For Tracy Haran, getting a haircut from Anthony Morrison of TLC’s Ten Year’s Younger means more than walking out of a salon with a fresh new look.
At times, it has been a downright emotional experience.
“When I was pregnant with my second child, I was very sick,” she recalled. “I was in the hospital for sixty-eight days. Anthony sent his assistant over on a weekly basis to wash my hair for me. He gave me my dignity in a situation where I had nothing.”
Haran has watched Morisson’s success over the three years she’s frequented his Londoner Salon and Spa in Manhattan Beach.
Having already landed stylist roles on two popular television makeover shows, Morrison is launching a new hair care product line called “Anthony Morrison’s Weightless Moisture” tomorrow. Developed in collaboration with Zotos International, the line boasts everything from shampoo to bodifying spray.
“This line was developed because there was a gap in the market that needed to be filled,” Morrison said. “There are products that are moisturizing products, but when you put them in your hair, although your hair feels really good and moisturized, it weighs the hair down. My line is all about hydrating the hair, but without the weight.”
The London native began his professional career at age 15, when he undertook an apprenticeship in his home city. After high school, he studied with Vidal Sassoon and attended the London School of Fashion before moving to California. In 2004, he opened The Londoner Salon and Spa, first in Hermosa Beach and later in Manhattan Beach.
“I’ve always wanted to do hair,” Morrison said. “It’s the only job I ever wanted to do since I was probably eight years old. This is my lifelong passion and I still wake up every day wanting to do it.”
In 2007, he appeared on Bravo’s Shear Genius, a show where 12 hairdressers compete and one is eliminated each week. Morrison emerged as the winner of that season and credits his success on the show for catapulting his salon to a new level.
“I knew I was a good hairdresser going in, but winning the show validated that,” he said. “What it created business-wise was absolutely amazing.”
After his win, Morrison auditioned for a role on the “Glam Squad” of Ten Years Younger, a show that promises to makeover people to appear younger. Morrison was selected from dozens of hairstylists who auditioned.
“It’s not hard to find a hair dresser,” said Mark Allen, co-executive producer of Ten Years Younger. “But it’s hard to find somebody who has that sort of magical combination between being really great at their craft and also being good for television.”
“Anthony has a really good way of listening to people, taking in their words, and giving his own opinion,” he added. “He makes it look easy, and it’s not an easy thing when you’re working with someone on something as personal as their hair.”
Morrison reveled in being part of people’s transformations.
“It’s an amazing thing to see how their lives have been changed,” he said. “They walk differently and their confidence level is better. It’s so great to be a part of that and to give them that encouragement.”
Morrison’s new product line is available on ShopNBC.com and at the Londoner, which boasts eighteen hairdressing chairs and a six-room spa in the back.
After working on the product for two years and testing it on hundreds of heads of hair, Morrison is finally satisfied. He credits “classic hair” as his inspiration.
“My whole thing is healthy, shiny, and beautiful hair,” Morrison said. “I wanted a product that could reflect that and something that my clients could use and get all the life and manageability, but without all the other things that go with it.”
Anthony Morrison will be featured in a live interview at 8 p.m. tonight on www.shopNBC.com.
The Londoner Salon and Spa is located at 220 Aviation Blvd. in Manhattan Beach. For more information, call (310) 798-2672. ER
