Page 2 - About_Neat

RAYMOND BIRD
Principal and Educator

of the

Colour College London

My career in hairdressing and hair colouring began in 1954 and continues to

this date and beyond. My qualifications as an educator amount to 70 years of
active hands on dedication to the craft.

At 14 years old and in my last year at school I went to work for the Southall
salon of John Cornel as a Saturday shampoo boy. John Cornel believed in fast

tracking employees training. By the time I was 15 years old and took up

Permanent employment I was able to shampoo, apply water colour rinses,

semi permanent colours, permanent colour root applications and wind
permanent waves for the stylists.

17 years old I went to work for French of London in the Park Lane salon. At
18 years old I left to do National Service. 20 years old I returned to John

Cornel to manage his son’s Mayfair salon in Conduit Street for 6 years

before opening my own salon in Brompton Road Knightsbridge. 38 years old

I moved my salon to Kings Road Chelsea where I began to work with L’Oreal
and created the product Easi-Meche in 1983.

1986 and I wanted to move into Black Hair and after much research created a
hair weaving system called Instant Weave. A huge success resulting with the

opening of six of my own salons and 123 trained wholesale salons in London

and 150 selected salons throughout North America.

2001 working with L’Oreal again to create the Visi-Colour product for their

newly acquired brand Matrix. 2011 jointly with Tanya Gabriel-Bird created
the first digital online magazine for hair colourists.

2023 Once again working with my very creative partners “Perfectress” human

hair products to produce the perfect educational tools to compliment the
online Colour College London.

Raymond Bird.