british hairways piloted by loren miles and bleach london

Loren and the Bleach London team in Dalston are the mane ambassadors for the emerging generation of vunge hair colours.

Loren for Lou Teasdale’s beauty bible ‘The Craft’

Bleach London and their wide range of products have been navigating teens to transform their tresses from everyday natural colours, to pastel, punk and peroxide shades from their bathrooms up and down the country. Taking inspiration from the quick, unusual streets that surrounds their salon in East London the guys have been at the forefront of creating a trend that has well and truly taken off. From celebrities to your Average Joe, Loren’s been able to get her applicator brush into the hair of hundreds of clients helping them to make their hair totally unique.

Bleach always sounds so scary when you've never used it before! How old were you when you first dyed your hair, and what did you do to it?

I think the first time I dyed my hair was probably when I was about 14, and it was just one of those wash in wash out dyes from Boots. But I also remember buying a product called Sun-In, and spraying that on my hair in the summer with my friends whilst sunbathing on the school field.

And, honestly, how successful was it?

It wasn't great. Either the temporary '5 wash' box dyes turned it a barely noticeable slightly darker colour. And the spray just turned parts of it a nice bleachy yellow.

So what were you doing when you first realised you wanted to take up hairdressing as a profession?

I was actually studying photography at the time. I loved photography but my passion for it lay with film cameras, and developing my own photos in the dark room. Most of my course was geared towards digital so I had started to wonder if it was better off as a hobby for me. I assisted at 16/17 on college photography shoots, and when seeing the people providing the hair and make-up I started thinking about changing my studies. I grew up with two sisters, and a lot of girlfriends and had always enjoyed doing their hair when we were bored or during sleepovers, but this was probably the first time I'd considered making it into a career.

What has been your ultimate hair disaster?

I think me and a friend at 16 tried to dye our own hair blonde. Mine being a mousey colour naturally lightened easily (to a nice shade of yellow that at the time I seemed really happy about), whereas hers struggled. She had dark hair and when it stopped lifting at orange we decided it'd be a great idea to cover her head in foil and apply heat using the hairdryer (knowing what I know now the thought of doing that makes me cringe.) Luckily we didn't break any of her hair but it meant she had a nice mix of orange and yellow in a tie-dye like print all over her head. It didn't look good.

What time of day do you find yourself getting the most inspiration?

Definitely at night. Whether this is because we tend to start late and finish late at Bleach so I'm most awake, or whether it's because this is when I actually have time to sit and browse online or look through Pinterest, I'm not sure. But late at night.

Do you have a specific playlist or genre of music you can always fall back on?

I don't, no. I just have top Spotify playlists composed of my favourite easy going songs.

What are your top 3 most-used emojis?

What apps do you find are the best for photo editing to show all the cool things you get up to on platforms like Instagram and Twitter?

I use a variety of apps for different things. I'd love to develop my own that compiles all the little things I love about them all. FaceTune is good for retouching and their filters and lenses are soft and attractive. Afterlight is good for borders, and playing around with lighting. Mega photo is a new one I downloaded, it's so silly and really fun.

The BLEACH salon on Kingsland Road in East London which Loren and the rest of the team call home when they're not in the Topshop, Oxford Street salon or bleaching locks.

I remember getting my hair bleached for the first time and when I got home I cried because it was so different! What is the number one tip you’d give to someone before they made a big hair commitment like shaving a patch or bleaching?

I guess just think about it for a while before you commit to make sure it's what you want. If you're going to undergo a big bleach job try and get your hair in the best condition possible before you or the stylist begins by cutting it and using treatments. If you're shaving a panel, cool go for it! Just be aware that the process of growing it out is long and annoying, so only do it if you plan on having it for a while to make it worth it!

After sticking to a hairstyle on yourself,what is the most drastic thing you’ve done to someone else’s hair?

A dark to light, full head bleach job, shaved panels and multicolours.

And what's the most drastic thing you’ve done? Any tattoos or big commitments?

I have a few tattoos, on my arms and leg. I never regard anything that I'm doing to my hair as big commitment as I work with a group of friends who can always change it for me. I shaved parts when I was a kid but I didn't think of that as a big deal at the time.

In the future, what is the next thing you’re looking forward to trying both in the hair-world and outside of it?

In hair-world I’m brushing up on my gents cutting and styling at the moment, so I look forward doing more of that in salon. I'm also considering setting myself up a website or blog to get more involved with work online. Outside of work I'm looking forward to booking some holidays!