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Sharon Blain OAM knew pretty early on what she was called to do in life. Having always been inexplicably drawn to hair, she knew that hairdressing had to be in her blood. Originally from Bathurst and the third youngest of seven siblings, Sharon was introduced to hair styling at the age of 9. “There was a lady next door in her 80s who was confined to her home,” says Sharon. “Every Saturday afternoon her husband would wash her hair and ask me to set it in rollers. We’d have a cup of tea and wait for it to dry under one of those ’50s hooded blow dryers. I would then take out the rollers and comb it through, hand her a mirror, and without fail every time she would say, ‘I look so beautiful’, and her doting husband would always agree. It was then that I realised the power of hairdressing – it’s all about making people feel good.”
Sharon dropped out of school as soon as she could to pursue her passion and study hairdressing. She eventually left Bathurst as a young married woman and headed to Griffith, where she opened her first salon, the Frizzy Lizzy Hair Factory. And as the name suggests, “Perms were a popular service,” laughs Sharon. Sharon’s popularity grew when she was asked to create a hairstyling segment for a local television channel airing after the high-rating Mike Walsh Show. Week after week Sharon would teach women, from the comfort of their living rooms, how to create different hairstyles and looks. The challenge of creating inspiring and interesting content would follow Sharon throughout her illustrious 57-year career as a leading global hair educator, hair artist and pioneering influencer.
In 1985 Sharon opened the Art of Hair salon in Beecroft. The salon, which at one point boasted 46 staff, was ahead of its time, offering a free creche to customers with children and, later, USB cables under the benches for those who needed to work during a service. While managing the salon, Sharon’s flair for education and bold and creative hairdressing piqued the interest of international hair brand Goldwell, and she was to become its ambassador.
This prestigious role saw Sharon flying around the world, sometimes to educate the brand’s teams of elite stylists, and other times to create the key looks and style trends for Goldwell’s global advertising campaigns. “There is nothing quite like walking past a salon in Paris and seeing your work in the front window. It’s a remarkable feeling,” says Sharon.
Sharon credits some of her staying power in the industry to hard work and a commitment to progressiveness – a strong desire to always learn new skills. “I’ve always been consumed and passionate about my art form and learning everything I could about it,” says Sharon. “Every year I made it a point to travel to London and book myself in for a month of Sassoon’s shape (cutting) classes. I’ve learnt from the best including Vidal Sassoon and Alexandre de Paris (the famous French hairdresser responsible for styling iconic Hollywood film looks and actresses including Elizabeth Taylor, Greta Garbo and Audrey Hepburn, among others).”
Sharon teaching her Sharon Blain Boot Camp
Sharon also believes her edge comes from having witnessed the evolution of styling. “I started hairdressing when people were still doing wet sets. My skill sets grew and continue to grow and I now use them in new and modern ways to create innovative hairstyles.”
Sharon always relished the role of educator when working with the big hair brands, so it was no surprise that she went out on a limb to spearhead her bespoke style of hair education in 2010. Sharon Blain Long Hair Education is now an award-winning training program for stylists of all levels and her Boot Camp is always a sellout wherever in the world Sharon lands.
“I have a massive TV and film following in Hollywood for my wig work and vintage and avant-garde looks.
I go there regularly to either teach them how to create a look, or I create one for them and teach them how to do it,” says Sharon.
Now a Breakfast Point local, Sharon admits she was drawn to the area well before moving there. “I was asked to open up the very first hairdressing salon in Breakfast Point, which I ran for nine years,” she says. “It has since become the Franck Provost salon.” Moving just before the first Covid lockdown, Sharon appreciated the reprieve from travelling to savour the lifestyle change and spend time with her family of three children and six grandchildren.
Sharon has been the recipient of countless hairdressing and business awards throughout her career and she proudly reveals that many of them were accomplished after she turned 50! “I only ever thought about quitting hairdressing once, around my 50th birthday,” she says. “As much as I loved the industry I didn’t want to be seen as a has-been. However, as quickly as the thought formed it was turned into a challenge – and I challenged myself to prove that anyone mature can remain formidable, relevant and an innovator, and still be amazing at their job.”
Sharon has a global social media audience of 600,000, she was awarded an Order of Australia medal in 2022 for her extraordinary service to the hair industry and has been the recipient of the Hair Expo Hairdressing Hall of Fame in 1995 and 2019, among a host of other accolades. A cut above, indeed.
Sharon with her award for ‘Educator of the Year’ at the Hair Expo in 2019.
Sharon Blain OAM knew pretty early on what she was called to do in life. Having always been inexplicably drawn to hair, she knew that hairdressing had to be in her blood. Originally from Bathurst and the third youngest of seven siblings, Sharon was introduced to hair styling at the age of 9. “There was a lady next door in her 80s who was confined to her home,” says Sharon. “Every Saturday afternoon her husband would wash her hair and ask me to set it in rollers. We’d have a cup of tea and wait for it to dry under one of those ’50s hooded blow dryers. I would then take out the rollers and comb it through, hand her a mirror, and without fail every time she would say, ‘I look so beautiful’, and her doting husband would always agree. It was then that I realised the power of hairdressing – it’s all about making people feel good.”
Sharon dropped out of school as soon as she could to pursue her passion and study hairdressing. She eventually left Bathurst as a young married woman and headed to Griffith, where she opened her first salon, the Frizzy Lizzy Hair Factory. And as the name suggests, “Perms were a popular service,” laughs Sharon. Sharon’s popularity grew when she was asked to create a hairstyling segment for a local television channel airing after the high-rating Mike Walsh Show. Week after week Sharon would teach women, from the comfort of their living rooms, how to create different hairstyles and looks. The challenge of creating inspiring and interesting content would follow Sharon throughout her illustrious 57-year career as a leading global hair educator, hair artist and pioneering influencer.
In 1985 Sharon opened the Art of Hair salon in Beecroft. The salon, which at one point boasted 46 staff, was ahead of its time, offering a free creche to customers with children and, later, USB cables under the benches for those who needed to work during a service. While managing the salon, Sharon’s flair for education and bold and creative hairdressing piqued the interest of international hair brand Goldwell, and she was to become its ambassador.
This prestigious role saw Sharon flying around the world, sometimes to educate the brand’s teams of elite stylists, and other times to create the key looks and style trends for Goldwell’s global advertising campaigns. “There is nothing quite like walking past a salon in Paris and seeing your work in the front window. It’s a remarkable feeling,” says Sharon.
Sharon credits some of her staying power in the industry to hard work and a commitment to progressiveness – a strong desire to always learn new skills. “I’ve always been consumed and passionate about my art form and learning everything I could about it,” says Sharon.
“Every year I made it a point to travel to London and book myself in for a month of Sassoon’s shape (cutting) classes. I’ve learnt from the best including Vidal Sassoon and Alexandre de Paris (the famous French hairdresser responsible for styling iconic Hollywood film looks and actresses including Elizabeth Taylor, Greta Garbo and Audrey Hepburn, among others).”
Sharon also believes her edge comes from having witnessed the evolution of styling. “I started hairdressing when people were still doing wet sets. My skill sets grew and continue to grow and I now use them in new and modern ways to create innovative hairstyles.”
Sharon always relished the role of educator when working with the big hair brands, so it was no surprise that she went out on a limb to spearhead her bespoke style of hair education in 2010. Sharon Blain Long Hair Education is now an award-winning training program for stylists of all levels and her Boot Camp is always a sellout wherever in the world Sharon lands. “I have a massive TV and film following in Hollywood for my wig work and vintage and avant-garde looks. I go there regularly to either teach them how to create a look, or I create one for them and teach them how to do it,” says Sharon.
Now a Breakfast Point local, Sharon admits she was drawn to the area well before moving there. “I was asked to open up the very first hairdressing salon in Breakfast Point, which I ran for nine years,” she says. “It has since become the Franck Provost salon.” Moving just before the first Covid lockdown, Sharon appreciated the reprieve from travelling to savour the lifestyle change and spend time with her family of three children and six grandchildren.
Sharon has been the recipient of countless hairdressing and business awards throughout her career and she proudly reveals that many of them were accomplished after she turned 50! “I only ever thought about quitting hairdressing once, around my 50th birthday,” she says. “As much as I loved the industry I didn’t want to be seen as a has-been. However, as quickly as the thought formed it was turned into a challenge – and I challenged myself to prove that anyone mature can remain formidable, relevant and an innovator, and still be amazing at their job.”
Sharon has a global social media audience of 600,000, she was awarded an Order of Australia medal in 2022 for her extraordinary service to the hair industry and has been the recipient of the Hair Expo Hairdressing Hall of Fame in 1995 and 2019, among a host of other accolades. A cut above, indeed.
Sharon teaching her Sharon Blain Boot Camp
Sharon with her award for ‘Educator of the Year’ at the Hair Expo in 2019.
Sharon Blain OAM knew pretty early on what she was called to do in life. Having always been inexplicably drawn to hair, she knew that hairdressing had to be in her blood. Originally from Bathurst and the third youngest of seven siblings, Sharon was introduced to hair styling at the age of 9. “There was a lady next door in her 80s who was confined to her home,” says Sharon. “Every Saturday afternoon her husband would wash her hair and ask me to set it in rollers. We’d have a cup of tea and wait for it to dry under one of those ’50s hooded blow dryers. I would then take out the rollers and comb it through, hand her a mirror, and without fail every time she would say, ‘I look so beautiful’, and her doting husband would always agree. It was then that I realised the power of hairdressing – it’s all about making people feel good.”
Sharon dropped out of school as soon as she could to pursue her passion and study hairdressing. She eventually left Bathurst as a young married woman and headed to Griffith, where she opened her first salon, the Frizzy Lizzy Hair Factory. And as the name suggests, “Perms were a popular service,” laughs Sharon. Sharon’s popularity grew when she was asked to create a hairstyling segment for a local television channel airing after the high-rating Mike Walsh Show. Week after week Sharon would teach women, from the comfort of their living rooms, how to create different hairstyles and looks. The challenge of creating inspiring and interesting content would follow Sharon throughout her illustrious 57-year career as a leading global hair educator, hair artist and pioneering influencer.
In 1985 Sharon opened the Art of Hair salon in Beecroft. The salon, which at one point boasted 46 staff, was ahead of its time, offering a free creche to customers with children and, later, USB cables under the benches for those who needed to work during a service. While managing the salon, Sharon’s flair for education and bold and creative hairdressing piqued the interest of international hair brand Goldwell, and she was to become its ambassador.
Sharon teaching her Sharon Blain Boot Camp
This prestigious role saw Sharon flying around the world, sometimes to educate the brand’s teams of elite stylists, and other times to create the key looks and style trends for Goldwell’s global advertising campaigns. “There is nothing quite like walking past a salon in Paris and seeing your work in the front window. It’s a remarkable feeling,” says Sharon.
Sharon credits some of her staying power in the industry to hard work and a commitment to progressiveness – a strong desire to always learn new skills. “I’ve always been consumed and passionate about my art form and learning everything I could about it,” says Sharon. “Every year I made it a point to travel to London and book myself in for a month of Sassoon’s shape (cutting) classes. I’ve learnt from the best including Vidal Sassoon and Alexandre de Paris (the famous French hairdresser responsible for styling iconic Hollywood film looks and actresses including Elizabeth Taylor, Greta Garbo and Audrey Hepburn, among others).”
Sharon with her award for ‘Educator of the Year’ at the Hair Expo in 2019.
Sharon also believes her edge comes from having witnessed the evolution of styling. “I started hairdressing when people were still doing wet sets. My skill sets grew and continue to grow and I now use them in new and modern ways to create innovative hairstyles.”
Sharon always relished the role of educator when working with the big hair brands, so it was no surprise that she went out on a limb to spearhead her bespoke style of hair education in 2010. Sharon Blain Long Hair Education is now an award-winning training program for stylists of all levels and her Boot Camp is always a sellout wherever in the world Sharon lands. “I have a massive TV and film following in Hollywood for my wig work and vintage and avant-garde looks.I go there regularly to either teach them how to create a look, or I create one for them and teach them how to do it,” says Sharon.
Now a Breakfast Point local, Sharon admits she was drawn to the area well before moving there. “I was asked to open up the very first hairdressing salon in Breakfast Point, which I ran for nine years,” she says. “It has since become the Franck Provost salon.” Moving just before the first Covid lockdown, Sharon appreciated the reprieve from travelling to savour the lifestyle change and spend time with her family of three children and six grandchildren.
Sharon has been the recipient of countless hairdressing and business awards throughout her career and she proudly reveals that many of them were accomplished after she turned 50! “I only ever thought about quitting hairdressing once, around my 50th birthday,” she says. “As much as I loved the industry I didn’t want to be seen as a has-been. However, as quickly as the thought formed it was turned into a challenge – and I challenged myself to prove that anyone mature can remain formidable, relevant and an innovator, and still be amazing at their job.”
Sharon has a global social media audience of 600,000, she was awarded an Order of Australia medal in 2022 for her extraordinary service to the hair industry and has been the recipient of the Hair Expo Hairdressing Hall of Fame in 1995 and 2019, among a host of other accolades. A cut above, indeed.
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