HOW I FOUND MY WAY BACK TO THE HAIR SALON
Why did creating a beautiful salon experience for women with hair loss become part of my mission?
For almost 20 years, I didn’t really belong in a hair salon.
When you lose your hair, something surprisingly ordinary disappears from your life too. You stop booking hair appointments. You stop sitting in that chair, looking through the mirror while someone creates something beautiful for you. Instead, your relationship with hair can suddenly become medical, practical or something that needs to be hidden.
My own wig appointments over the years were often very different from the beautiful salon experiences I remembered. Wig shops could be tucked away in quiet corners or places designed to keep everything discreet.
My own wig appointments over the years were often very different from the beautiful salon experiences I remembered. Wig shops could be tucked away in quiet corners or places designed to keep everything discreet.
And of course, I understand why privacy is important. There was a time in my own life when I desperately wanted to hide my alopecia too.
But as my relationship with hair and with myself changed, I started wondering: why should women experiencing hair loss have to disappear from the beauty world?
Why shouldn’t we sit in a beautiful salon? Why shouldn’t we enjoy having our colour created, our hair styled, a cup of coffee in our hand, and someone taking care of us?
Whether the hair grows from our own head or has been beautifully created for us, it is still part of how we choose to express ourselves. That belief became part of Beauty Inside Out.
How I met Raisa
Our salon story actually started somewhat by accident. I needed new photographs for my portfolio for a modelling agency in the UK, and I was recommended a hairdresser and makeup artist called Raisa Brezgina for the full styling and photoshoot experience. At the time, I was also quietly looking for someone who might eventually work with me on creating beautiful hair for my own clients.
During our shoot, I noticed immediately how passionate Raisa was about hair. She had an incredible eye for colour and detail, but there was also something about her energy and the way she approached her work that stayed with me. I didn’t say anything that day. Raisa was about to leave for a holiday, and I went home still thinking about the idea. A few weeks later, I messaged her.
I essentially asked: What would you think about collaborating with me and helping me create beautiful hair for women experiencing hair loss?
She said yes.
When she returned from her holiday, we met at the salon. We had a very tight deadline because I was preparing to launch my wig business, and Raisa jumped straight into helping me create the colours and finishes for the first pieces.
And that was the beginning of our collaboration.
Then I needed a home for my customers
Once the wigs were launched, another question appeared: Where would I actually meet my customers?
I was already spending time at the salon with Raisa, and one day I spoke to the salon owner, Evgenia. There was a spare chair. I needed a place where I could welcome women. So I simply asked whether I could rent the space and bring my clients there. And somehow, very naturally, Beautiful You Helsinki found its home.
Making wigs part of the beauty world
What I love most about the salon today is the atmosphere around our clients. The whole team understands that hair can carry enormous emotional meaning. And something else beautiful has happened too.
Other salon customers are often curious. They ask questions. They want to understand how wigs work and what we do. There is compassion rather than discomfort. That matters to me.
Because the more naturally we talk about alternative hair, alopecia and visible difference, the less there is to hide. Coming to a salon with a wig can become just as normal as coming in for colour, extensions or a haircut. And that is exactly how I believe it should be.
Your experience with us
When you come to Beautiful You Helsinki, I want you to feel looked after from the moment you arrive.
We talk about you, your previous hair, your wishes and how you would like to feel. Raisa can join us for colour consultations and the technical finishing of your hair, and together we create a result that feels personal to you.
You can be part of the salon atmosphere, or if you prefer more privacy, we can arrange that too.
There will be time. There will be coffee and tea. And chocolates, of course.
Most importantly, there will be no need to hide.
With hair or without hair, you are already welcome.
Come and spend a beautiful moment with us.