In 2010, Lisa Cantwell recognised the importance of getting to know each client’s hair and offering a ‘one to one’ personal experience between the stylist and the client. She still prides herself on offering this personal experience at Plush Hair today, “To us, each client’s needs are individual, it’s so important to us that each treatment is tailored and customised to every need.”

Plush Hair was born in April 2010. For 7 years Lisa was working from a converted room in her home. In October 2017, she took the leap and moved her salon to a unit in The Woodlands Hotel. After a few months, she hired her first stylist, Alison, and her little salon thrived.

In February 2020, it was time to add another stylist, only to be hit a few weeks later by the pandemic. A very scary time for any business owner, but she used it as an opportunity to pivot. “I approached the team at the Local Enterprise Office, and thanks to the trading online voucher, we were able to transform our basic magazine style website into a new upgraded ecommerce site where we could sell our many products.

“I turned from hairstylist and salon owner to packer and delivery driver so I could deliver my products all over Waterford, socially distanced of course! In 2022, we were finalist in the LEO’s Digital Awards for ‘Best Ecommerce Website’.”

Plush Hair also received a Green for Micro voucher to explore their waste disposal options so they could become a more sustainable "planet friendly" salon. The Green for Micro voucher allowed Plush Hair to develop an environmental policy statement which demonstrates that good environmental practice is in place throughout the business and this leads to an increased level of environmental awareness. They also used the voucher to improve their waste management and packaging.

This progression online gave Lisa the confidence to develop her social media presence and created informative reels and posts with information on how to look after your hair. These linked to blogs on the brand new Plush Hair website.

“As we're so passionate about all things hair, we could also share our knowledge about products, hair extensions and hair and scalp care with our clients and therefore, gain a whole new clientele. As a result, we now deliver our products throughout Ireland.

“2023 has started off as our best year yet, as we totally revamp the salon in January. In March, along with our three stylists, we took home the title of Great Lengths ‘Salon of the year’ 2023/2024. A huge honour for me and the girls!

“To have survived a ten month shut down, was made possible with thanks to the LEO, the trading online grant and new website. We have come out stronger than I ever thought possible. As a more mature business we can now develop other aspects to our business, such as sustainability. We’ve learned from our clients that this is an important issue to them and as such to us too.” 

Lisa hopes to expand the Plush Hair websites further this year, and add an App. She is grateful to the Local Enterprise Office and their continuous support which has helped Plush Hair survive and thrive.

Local Enterprise Office Waterford is here to help you start a business, expand an existing business or reach new markets. It provides advice, information and supports in starting up or growing your business as part of a network of 31 Local Enterprise Offices across Ireland. 

Contact your Local Enterprise Office Waterford for their programs and grants, on www.localenterprise.ie/Waterford or email info@leo.waterfordcouncil.ie for access to all their training support information.

Plush Hair can be found at www.plushhair.ie.