Long-time Bradford hairdresser and 'secret keeper' nominated for T&A award

A BRADFORD hairdresser with more than 20 years of experience and customer ‘secrets’ has been nominated for a T&A award.

The Telegraph & Argus recently launched a competition to find the city's ‘Best Hairdresser or Barber 2024’.

Readers nominated their favourite via an online voting platform from June 10-16 and we aim to profile all of them.

DMG Hair, on Thornton Road, Fairweather Green, gained enough nominations to earn a spot in the final.

Dawn Gallagher, owner of DMG Hair, was pleased to be nominated for the T&A award, saying: “It makes me feel so proud. I’ve worked so hard to get where I wanted to be.

Dawn Gallagher's salon DMG Hair has been nominated for a T&A award (Image: Newsquest)

“I’ve run DMG Hair for eight years, but I’ve always worked in this area.

“I’ve been a hairdresser since I was 21, so I’ve been doing it for 23 years now. In that time, I’ve built up a good customer base.

“I’ve been supported so well over the years. A lot of them just followed me when I decided to go it alone with my own business.

“I’ve worked at this shop location for five-and-a-half years. It’s just me and the girls.

Dawn Gallagher, left, and her staff at DMG Hair, on Thornton Road (Image: Newsquest)

Dawn says her business has two full-time stylists, a beautician and a junior.

She added: “It’s getting back to being very busy again. We took a bit of a hit with Covid, and we lost a lot of older customers due to anxiety of not wanting to go out.

“But the last year-and-a-half it has boomed. We’re getting to the point that it’s very busy for two full-time stylists.”

When asked if Dawn had any good stories from customers over the years, she laughed and said: “I’ve got loads of stories from customers but a good hairdresser never tells.

“I can’t reveal any secrets.

“You’re not just a hairdresser, but a counsellor as well.”

Dawn credited her dad and brother for helping her to set up her own business.

She said: “My dad, who passed away six years ago, had his own business.

“I think I would have made him proud to be following in his footsteps.

“He initially gave me £1,000 to buy the stock I needed and said to me, ‘you’ll do it’.

“My brother has also been really supportive. I’m the artistic one and he’s the clever one who does all my Facebook and advertising.”

Dawn also thanked her customers for their support over the years.

She said: “They know where I started from. I do my very best to make them happy 24/7.”