When stylist and aesthetician Soleah DeJay first settled in Vernon, she wanted to take her time in finding the right salon.
“I visited many, but when I walked in to Raven Hair Studio, and met Sue at the front desk and owner Chelsey, it was like walking into a slice of salon heaven.”
Originally from Vancouver, as a teen Soleah moved with her family to England, where she pursued her extensive salon training, even spending time in an Italian salon. “After our 10-year European adventure we returned to Canada and with my best friend living in Vernon, that’s where I went and I’m loving it!”
Chelsey Ingbrigtson recently purchased the long-standing Raven studio from its retiring owner, building on the established skills of many longtime stylists with a few new faces.
“Soleah’s friendly, bubbly personality and diverse experience has been a great fit here at Raven,” says Chelsey, herself is a colour educator and former stage artist.
Soleah is thrilled to share her passion for hair and aesthetics with her Raven clients. “While all cutting is fun, I love working with short hair, from chic and elegant to funky and fun,” reflects Soleah, whose extensive aesthetics experience has allowed Raven to expand its offerings with waxing, eyelash and eyebrow tinting, and – coming soon – lash lifts, in addition to the electrolysis offered by an independent practitioner for more than 20 years.
Also an in-salon advisor for Joico colour, Soleah believes in ongoing education, a philosophy embraced by the Raven Hair Studio team. From product knowledge classes to sharing her background as a colour specialist, education is essential in the studio’s efforts to give their clients healthy, beautiful hair.
“Exceptional care is at the heart of what we do,” Chelsey says. After all, if you’re going to provide a service, make it a great service.”
Say Yes! to Mondays: Also joining the Raven team part-time is Garnette. Boasting 15 years behind the chair, including experience as a colour educator for CHI, Garnette’s flexibility allows the salon to offer for Monday appointments, especially valuable leading up to the busy holiday period, Chelsey notes.
Styling for Wigs: For those embracing a wig to enhance their style, Raven Hair Studio is the only salon in Vernon that cuts and styles wigs, Chelsey says, inviting clients to visit Sue, their go-to stylist for all wig styling needs.
Eco-aware hair styling: For Chelsey, environmental responsibility is key for Raven. As a Green Circle salon, virtually everything is undertaken with an eye to the environment, from bio-degradable cleaning products to the fair trade coffee brewing. Hair clippings, used foils, colour-tubes, excess hair colour, papers, plastics and more are collected. Even Joico products are manufactured under wind power! “I want to feel good about where I work and the experience I provide our team and clients. If we don’t have the environment, we really don’t have much, and these are small steps all businesses can take to make a big impact,” Chelsey says.
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A community fixture for more than 50 years, Raven Hair Studio has welcomed many amazing stylists over the years. Keep up to date with all the Raven happenings at ravenhairstudio.ca and follow them on Facebook and Instagram!
