By Renee Vallender, Founder of The Straightening Salon & EVEKO
I would have never imagined my career would take me from banking and finance into hair and beauty, but looking back, the journey makes a lot more sense than I ever expected it to.
I’ve battled with what I jokingly call my “Hagrid Hair” for years. It was thick, frizzy, and difficult to manage, so I had it permanently straightened for the first time when I was 18. I fell in love straight away; it made the biggest difference to my everyday life. I spent less time fighting and styling my hair and felt more confident than ever before. Over the years, I tried lots of different straightening treatments and became a huge advocate for them.
Instagram – @thestraighteningsalon
The inspiration behind The Straightening Salon
Becoming a first-time mum, it forces you to change your perspective and time management. Suddenly, something as simple as washing and blow-drying my hair could feel like a huge task. I remember being truly desperate to have my hair straightened again after my son was born. Time was precious, especially in the early days.
That’s when I started thinking: why am I just recommending this to other women when I could actually become the solution? That idea evolved into The Straightening Salon.
I didn’t come from the hair industry at all. My background was banking and finance, so before I could open the business, I spent 10 months studying to become a qualified hairdresser. It was a pretty big change of direction, but the belief that there was an opportunity to solve a problem and help other women was a driving force to continue learning.
From the beginning, I knew I wanted to specialise in straightening and smoothing. What started with me learning how to straighten hair myself has developed into a team of specialists across three locations in Sydney, the Gold Coast and Brisbane. I’ve gone from being the one learning the techniques to now mentoring and educating our growing team.
Our growth and impact
In the early days, I was packing orders from the lounge room while my son was at home with me. There were boxes everywhere, and at the time it just felt completely normal because that was what building the business looked like.
Today, we have almost 20 team members across three salon locations and a head office. We’ve helped more than 10,000 women, and the business has grown into something far beyond what I could have pictured when I was starting. These milestones are exciting to recognise, but one of my favourite reminders of how far we’ve come is seeing the impact of our community.
I’ll jump on social media and see someone tagging a friend, sharing their experience, or recommending The Straightening Salon to someone who is struggling with their hair. Those moments mean so much because they’re a reminder that the business has become bigger than me. Women are sharing something that has genuinely made a difference to them, and that’s the best reward and motivation to see.
The impact for other women has always been the bigger purpose for me and the guiding mission of The Straightening Salon. I know firsthand that having manageable hair can change more than just your morning routine. It can change how you feel and your confidence throughout your day.
Building EVEKO
As the salon grew, I started to see opportunities beyond the treatment itself. When you work with women’s hair every day, you hear the questions they ask, the challenges they struggle with, and the things they’re looking for from their haircare. This experience led to the creation of EVEKO, our salon-grade haircare range.
EVEKO wasn’t something I had planned from the beginning. It grew naturally from what we were seeing and learning inside the salon. We understand what women want from their hair, what makes their routines easier, and what their hair needs to look and feel its best between appointments. Creating EVEKO as the aftercare from The Straightening Salon treatments was another way for us to support women beyond their time in the salon.
Instagram – @eveko.au
Moving forward
Being able to take this knowledge gained from real-life experience and turn it into a product has been a really exciting next step and one of the most enjoyable aspects about building a business. There is something pretty extraordinary about starting with a thought, working through all the unknowns and eventually seeing people using, talking about and connecting with what you’ve created.
The plan is to continue growing The Straightening Salon with our specialist offering, develop our team and reach more women. And as for EVEKO, we’re continuing to build a brand grounded in the knowledge and experience we’ve gained inside the salon. It’s exciting to think about where we can take that next.
I’ve learnt that you don’t necessarily need to have the whole picture before you begin. Sometimes you just need to recognise an opportunity and be willing to take the first step.
My first step was simply wanting a better solution for my own hair. I certainly couldn’t have predicted where that would lead me, from changing careers to opening salons, building a team and launching EVEKO.
