hero-lg.jpg)
Hair extensions educator Melissa Hayward has launched her free Salon Inclusion Toolkit, which has a special focus on neurodiversity.
It has been designed to help salons and beauty professionals welcome every client and support every team member.
Hayward, who owns the Melissa Hayward Academy, said that her own autisum and her 20-plus years of experience in the hair and beauty industry, inspired her to create the new guide, which offers simple, practical and mostly free changes that any salon can make, with kindness at its heart.
“I know first-hand that a salon can feel warm and welcoming for some people and completely overwhelming for others,” she said. “Hairdryers, music, bright lights, small talk and a stranger touching your head can be a lot. I can’t talk on the phone, so even booking an appointment can be a barrier. Our whole job is making people feel good, and I wanted to help salons do that for everyone.”
Among the areas the 31-page toolkit covers are welcoming neurodivergent clients and supporting neurodivergent team members; booking without the phone; unconscious bias, explained simply; every hair type, skin tone and body; accessible salon spaces and inclusive social media; hidden disabilities, including the Sunflower lanyard and JAM Card; ready-made scripts for tricky moments; and a salon self-check, templates and a 30-day action plan.
“This isn’t about being perfect,” explained Hayward. “It’s about making sure nobody walks into a salon and feels like they don’t belong. Most of the changes cost nothing at all. They just take a bit of understanding.”
With the toolkit intended to be a living resource, Hayward is inviting salon owners, stylists and people with lived experience to share their own ideas so it can keep growing.
