10 years for “To Dye For Hair Studio & Colour Bar”

: Stephanie Wagner, one of the prize winners, Kiley Bell, and Tracey Kyle enjoy the new atmosphere at To Dye For.

: Sharing in the celebration are Ashley Merwin, Kim Houde and Carrie Hawryluk.

: Michelle skillfully applies her craft in her chic new Hollywood inspired surroundings.

: Another prize winner Laurie Dolan with Lindsey Swanson take part in the refreshments provided in honour of the 10 year milestone

: Bold modern styling of the red sofa juxtaposes with the black refinished antiques at the trendy intimate salon.

: Regi Gardner, Michelle Locke, and long time friend and co-creator of the new studio’s look Val Lefebvre

By Kathy Smith
On Saturday, July 20th, approximately 50 attended the 10th anniversary celebration and grand re-opening of To Dye For Hair Studio & Colour Bar. Clients were treated to wine, cheese and other delights and were entered into a draw to win one of several gift baskets and gift bags containing exclusive salon products.
To prepare for the festivities, Owner/Operator Michelle Locke gave her salon a style update with the help of longtime friend Val Lefebvre. Locke moved from leopard style prints to a bold theme of red, black and white complete with new furnishings that compliment her refurbished antiques. An added touch of glitz and glam, and it’s a walk into present day Hollywood with a hint of nostalgic Hollywood past. She unveiled her new salon décor at the anniversary celebration.
Locke specializes in colour, and she is an accredited licensed stylist with 24 years of experience in her technical and artistic trade. She keeps her skills honed and up to date through continuous education.
Several times a year Locke travels to Vancouver, Los Angeles, and other large centres to style for others at prestigious hair shows where she works non-stop magic behind the scenes on models that show off their do’s for the teaching benefit of fellow stylists.
Locke says, “Attending shows and being a part of a bigger international team allows me to keep my focus fresh and current. I am inspired once again every time I return from a show, whether I have worked backstage, or attended as a student. Education is so very important in my field.”
She chose hairstyling as a career because as a teen she found she was always cutting and colouring her friends’ hair.
“I excelled at art in high school and briefly thought of going into a career in art, but in the 80s when computers weren’t big, it was pretty hard to break into the art field…I specialized in colour because it was always my passion, and I took to it naturally right from the start. It’s still such a rush to transform a client with a new colour,” says Locke.
Locke raises her family in Fort Nelson, and finds her career here to be very productive. She has taken on apprentices, and each year she mentors students in the cosmetology program at FNSS. Their time with Locke counts as hours toward getting their licenses.
To Dye For recently became an exclusive J Beverly Hills Concept Salon. The colour line from J Beverly Hills is botanically infused and contains the lowest percentage of ammonia of any hair product line in the world. Locke uses only J Beverley Hills colours on her clients, and carries a full line of their products.
Gift baskets at the 10th anniversary celebration were sponsored by Locke and her sales rep, Bill Parry of Salon Centre Yukon in Whitehorse.
The winners were: Stephanie Wagner, Lisa Duggan, Laurie Dolan, and Kim Jenkins.