Heads Together with Michael Van Clarke & Nicky Clarke
Step inside the salon chair and beyond, with Heads Together, the new podcast from legendary hairdressing brothers Michael Van Clarke and Nicky Clarke. With over 50 years of experience shaping the hair of royalty, celebrities, and fashion icons, they reveal untold stories, industry secrets, and personal moments you've never heard before.
From red carpet glamour to the realities of building iconic businesses, they explore sibling rivalry, family dynamics, and the highs and lows of life at the top. Alongside special guests, they share honest insights and practical advice for fellow hairdressers, creative entrepreneurs, and business owners.
For hair pros seeking inspiration, long-time fans craving nostalgic stories, or anyone fascinated by fame and beauty, this podcast is your backstage pass to it all.
Heads Together with Michael Van Clarke & Nicky Clarke
Green Lotion, Pink Wax and Starting Salons From Scratch
In this episode, Michael Van Clarke and Nicky Clarke revisit the turbulent mid-1980s. A time of creative breakthroughs, tense negotiations, and bold decisions.
They discuss the rise of salon product innovation, from the accidental birth of “green lotion” to reworking American waxes for European hair, and the beginnings of the silicon revolution in haircare. Alongside stories of contracts and turning down impossible deals, Michael shares the story of walking away from stagnation, finding an unloved Marylebone backstreet building, and through some complicated property manoeuvres securing the whole thing as his own.
With stories of odd tenants, financial juggling, and the unexpected help of his foreman father, this is an honest look at the reality of leaving the safety of a thriving career to create something new, without quite knowing what you’re walking into.
Follow Michael Van Clarke: @mvanclarke
Follow Nicky Clarke: @nickyclarkeuk
Credits:
Producers: Michael Van Clarke, Louise Ortelli, Louise Oakley & Ben Lifton
Editor: Ben Lifton from Big Little Content
Production Coordinator: TYX Studios
Sound Engineer: TYX Studios