“If we want hairdressing to grow, we have to be willing to make the next generation better than ourselves. We don’t lose anything by doing that; we raise the craft as a whole.” – Efi Davies
Efi Davies on Why Mentoring Is the Hairdressing Industry’s Most Important Job
By Cheryl Gushue
British Hairdresser of the Year Efi Davies is urging the hairdressing industry to treat mentoring as a core responsibility, not an optional extra. Efi, international artistic director at TONI&GUY and current Avant Garde Hairdresser of the Year, believes success in hairdressing means watching a student surpass you.
Who Is Efi Davies and What Is Her Role at TONI&GUY? Efi Davies started her career as an assistant to TONI&GUY founder Toni Mascolo and his brother Anthony in the 1990s. She now serves as international artistic director at TONI&GUY, holding three major titles simultaneously: British Hairdresser of the Year, Avant Garde Hairdresser of the Year, and International Hairdresser of the Year. She trains and mentors younger hairdressers, passing down the skills and standards she inherited.
Why Efi Davies Believes Hairdressing Is an Inherited Craft Efi describes hairdressing as an inherited craft, built generation to generation. She points to the lineage running from Vidal Sassoon to Trevor Sorbie to Toni and Anthony Mascolo, and argues her own generation carries the responsibility to leave the industry stronger than they found it. She credits the work itself, from client transformations to avant-garde shows and shoots, as the shared passion that unites hairdressers across that lineage.
How Social Media Is Changing What Success Looks Like for Young Hairdressers Efi warns that young hairdressers can lose their sense of direction on social media, where a high like count gets mistaken for skill. Recognition built on likes can arrive and disappear overnight, she says, which makes grounded, professional mentoring more important than ever. She believes gatekeeping techniques and knowledge weaken the industry rather than protecting it.
Efi Davies’s 5 Tips for Mentoring the Next Generation of Hairdressers
- Challenge and Support Them: Be a sounding board for new ideas. Salons run busy, but creating a safe space for creative individuals to express themselves matters. Encourage young hairdressers to embrace and celebrate their individuality.
- Don’t Gatekeep What You Know. Share knowledge rather than guarding it. Making the next generation better than you raises the whole industry.
- Teach Standards and Values, Not Just Technique. Precision and skill matter, but so do discipline, client care, and professional pride.
- Don’t Simplify Training to Make It Quicker. Set the benchmark where it should be and mentor students to meet it, even if it takes longer.
- Teach Them What Social Media Doesn’t. Precision, creativity, technical excellence, and client communication outlast filters and followers. These fundamentals build a long, rewarding career.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Efi Davies? Efi Davies is the international artistic director at TONI&GUY and current British Hairdresser of the Year, Avant Garde Hairdresser of the Year, and International Hairdresser of the Year.
What is Efi Davies known for? Efi is known for her groundbreaking avant-garde techniques and exceptional skill in braiding. She is a major member of the multi-award-winning TONI&GUY International Artistic Team and travels worldwide as an ambassador for LABEL.M.
Why does Efi Davies say mentoring matters in hairdressing? Efi believes hairdressing is an inherited craft passed down through generations, from Vidal Sassoon to Trevor Sorbie to Toni and Anthony Mascolo. She sees mentoring as the responsibility that keeps industry standards from declining.
What are Efi Davies’s top tips for mentoring young hairdressers? Her five tips are to challenge and support new hairdressers, avoid gatekeeping knowledge, teach standards and values alongside technique, resist simplifying training for speed, and teach the fundamentals that social media doesn’t show.
How did Efi Davies start her career? Efi began as an assistant to TONI&GUY founder Toni Mascolo and his brother Anthony in the 1990s.
Where can you learn more about Efi Davies? More information is available at www.toniandguy.com, and Efi can be followed on Instagram @efidavies.
