Dasha Oleinikova
“I grew up in Latvia!”
“In my teenage years, just like many others, I had no idea what I wanted to do, who I wanted to be. It all seemed overrated and I didn’t want make any particular decision but my mum did.
So I started to look into different careers and couldn’t really find anything that would draw my attention, but I did have an interest in all aspects of beauty and art, psychology and philosophy.
My mum wanted me to be a lawyer. Long story short, I ended up starting an International Management college program, however a year later I quit to follow my then boyfriend to the UK. I spoke no English and can’t even tell you what I was thinking at the time, about making such a decision to come over here to earn a living…I suppose I just did it. It became tough quite quickly, not being able to communicate and generally not having friends and family around and it put me way out of my comfort zone, I wanting to go home, but I stayed.”
“I put more effort into learning the language, and music and English films were my best friends for a while. I got lucky with people I met; they taught me a lot and were patient with me. Then after a while cleaning and waitressing I thought it was time to move on and for some reason hairdressing was on my mind.
Dasha also speaks Russian
I am grateful for where I am and wouldn’t change it for anything.
I looked into colleges and even got a place in one, but didn’t get funding for it… Luckily I met a lovely girl who recommended that I search for an apprenticeship, so I did.
Popham were kind enough to take on board an older apprentice as I had just turned 24 and that’s how my career began. What hooked me into hairdressing is how it combines art, beauty, psychology and philosophy.
I don’t see it as just a pair of scissors and comb, for me it’s an ability to make or break somebody’s day. Some people say they don’t mind what happens on their head, but they really do! I love listening to their stories and how they see themselves because it is very different to how I see them. Every client is a trip to another world, if you are happy to go there – what can be more adventurous?”
