Protégé Hair Design has been serving clients for 20+ years and has a consistent reputation for excellent service. Many of our clients are still with us from the beginning. With new owners Christine & Michael in 2023, Protégé Hair Design has undergone a fresh new look with additional staff and new services, including Keratin Treatments, a Sensory Friendly and Hijab Friendly space and more. Serving our clients with the best in hair cuts, colour, and specialist treatments remains our number one joy and priority. We look forward to seeing you soon at our salon, where it’s all about being Your Hair Haven.
Before I bought Protégé I started a Keratin treatment wholesale business supplying salons and personal clients with treatments and aftercare. Being from Chile I learnt a lot from South American suppliers and manufacturers of Keratin treatments. It was during Covid that my business almost collapsed, and post covid the way we do business has changed. I began working with a local salon, learning various Keratin applications. I visited local salons offering keratin treatments and I felt there was a gap in hairdresser training for Keratin treatments. The urge to have my own salon to showcase the brands I was selling and having great results with became very strong. Keratin is all about creating beautiful and healthy hair.
My husband and I want to make Protégé an icon in West Auckland. A space to feel relaxed, and at ease. Where clients feel heard and understood. We are very lucky to have highly skilled hairdressers and we would like to add more services using high quality products with minimum use of chemicals. We listen to our team and customers to keep moving forward and offering the best service we can.
I love the challenge, diversity, and customer satisfaction. I feel satisfaction when our clients feel heard and understood.
I was always obsessed with hair as a little girl and still am. I restyled my dolls and cut their hair, making them look better! In high school, I decided that that’s what I wanted to become. And started an apprenticeship at 16, haven’t looked back since.
Creating styles that are as effortless as possible, and enhancing people’s natural beauty, through the colour and placement of colour. I do love doing a good balayage!
Seeing different colours woven through the hair to create dimension and interest.
People watching, and social media.
Being able to uplift my clients and give them confidence in the way their hair looks and feels.
There are a lot of memorable experiences with my clients, and for a lot of different reasons, I remember cutting one of my clients’ daughters’ hair, it was her first styled haircut at age 14, and she drove all the way down from Orewa to see me, and her daughter was stoked with the result. My client said she was so pleased that I was the one who did her first style cut. That made me feel great!
My mum is a hairstylist, so I grew up in a salon environment. Although it wasn’t something I initially saw as my path, I was always around it, and I learned to cut men’s hair by practising on my dad and brothers.
One day, my mum was fully booked and needed help, so she asked me to step in—and I never stopped. From that moment on, I fell in love with the industry and have continued to learn, train, and refine my skills ever since.
I specialise in creating effortless, lived-in colour that grows out beautifully and is low maintenance for my clients. I love working with techniques that enhance natural movement and dimension, rather than anything that looks overly done.
I’m also very passionate about scalp health, as I truly believe that beautiful hair starts with a balanced, healthy scalp. Combining both allows me to create results that not only look good, but feel good long-term.
I stay up to date by continuously investing in education, both online and in person. I follow industry leaders, attend training sessions, and keep learning about new techniques, products, and innovations.
Working behind the chair every day also plays a big part, as trends evolve through real clients and their lifestyles. I focus on adapting trends in a way that feels wearable and personalised, rather than just following them.
What I enjoy most is building genuine connections with my clients and being part of their self-care routine. It’s not just about the hair—it’s about how they feel when they leave the salon.
I love taking the time to understand their needs, educating them about their hair and scalp, and creating results that make their daily routine easier.
More than a single memorable experience, I believe that when you truly connect with someone—no matter the type of relationship—you create a kind of synergy. It becomes something that works for both sides and goes far beyond a simple service.
With my clients, that connection builds trust and creates a space where they feel understood and cared for. Those relationships are what make my work so meaningful.
I’ve always been drawn to creativity and making people feel good about themselves, and hairdressing felt like the perfect mix of both. Seeing how something as simple as a fresh colour or style can completely transform someone’s confidence really inspired me.
My favourite technique is colouring, especially soft, lived-in blends. I love creating seamless, natural finishes that are customised to each client.
I stay up to date by following industry trends on social media, watching tutorials, and learning from other stylists.
I enjoy making my clients feel confident and beautiful, and building genuine connections with them. Seeing their reaction at the end of an appointment is always the best part.
I once had a client come in feeling really unsure about changing her hair, but she trusted me to go for it. By the end of the appointment, her whole energy had changed; she couldn’t stop smiling and said she felt like a new person. Moments like that remind me why I love what I do.
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