Interview – Daniel K. Palmer

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Wanna know who the most important man in my life is right now? Superstar colourist Daniel K. Palmer! Yeah, the life of a pretend-blonde is very different to that of an ombré-d brunette… And I wouldn’t have trusted just anyone with my transformation. Today, I would like to introduce you to my favourite hair wizard – if you are looking for a change in London (and soon in Los Angeles), he is your man! That’s OK, we can share.

Hi! How are you and what are you doing right now?

Hey hey! Im awesome thank you!  All I do is work work work and work out work out work out. I like to make people pretty and that means I have to keep up with my clients and keep myself looking pretty too!

Tell me the story of how you came to London… What was it like moving here and why did you decide to come over from Australia?

I moved to London from Melbourne when I was 20. I am originally from Perth, but got out of there as soon as I could. I remember arriving in London on the 1st of December, having never left Australia before… It was all obviously very overwhelming. I only had $500 in the bank, but luckily I packed lots of determination and being a Taurus, I’m super stubborn so failure is never an option! I didn’t know a lot about London when I arrived,  but I remember I would never leave home without my London A-Z! Yes, it was before iPhones…  I was so nervous I would get lost.  Now I love getting lost in the city. I was mugged twice in the first 4 weeks, but it didn’t stop me, I kept pushing on. I was here to succeed and so onwards I pushed.

I met you in your current incarnation as a hair magician, have you had any other previous incarnations? Tell us everything!

Luckily for me I realised what I wanted to do from a very young age. I left school at 14 and took up a full-time apprenticeship, I was qualified by the time I was 17. About 5 years ago I also took up makeup. I think I just love colouring in! So be it hair, skin or just a colouring book, just give me the tools and I will work the rest out for myself. 

Working with hair, you play such a huge part in people’s lives, allowing them to become who they need to be. Was this something that attracted you to hair styling? If not, what was it that made you go in that direction?

I remember playing with my mother’s hair from childhood and for as long as I can remember it is what I always wanted to do. At that age I didn’t grasp how big of a part a good hairdresser actually plays in people’s lives, I just wanted to create beautiful hair. Probably not so beautiful now that I think about it, haha! Getting older and maturing within myself and my career, I found out that, while people do come to me for good hair, they also come to me for a whole lot more. If you’ve ever had an appointment with me, you’ll know I’m an open book.  That’s just who I have always been and who I always will be. Being so open, people open up to me, they tell me their deepest darkest secrets, sometimes things their friends and family don’t know. I genuinely care about every single person that sits in my chair. I want them not only to walk out with perfect hair, but I also want them to feel lighter and have  a more positive outlook on life. I believe having true connections and transparent relationships with my clients allows me to create the work I create. It’s a team effort. I can almost read my regular clients’ minds: I know what they want to do with their hair before they even tell me, which means we can get straight to conversation. Basically I get to have tea and chat to friends all day! Making people happy is what I love to do and I feel so grateful that people let me use their hair as my canvas.

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You have the most incredible wavy hair. What’s your secret to having the best hair? I am sure a lot of curly, wavy and frizzy haired girls would love to know (that includes me!)

Less is more!!

I always air-dry my hair and I only shampoo it twice a week. If I want to look more polished, I may randomly curl a few pieces with a small Babyliss curling tong.

I use only use Davines Shampoo and Conditioner. I brush my hair every night before bed and this pulls through any natural oils (which is great for the hair) and also work as a natural styling product. Dry shampoo is my friend, so all I do in the morning is get-up, shake my hair, spray some dry shampoo and I’m all done.

With wavy, curly and unruly hair it all comes down to right hair cut and not over-colouring. If you learn to accept your natural texture and work with it instead of fighting it, the good hair days will roll around more often than not.

In three appointments with you, I went from brunette to blonde. What’s your advice to girls who would like to attempt the same?

Patience is key: slow and steady wins the race. I just don’t see the point in going from dark to light if your hair ends up looking like straw.

If you try and push it too fast too soon, you’re going to end up having to cut off your hair. Sometimes the damage can take months or even years to rectify. 

What’s next for you? 

I am moving to Los Angeles this Summer, which is very exciting! I will go back to London regularly, so it will be nice to work between the two and to diversify my clientele and work. I also just finished filming a new TV show for Channel 5 called “100% hotter“. It is a make-under programme, so make sure to tune in, it’s going to be sooooooo much fun!

If you weren’t a hair magician, what would you like to be?

Thats easy, a sex therapist/relationship counsellor. It is what I talk about most of the time anyway!

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Currently

Dreaming of –  Los Angeles

Listening to – Adele

Planning –  World domination!

Wearing – Black

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Favourite

Place –  Los Angeles

Person – My mother 

Quote – Onwards and upwards

Film – Bridesmaids

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