A Cut Above with EdwardsAndCo
Discovering the future-proof movement in hair colouring and styling at EdwardsAndCo, Georgia Beard and Jakki Goodall take their seats in the salon for a transformative beauty experience.
When Jakki and I open the doors to Noosa’s new EdwardsAndCo hair salon, the first to greet us are a lively pair of dachshunds!
As we give Loric and Heidi generous pats, the staff welcome us like familiar friends with warm smiles and cool glasses of sparkling water. Right away, we realise we’ve never known a salon environment quite as comforting as this.
Between my split ends and dull colouring and Jakki’s lack of texture, our self-care had momentarily taken a back seat in life. Some beauty therapy was just what we needed – an external change to coax out the radiance within.
Since Jaye Edwards opened his ninth Australian salon in Noosa late last year with partner and Noosa local Amanda Stevens, EdwardsAndCo has brought innovation to the local hairdressing industry with forward-thinking colourists and stylists.
Naturally, we were delighted to experience the revolution for ourselves.
The staff invite us to sit at the ten-seater colour table for our initial consultations. My stylist, Macie, steps me through the look I want to achieve – a shaggy, layered cut with a lived-in textural bronde colour – before quoting the treatment and recommending hair care products.
After I show her my image inspiration, Macie explains her approach for a solid baseline, naturally blended layers, and graduated bangs to frame the face. She then determines the health of my hair by asking about any previous colouring and hair care.
As someone with a rare head of virgin hair, I’m entirely in the professional hands of EdwardsAndCo and Macie reassures me the balayage technique of hand-painting the blonde highlights will create a seamless flow of colour.
Remington Meyer, freelance hairdresser and loving owner of salon dogs Loric and Heidi, explains EdwardsAndCo’s unique approach to toning and glossing the hair with a new colour range from Original & Mineral.
“When we highlight or balayage, we do a lot of zone toning,” he says.
“Your roots will be Zone 1, your frontal area will be Zone 2, your mid-length will be Zone 3, and your ends will be Zone 4.
“We’re also one of the few salons that have that big colour table. We get you away from the mirror and colour your hair there so you can have space to catch up on work or the latest magazines and you’re not staring at yourself for hours.”
At the table, Macie separates and lightens my hair in sections while I enjoy the creative space to work, read and relax with access to power outlets.
I soon order a mug of hot chocolate and a bowl of pretzels from their curated menu of beverages and light bites. Clients have the choice of coffees, traditional organic teas, wellness teas, spritz, beer and French wines.
Throughout my treatment, Macie explains each stage of the process from toning to glossing to washing to drying to cutting.
Across the room, Remington revitalises Jakki’s long, thick hair with a lighter colour, swooping layers and soft bangs.
As staff banter with clients and weigh in on each other’s styling, EdwardsAndCo starts to feel less like a salon and more like a community.
It’s an environment Jaye and his team have cultivated since they started up ten years ago.
Through EdwardsAndCo Education, Jaye personally oversees the in-house training of apprentices to elevate his signature styling techniques and inspire his stylists’ passion for bespoke service with connection at the core.
This philosophy has seen the hair agency expand from one space in Sydney with just eight staff to nine highly sought-after salons across Brisbane, Gold Coast, Byron Bay, Sydney and Melbourne and their own original product range, Jaye Haircare.
“We don’t have a hierarchy here,” Remington says. “Everyone is on the same level, which really makes a big difference in a team environment. You feel it when you come in.”
When the hairdryers have been switched off and the salon smocks removed, Jakki and I take a moment to truly absorb our transformations.
I marvel at my new blonde waves blending organically with the brown and feel a fresh part of my identity finally visible in my reflection.
As the team at EdwardsAndCo share in our newfound joy and confidence, it’s clear this celebration of beauty is the reason their approach will never go out of style.
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