Sussex and Surrey hair extensions specialist with celebrity clients and huge TikTok following gets through to finals of national award

Kerry-Ann Buckell, 34, of KB Hair Extensions in Dormansland, Lingfield, is one of the contenders for Social Stylist of the Year, sponsored by Moroccanoil, at HJ’s British Hairdressing Business Awards 2024.

The awards said that Kerry, who has celebrity clients and a large TikTok following, has mastered using social media to boost her business. Visit kbhairextensions.com.

The event takes place on Monday, July 1, at London’s Park Plaza Westminster Bridge.

Kerry said: “It’s just mind blowing that little old me in this quiet little town is getting national status.”

She said she was ‘gobsmacked' by the news, adding that last year she won two national awards with this latest nomination ‘opening up doors and opportunities’.

She said: “I’m just buzzing!”

Kerry has been getting a lot of national attention recently after she started a TikTok account last year. She said: “We just started recreating some lighthearted videos about what it’s like to be a hairdresser and client points-of-view as well.” She said these started to go viral and today have been seen by millions of people.

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As a result her small business caught the attention of TikTok last year who invited her to their headquarters in London as a ‘success story’ for workshops and talks about her work. Kerry explained that her massive audience has encouraged people to visit from afar, saying: “We had someone come from America just to have their hair done.”

A few famous people have reached out too and Kerry has visited This Morning and Talk TV for interviews about her success. Celebrity Lizzie Cundy, for example, now has her hair done with Kerry and they made a joint TikTok that went viral, getting attention in National newspapers like the Mirror and the Sun.

Kerry said her other celebrity customers to date have included Christine Quinn, Chloe Khan and Scarlett Moffat, as well as many models. She also said she has done work for London Fashion Week and Salon International at London ExCeL, doing work live onstage for Hairdressers Journal.

Kerry said she has had her business for ten years but has only been working at it full-time for the past two years. She used to work for Peter Andre’s coffee shop in East Grinstead and was featured on his TV show.

She said: “When it was starting to close down I had a photo taken in the Daily Mail, which is still there today. It’s like the back of my head alongside some other members and then Peter, and I can see my hair extension.” Kerry said this was back when hair extensions were not well known and said the picture inspired her to start her own business.

Jayne Lewis-Orr, executive director of the British Hairdressing Business Awards, said: “The awards celebrate the talented and passionate teams and individuals who contribute to the greatness of British hairdressing. Once again, our judging panel faced an outstanding group of candidates. Being a finalist in this category requires not only a fresh and creative social media strategy but also the ability to create engaging content that resonates with an audience. Kerry’s nomination speaks volumes about their expertise and dedication to success.”