Whitwell hairdresser through to finals of two national awards

A Whitwell hairdresser of 18 years is a finalist in two national awards for her stunning work on ladies’ hair extensions.
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Amanda Denny, of Hair Extensions by Amanda, is among eight others to reach the final hurdle of the English Hair & Beauty Awards.

The veteran stylist - who specialises in helping ladies with damaged or very short hair - was nominated by a loyal army of satisfied customers.

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After beating thousands of other contenders to be up for a crack at the prestigious top slot Amanda told how she was “proud to be recognised”.

Amanda Denny, of Hair Extensions by AmandaAmanda Denny, of Hair Extensions by Amanda
Amanda Denny, of Hair Extensions by Amanda

Forty-five-year-old Amanda is so well thought of she has customers travelling up from London to have her tend their locks.

She was drawn to the profession in her late twenties while “bored” working as a paralegal in Nottingham and never looked back.

She said: “I just felt so stagnant - I’m a creative person and I was bored so I just made a leap of faith.

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“I went to night school to learn and realised I absolutely loved it - what I really like is the social aspect. You’re almost like a counsellor.”

Customer Helen Brown after one of Amanda's transformationsCustomer Helen Brown after one of Amanda's transformations
Customer Helen Brown after one of Amanda's transformations
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However Amanda says customers’ dark secrets are kept private as appointments are one-to-one.

She said “It’s completely confidential and I think people like that - and when the ladies get a really good job on their hair it tends to tick all the boxes for them.”

Amanda believes the nominations came flooding in due to her attention to detail, however.

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“Nowadays so much of it is about how the extensions look in a photo but I take on complex work where people have lost hair or have patches missing,” she said.

“I’ve helped a lot of ladies recovering from cancer - it’s very intricate and all about placement to get it right.

“After doing it for so many years I just needed a challenge and I like the challenge of entering the awards - but I don’t need the recognition because I’m so busy.”

As well as the English Hair & Beauty Awards, Amanda is a finalist in the UK Hair And Beauty Awards.

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She was selected to go through for the top spot after sending a selection of photos of her amazing work.

In these confusing and worrying times, local journalism is more vital than ever. Thanks to everyone who helps us ask the questions that matter by taking out a subscription or buying a paper. We stand together. Nancy Fielder, editor.

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