Our Story
Natural Eclipse
Curly Cuts was created because of our sister business Natural Eclipse. Our team had been helping curlies at Natural Eclipse for year’s before Curly Cuts. Along the way, we have had many conversations with our curly hair customers, highlighting various concerns and issues relating to curly hair cutting and products in the Canberra region.
So Curly Cuts was years in the making thanks to our direct involvement in the Canberra curly community through Natural Eclipse. As we see it, each of our customers at Natural Eclipse has been asking for something like Curly Cuts. We took the brave step to create what our customers were asking for! We’ve been carefully listening to our customers and understanding what we need to provide for the curly community in Canberra.
How a lifetime in the hair industry lead to Curly Cuts
I started my first business at the young age of 22. I opened a hairdressing shop in a shopping centre in Adelaide. It’s been over three decades in the hair industry since I started my apprenticeship at 16. I’ve been involved in the hair industry for almost my entire life!
Organic and natural haircare
After my daughter’s birth, I became passionate about all things organic and changed directions in the hair industry. This was when Natural Eclipse came about.
I became obsessed with hair washing and wanted to learn all about no poo and low poo cleansing, and organic haircare. This then lead me to discover curly girl. I wanted to learn how to retrain and rebalance scalps from overwashing. No poo cleansing can be an unorthodox way of hairdressing. When I first started researching it, there were not many hairdressers in the industry teaching organic methods or curly girl, so I decided to step in and help and learn.
Organic methods in hair care were not as popular as it is today. Many customers, particularly curly customers, need professional advice and products in this area. This was when I discovered the fantastic Australian haircare brand EverEscents. It was hard back then to find high-quality professional organic hair care products in Australia, especially ones made here suitable for curly girls. EverEscents was the start of this journey for me in organic haircare, so they are a company I hold close to my heart.
Growing our refill bar
I started my first refill in my home (and web) based business, and curlies first started buying everescents products here.
My curly following quickly grew in Canberra, and my customers needed more space and a tailored private environment to teach them. Online teaching via my online store naturaleclipse.com.au was growing fast, too, and online sales had grown Australia-wide.
We soon moved into a room in a Fyshwick office, where I set up Canberra’s first professional haircare refill bar. We took a chance to do something new with Canberra’s first professional haircare refill bar.
Opening our first shop In Fyshwick
More and more customers wanted to see me in person for advice and refills. We needed more space to teach and wanted more room to grow our refill bar bigger. In March 2020, we moved into our own premises at Wollongong St Fyshwick.
Here, we could create a private hub for our curly customers to come in and get professional advice. That same month COVID hit, we made the tough decision to close our doors for a short time while we continued to give our customers advice online or to shout through the cracks of our closed doors. Crazy times!
The Opening of Curly Cuts
During that time, the need for Curly Cuts became apparent, and in June 2021, our doors opened. Not long after, we merged Natural Eclipse into the shop next door to Curly Cuts to create a big curly mega hub so that we could manage the two businesses more efficiently.
Customers can now pop instore to Curly Cuts and refill products, shop an extensive range of curly products, or try on curly hair bonnets. Plus, get curly advice, curly hair cuts and curly services such as hydration treatments.
Since our initial opening, we have made many changes which have lead us to where we are today.
We continue to support our Canberra curlies from our two businesses at the Lyons shops.
Curly Cuts is proudly a Canberra innovation. From local support, we have created an original and different curly shopping experience right here in the heart of Canberra.
Let’s keep Canberra full of unique creative shops that create and sustain jobs.
Meet Leeanne
Leeanne is the owner and founder of Curly Cuts and Natural Eclipse
Having recently completed the Clever Curl Masterclass, Leeanne continues to train and up skill in new curly cutting. She uses her vast knowledge of curly girl and new curly cutting to help customers in the salon and online with Natural Eclipse. Leeanne is the head curly trainer at Curly Cuts.
Leeanne established her training under one of Adelaide’s leading hairdressers and has been in the hairdressing industry for 32 years. She started her first hairdressing business at the tender age of 22.
Adelaide’s training systems are exceptional for hairdressers. Living in a large city, there were many more opportunities to advance skills that were easily accessible and available. Adelaide provided in-salon training from stylists and many fantastic advanced training courses outside of the salon.
Leeanne has always excelled at cutting curly hair and dry curly cutting because she can see and create shapes. It is an art and skill to cut curly hair correctly. New methods of cutting curly hair are different from how we were traditionally trained. A solid background in hairdressing training is essential to see and create shape.
Over the years, she has completed numerous hairdressing courses, including advanced and freehand. This is what creates a solid base for curly cutting skills.
Leeanne is always giving above and beyond to the hair industry and is a leader in creating change in the hair industry. She is constantly developing new innovative ideas and adapting to the times. Looking after customers is her heart and soul, which is why she is still in the hair industry decades later.
“Leading and creating change in the hair industry takes bravery and courage. Curlies needed this change to happen to the industry, so we took a bold risk and created Curly Cuts in Canberra. I’m so proud of our team that dared to unlearn to relearn to help curlies.”
Meet the team
Alison
Curly Hairdresser
Alison has more than 20 years of experience in cutting hair and also has curly hair.
Alison can see and create shapes in the hair because of her experience in the hair industry. With so much hair industry experience, Alison is a hair expert.
We are thrilled to have Alison at Curly Cuts and for her wealth of experience in the hair industry.
She has loved putting her skills to good use and getting to know our amazing curlies of Canberra.
“Learning about the new cutting methods of curly hair has been very rewarding. As a hairdresser, it’s scary to unlearn and learn new curly techniques. However, its been so rewarding to help other curlies in Canberra with my further training.
Jacinta
Curly Trainer & Stylist
Jacinta is our expert curly stylist and specialist in curly services such as hydration, detangling and curly training.
Jacinta has a passion for learning all things curly and is constantly expanding her knowledge! She’s super excited to be helping the curly’s of Canberra learn to love and care for their curly hair.
“I was born with curly hair and struggled to care for my curls from an early age. I understand and witness how much confidence and power we hold in our hair. Working with clients in an inclusive and safe environment is so empowering, while clients learn to embrace and thrive with their hair.”
Bonnita
Curly Hairdresser
Bonnita is a fully qualified hairdresser with a lifetime of hair industry experience.
She first completed her hairdressing certificate originally in Sri Lanka and then later 2 training certifications in New Zealand.
Bonnita has undergone extensive training from our qualified team to upskill her techniques to new curly cutting. Click here to read more about Bonnita’s training.
She brings knowledge from overseas training and is dedicated to new curly cutting methods.
Staff Education in Curly Hair
Curly Cuts will always be one step ahead in the hair industry
Curly Cuts has undertaken specialised training and is proudly a Clever Curl Curl Specialist Partner.
In February 2022, Leeanne & Alison completed the Clever Curl approach masterclass. This two-day course advanced and upskilled our curly cutting skills to new methods of cutting curls individually.
In July 2022, our team spent a day training with the talented curly cutter Nathalie from Clever Curl. This training taught us even more about individual curl-cutting and styling methods.
In march 2023, Leeanne and Alison upskilled again by completing the Clever Curl Masterclass in Tight Textured Curls – Kinky, Coily, Afro. Our team can now confidently say yes to all hair textures, including Afro.
Curly Training
Throughout the first couple of years of Curly Cuts, certificates were completed by various educators and their curly academies. Clever Curl is our leading educator.
Our other training completed ( during covid lockdown!) was online certificates with Amanda Rickman, a certified Deva and Rezo stylist. This training was excellent, and Leeanne learnt a lot from these courses. Leeanne has completed two certificates from CHEA.
In our opinion, Curly Cuts has currently completed the most current curly training in the hair industry closest to American education.
Our curly hair stylists also have been trained in new curly styling methods and curly girl products.
Leeanne, the head curly cutter trainer at Curly Cuts, now teaches these new methods in salon to upskill new team members.
Clever Curl Curl Specialist Partner
Curly Cuts is proudly a Clever Curl Curl Specialist Partner. This course advanced our curly cutting skills and included new methods of cutting curls individually.
