A Peckham hairdresser who helps people sort out their lives as well as their hair is launching a new storytelling programme for women.
Oz Izzet founded Scissors of Oz in 2018. As a hairdresser, she doesn’t just chat to her customers – she discusses their life and uses the way they do their hair as a way to understand what they can do to be happier.
“It’s a place where we channel inner beauty and positivity by crafting and the art of hairdressing,” said Oz to the News. “We empower people through hair.
“It’s for a conversation with a person about how they want to feel, as opposed to how they want to look. We look at their lifestyle, how they want to feel, what is causing them a problem or an issue in their life.
“We give them something practical and suitable for them as a person.
“We also try not to change the structure of the hair and encourage them to wear it in their natural form. Obviously some people want to feel snazzy and have a change, but we try and encourage natural structure and inner beauty.
“Most of my clients are quite loyal – once someone sits in my chair, nine out of ten times they come back and carry on that journey.
“We’ve gone from people not knowing who they are or what their identity is, to figuring that out. People have come in feeling hopeless, and then a few years down the line they’re the shiniest and most positive people.
“I’m there to hold their hand and my scissors, and guide them as much as I can.”
Her new storytelling programme, If In Despair Brush Your Hair, involves one-to-one conversations with women where they can have open conversations, establishing their own feel good strategies through discussion and creative writing.
One of these conversations has been recorded and uploaded online with influencer Shahira.
Oz also saw success with the Southwark Business Resilience Awards, in which Scissors of Oz was “Highly Commended” in the Sustainable Green Investment Award.
“Sustainability always been important to me,” said Oz. “We as people do need to change and there’s so much waste. Being sustainable is also a big stamp on consumerism and how we as people hold ourselves back thinking if we can’t afford nice new things we therefore can’t be happy or run our own business.
“But actually reusing things is quite an empowering message. Yes we are helping the environment, but we also want to send that message.
“I used to use normal towels and the energy you use to wash those towels on a regular basis is actually far worse than disposable, plant-based ones which biodegrade. Now we have them composted.”
Scissors of Oz can be found on Latona Road, east of Burgess Park.