Despite the covid pandemic hitting many industries hard, some positive business success stories are now emerging, and the March opening of new salon Dalanda Hair in Fulham is one that’s truly inspiring.

Dalanda Diang, a 37-year old single parent originally from Guinea, came to London 15 years ago when she barely spoke any English. Dalanda always loved styling hair from an early age, so after starting at the bottom of the hair trade in the city, Dalanda followed her passion and was soon working for central London salons. Soon Dalanda was tending to the hair of celebrities, models and other women who led exceptional and demanding lives – and their hair had to be exactly right. Having perfected her trade and honed her customer service skills at the top, Dalanda quit her high-end salon role and worked from home before the pandemic hit, slowly building up her client base through online reviews and word of mouth referrals.

Dalanda explains; “My dream was always to work for myself and open my own London salon catering for women who had to have exceptional hair that reflected their lifestyles and aspirations. The pandemic meant I had to put that dream on hold for a while, but as we hairdressers were allowed to work again, I noticed more and more women coming to me, recommended by friends and who wanted a certain look… The glossy, full-bodied head of hair favoured by celebrities such as the Duchess of Cambridge, Angellica Bell and Christine Lampard but that you can often only achieve through the careful and discrete application of weave extensions.”

“Over the last six months, demand has been such for my ‘West London Look’ that I’m now able to open a salon in Fulham on an appointment-only basis catering to busy women that require one-to-one salon attention. I’ve realised that there is a huge demand for discrete natural hair extensions for women that want their hair to reflect their life aspirations. Extensions do look great and can be easy to manage with the right care.”

“I’m so proud that I’m living the London dream and showing my two daughters that you really can make business dreams come true if you are willing to work hard enough for it.”
Dalanda Hair Salon can be found at 482 Fulham Road, London, SW6 5NH. Salon opening hours are 9am-5pm Monday to Saturday and all clients are seen by appointment only. To book an appointment or for enquiries, please visit www.dalandahair.co.uk