader in their
Leicester location but a hairdressing powerhouse, beating off nationwide competition to earn a finalist place in not
one but two categories of the prestigious Most Wanted Awards.

Presented by leading industry magazine Creative HEAD and 20 years old in 2020, Most Wanted recognises the most
accomplished individuals, teams and salons leading the way in British and Irish hairdressing – the talents impressing
with their creative and commercial skills, building business through inspirational teamwork and playing a vital role in
their local communities.

14 categories celebrate success across a multitude of disciplines and entries are judged by experts from across the
board. This year’s panels included Sonia Haria, beauty director of the Telegraph Group; Claudia Croft, deputy editor of
10 Magazine and contributing editor for Vogue; Anna Teal, business development director of global brands at
Walgreen Boots Alliance and the global CEO at Aromatherapy Associates; plus a host of industry influencers including Paul Percival, owner of Percy; Reed salon; Zoë Irwin, creative director at John Frieda Salons, and session stylists Ken O’Rourke, Anna Cofone and Tyler Johnston.

Malcolm Murphy Hair is one of five finalists in both the Best Salon Team and Best Local Salon categories, earning a
place at the Most Wanted Grand Final on Sunday 29 November at Printworks – the atmospheric space that once
delivered the Metro and Evening Standard newspapers to London. Here, 750 hairdressing VIPs, fashion A-listers,
leading talent agents, business magnates and influential beauty and fashion editors will gather to crown the
hairdressing stars of 2020.

​Alongside a coveted Most Wanted Trophy, this year’s winners will receive a year’s worth of profile-boosting coverage
in Creative HEAD and its associated titles, websites and live events, resulting in worldwide recognition.
And success opens doors to opportunity – past winners have gone on to represent global brands, work alongside
respected retailers, lead Fashion Week teams in London, New York, Paris and Milan, get slots on prime-time TV and
collaborate with the world’s most coveted designers. To become a Most Wanted winner really is career-affirming.

“Even in this very unorthodox year the magnificent response from entrants was mind-blowing. We’re so proud of
everyone who took the decision to go for MWIT – and especially to these finalists, who represent such exciting
times ahead for British and Irish hairdressing.”– Catherine Handcock, publisher, Creative HEAD

WE GET TO STAR IN BRAND NEW LEICESTER MONOPOLY GAME !



Less than a month to ‘GO’ till Christmas and the official Leicester MONOPOLY game is out featuring the great and good of the city as, drum roll, we get to star in it!

We land on a red coloured space in this brand new edition, which was being launched  at a ceremony (being attended by Mr Monopoly no less!) in the city.

​Amongst the very many leading Leicester landmarks getting to feature in the game include us, the King Richard III Visitor Centre, Leicester FC, Leicester Cathedral The National Space Centre, the famous Thomas Cook Building, Morningside Arena.. and pretty much all the A Listers of Leicester!

In this new unique version of MONOPOLY whilst the rules, money denomination spirit of MONOPOLY stay exactly the same .. the spaces ALL become exclusively Leicester landmarks and favourites.

Winning Moves UK are the makers of this version under official license from MONOPOLY owners, Hasbro.

The game is on sale now at all good toy and bookstores, including Waterstones, WH Smith and The Works – and very widely online, including on Amazon.

Hair salon Malcolm Murphy Hair, based in the bustling West End of Leicester, this week won a prestigious national award of the Best Regional Salon (Midlands) at the Hair Awards in London.
Founder and creative directors Malcolm Murphy and Joe Causier accepted the  award at the glitzy Hair Magazine Awards ceremony held at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre in London.

Malcolm said: ‘It’s a huge compliment to receive this award. Malcolm Murphy Hair is all about satisfying the client, making their visit to out salon a total pleasure as well as upholding high standards within the hair industry. So it’s a genuine honour for my team and I to receive such a prestigious award and to be recognised as being the best salon in the Midlands'.

​The success of Malcolm and Joe's business has been amazing. They first welcomed clients for appointments eight years ago in a small salon on Hinckley Road. Through hard work and dedication to pleasing the customer they built the business and managed to move into a bespoke and purpose-built salon with sumptuous gold décor just two doors down from their original site. They have now won many national awards and attract celebrity clients.
Malcolm and his team now include over eight stylists, five apprentices and an eyebrow technician who are all thrilled to have won this award.

Malcolm Murphy Hair in Hinckley Road, Leicester, has been named BEST LOCAL SALON at the leading awards event for the professional hairdressing industry, Most Wanted.
 
Presented by Creative HEAD magazine, the Most Wanted awards recognise business acumen, creative talent and corporate social responsibility in UK and Irish hairdressing.  The BEST LOCAL SALON award is presented to a salon that best serves its local community.
 
More than 50 judges, including Vogue beauty and lifestyle director Jessica Diner, managing director of Get the Gloss Gemma Bellman, course director of the MA Fashion course at Central Saint Martins Fabio Piras, session stylists Ken O’Rourke and Paul Percival, photographer/director Adam Slama and leading hairdressers John Vial and Nicky Clarke OBE, reviewed this year’s record-breaking number of entries.
 
Malcolm Murphy Hair stood out in their category through initiatives such as their work with local commmunity events and a regeneration project of Hinckley Road, where the salon is located, as well as their support for homeless people and disadvantaged youths in the local area.
 
The salon was honoured at the spectacular Creative HEAD Most Wanted Grand Final, held on Monday 3 September 2018 at the Natural History Museum in London. Hosted by comedian Katherine Ryan, the awards were attended by an audience of 650 A-Listers from the hair, fashion and media industries, who gathered to see the 14 Most Wanted trophies presented.
 
Along with their Most Wanted trophy, the team at Malcolm Murphy Hair has won an exclusive prize courtesy of category sponsor TIGI and publicity in Creative HEAD magazine for the duration of their winning year.
 
“We really didn't expect to win! Thank you to the team – they’re all amazing. And Leicester’s an amazing place to be!” – Joe Causier, Malcolm Murphy Hair
 
Says Creative HEAD publisher Catherine Handcock: “Malcolm Murphy Hair work tirelessly and creatively to  ensure their local area is improving and evolving, making it easy to understand why this salon is the beating heart of its community.”

​Malcolm Murphy Hair in Leicester is celebrating after beating off nationwide competition to secure a place in the finals of prestigious hairdressing awards Most Wanted, presented by leading industry magazine, Creative HEAD.
 
Established in 2001, Most Wanted recognises the most accomplished names and teams in British and Irish hairdressing – the awesome talents collectively making our hair industry the envy of the world.
 
Having showcased exceptional skill and ambition, Malcolm Murphy Hair proved to be a front-runner in two categories, Best Salon Team and Best Local Salon, gaining a coveted place at the Most Wanted Grand Final on Monday 3 September at the iconic Natural History Museum. Here, comedian Katherine Ryan will preside over an occasion that sees 600 glamorous
A-Listers from the worlds of hair, fashion, beauty and the media come together for a night of Most Wanted celebration.
 
The Most Wanted Awards comprise 14 categories recognising creativity and success across a multitude of disciplines, from customer service to commercial innovation. This year’s entries were judged by panels of experts, including hair heavyweights Ken O’Rourke, Tyler Johnston and Nicky Clarke OBE, Get the Gloss managing director, Gemma Bellman, and the beauty and lifestyle director at Vogue, Jessica Diner.
 
So, what awaits the Most Wanted victors? Alongside the hairdressing industry’s greatest seal of approval – a Most Wanted Trophy – the champions will also receive a year’s worth of profile-boosting editorial coverage in Creative HEAD and its associated titles, websites and events, resulting in worldwide recognition.
 
Past winners have gone on to represent global brands, lead Fashion Week teams from London to New York and work with the world’s most coveted designers.
 
“Our Most Wanted awards salute the hair professionals who inspire, shape and influence not just the hairdressing industry, but also consumers’ lives. There will be an impressive level of ‘clout’ on display at the Grand Final, and we’re very happy to be able to showcase such great talents” – Catherine Handcock, Publisher, Creative HEAD
 
For a full list of finalists visit creativeheadmag.com/mostwanted. 

A lot of people often ask me; 'where do Great Lengths hair extensions come from?  I love Great Lengths because they are basically like fair trade hair extensions, no one is exploited for their hair and the hair extensions are totally traceable. Using the finest quality temple hair we can confidently guarantee the source, origin, quality and ethicality of all hair used in the process.
Great Length's commitment to ethical practice sees the proceeds from the purchase of the hair go directly back into the local communities from where it originates – aiding the development of temples, medical services, schools and many other charitable concerns.
Great Lengths continually monitor the sourcing practice to ensure no hair is obtained from exploitative or unethical sources. So there you have it, 100% gorgeous, guilt free hair!

When people think of hair extensions they think of extending the length of hair. However one of the most popular services I do in the salon is thickening peoples hair. Many people suffer from fine hair that lack volume and having hair extensions is a great solution. Simply put, you can fake thicker, fuller-looking hair. Many of my clients have a lot of hair but it’s fine and lacks va va voom. This can mean that that voluminou blowdry doesn’t last for long. But extensions, whether they’re clip-in, tape-in, or keratin-bonded, can fix all that.. Here is an example of a really subtle but effective hair extension transformation that I did in the salon. I used just 25 bonds to really amp up this clients hair. 

​You may have heard of Tape in hair extensions right? GL Tapes are special because they are at the premium end of Tape in hair extensions. GL Tapes are made by Great Lengths so the hair is luxurious right down to the ends. The strands retain their valuable cuticle layer from root to tip. Absolutely no differences in color are noticeable across the entire length. This enables GL Tapes to be easily integrated into your hair. The hair falls in a natural way and brushing is unbelievably easy.

GL Tapes are so versatile, longer hair, stunning volume and sensational color effects! GL Tapes can even work their magic on very fine hair. And because of Great Lengths – the extensions remain invisible. Only the desired effect is seen. It will last up to eight weeks – after which the GL Tapes can simply be reapplied.

Great Lengths offers the largest selection of colors and lengths. GL Tapes are available in four lengths – 25 cm, 35 cm, 45 cm and 55 cm - and create impressive color blends in more than 40 colours. Here is an example of a full head of GL tapes that I did in the salon. 

We all know that when it comes to hair extensions, good hair is not cheap, and cheap hair is not good! If they are, there is probably a reason for that, such as poor quality! It is essential to care for the hair extensions correctly so you can get the most out of your hair extensions and minimise any damage during the duration of wearing your hair extensions. Here are my top tips for caring for your gorgeous new hair extensions. 

​1 - How to Wash Your Hair Extensions
Firstly be aware that washing and drying your hair will take much longer with hair extensions in. Don't try to attempt this for the first time if you are in a rush. So start by brushing your hair thoroughly before you wash it. We always recommend using a good shampoo and conditioner that does not contain any sulfates or parabens. Wet your hair and shampoo in a downwards motion. Massage your scalp in-between the bonds with your fingertips. Ensure that you rinse all of the shampoo out to prevent residue from building up. I would strongly advise not to wash your hair upside down, this could get you into a mess and make it much harder to brush through when it comes to drying your hair. Then add the conditioner through your lengths. Rinse the conditioner out, pat dry with a towel to remove excess water. Add a heat protector or leave-in moisture product if you are planning to blow-dry. Just avoid using any products that are too oily near the bonds as they may cause the hair extensions to slip out. I would also recommend not leaving your bonds soaking wet for a long duration of time as this can cause them to weaken.

​2 - How to Brush Your Hair Extensions
Invest in a good natural bristle paddle brush or a tangle teezer. Separate into two sections left side/right side, start by brushing out any tangles by working your way up the hair to the roots. With the right brush you can brush over your bonds and I strongly recommend to do so! This well prevent any bonds from getting caught round one another and keeps them neat. Remember to brush your hair every morning and night, if you cannot keep on top of brushing I would recommend having your hair extensions removed. 

3 - Sleeping with Hair Extensions
Before bed always remember to brush your hair and put it in a loose plait or ponytail to sleep. For extra brownie points you could even get a silk pillowcase which will help prevent matting because of the smooth surface. Just remember to never go to bed with your hair wet. As i said before leaving your bonds wet for a prolonged amount of time will cause the bonds to weaken. 


4 - Styling Your Hair Extensions Hairbrush, crocodile clips, heat protection product, hot curling or iron wand, etc.


Method: Use heat protection products first to protect your natural hair and extensions from potential wear and tear and heat damage. Avoid using hairspray. Always ensure that your hair is 100 percent dry before applying any heat tools. Use clips to neatly work on individual sections at a time. Style as desired, curl, crimp, straighten, blow-dry etc…


Tip: Avoid holding heat near the bonds at the roots of your hair for too long.