Love Hair

Hello there,

Welcome to Love Hair and thank you in advance for taking the time to look us over!

My name is Patrick O’Rourke and after forty years of hairdressing I am pleased to say I still seriously LOVE HAIR more than ever, and together with my Love Hair Team, I am committed to providing you the best possible hair and service we can deliver.

While the Love Hair Salon began operation in 2007, its origins date back to the opening of my original salon Patrick O’Rourke Hairdressers, at 120 King William Street, Adelaide in 1978.

I am pleased to say many of that salon’s original clients are still with us today, and I thank them all for their incredible support over the years!

Love Hair can be best described as “a funky little salon on the edge town”

At Love Hair our clients range in age from 1 to 100, and it’s the ability of the Love Hair team to service such a diversity of clients which is a true testament to the knowledge and experience we can offer you.

At Love Hair we quite simply love doing hair and servicing our valued clients in a chilled atmosphere while providing great music, magazines and refreshments!

So whether it’s a great hair cut, colour or styling we look forward to sharing the love with you.

Love Hair founder Patrick O’Rourke began his career in Adelaide South Australia in 1973 as an apprentice Ladies Hairdresser. Fortunately for Patrick the commencement of his new career coincided with a dramatic change in Australian hairdressing, namely the effect that one Vidal Sassoon would have on the world of hair and him personally. Starting out at Norman & Arnold, a leading city salon, Patrick was soon persuaded to join Adelaide’s most innovative new salon “Studio 2″, which was one of Adelaide’s first cut and blow dry salons. The Studio 2 salon team would later morph into the highly regarded Hair Factory salon in Hindley Street Adelaide.

While developing his skills and clientele at Hair Factory, Patrick was continually eyeing off a career move to Sydney where he could follow his dream to work for his other hair hero of the time Edward Beale. Edward had made a name for himself in taking what Vidal Sassoon had already done in hairdressing elsewhere in the world and replicating it in Australia as only he knew how.

Patrick’s move to Sydney was a big step at the time, as Adelaide hairdressers were certainly not in demand or even heard of by comparison to today. After completing a series of haircuts his work was assessed as having a place in the organization. Once he completed his time at Edwards’ Melbourne Academy to master their portfolio of work and a period at the group’s Toorak Road salon, he shortly after began work at Edward Beale’ salon in Double Bay and Rose Bay Sydney. The plan was always to leap frog from Sydney to London as a rite of passage taken by the best of hairdressers at the time, but a career opportunity back in Adelaide saw Patrick move home in 1977 after almost two years in the east. Armed with the knowledge and experience gained at Beale’s, Patrick took up a role as Manager and Artistic Director of the Clip Joint Salon in Adelaide.

The Clip Joint’s approach to hairdressing was way ahead of the competition, and their interest and ability in hair photography was without peer at the time. During his time with the Clip Joint Patrick oversaw the groups in salon training sessions, photographic work and management of their city salon. One major event “An Evening with the Clip Joint” was conceived and developed under Patrick’s Art Direction and is still regarded by many as one of the best hairdressing events staged in this country. Never one to rest on his laurels Patrick was soon keen to create further impact on the Australian Hairdressing Industry, and in May of 1978 opened Patrick O’Rourke Hairdressers at 120 King William Street Adelaide. The small salon was an instant hit and soon became the sort after beauty spot for everyone from Models, Rock Stars and Celebs in including Barry Humphreys, Ita Butt rose and Belinda Green to the many regular salon clients looking for a great cut and color.

It wasn’t long before the King William Street location became somewhat overcrowded and a move to larger premises in Twin Street Adelaide became necessary. This salon was unique at the time for its size and decor and became home to the Patrick’s team for the next two years. During this time Patrick O’Rourke Hairdressers consolidated itself as leading salon producing brilliant hair styling in not only the salon but in photographic work and on the runway, as well as producing another groundbreaking hair show entitled “The Show”. This special event was designed to feature the salon team’s creative work and pay tribute to the image makers of music.

The Show featured the John Farnham Band, Ian “Molly” Meldrum and Daryl Cotton as well as a bevy of eighty brilliant salon models and dancers. Like Patrick’s earlier Art direction for the Clip Joint, The Show was ground breaking for its time.
While the Twin Street salon was Patrick’s preferred location, a further move was soon warranted with the rumoured then eventual financial collapse of the properties landlords. Rather than risk being unable to trade due the buildings closure, a move back to Hindley Street Adelaide in 1981 would see Patrick and his team put down roots that would be the salon’s home for the next seven years.

Hindley Street during the 50s through to the 80’s had been home to many of Adelaide’s leading salons but as the seedier element moved in, the iconic entertainment street began making it a less than suitable location. Furthermore as a result of a decline in city patronage by shoppers and clients alike, Patrick moved the salon finally to King William Road Hyde Park in 1988.

The Hyde Park move while aesthetically pleasing and financially rewarding would later herald a change of direction for Patrick and in 1992 a chance offer to become a Hairdressing Educator with Delva was accepted by Patrick, and a new career path in hair was about to begin. From Technical Educator for Delva & Wella, Patrick would go on to become the National Technical/Marketing Manager for KMS Australia. This company would later become ‘That Hair Care’ for which Patrick was the brand Marketing Manager and Product Designer.

The success of That Hair Care would pave the way for Patrick to begin his own hair care brand and in October of 1997 GIRLBOY hair candy was born. This alternative youth brand was a fresh new face in the Australian hair care industry and created quite an impact on its release.

During this time Patrick became quite sought after as a product designer and as a result began free lance work on behalf of Trevor Sorbie, Quantum and Dateline Imports along with a number of boutique hair care brands for Australia’s leading salons.

In 2001 Patrick entered into an agreement that would see him become the International Marketing Manager for Artav Australia. This move also saw the sale of the GIRLBOY hair candy brand to Artav as a result of their ability to take the brand to a world market that it still enjoys to this day. Patrick’s time at Artav saw the implementation and creation of a number great niche hair care brands including the successful ATV, Static Free FM, Movie Tone Hues and Bobby Pinn Salon Fuels. All of these brand concepts were created by Patrick and have enjoyed success both here and overseas.

In a complete career shift in July of 2003 Patrick began managing the career of his son Jet who at the time was a budding singer songwriter. Six months earlier Jet had recorded a self funded four track demo in Adelaide that would later be picked up and released by Warner Music Australia. Together they had achieved what some would call the Holy Grail in music careers, a record deal.

The debut release “Are Ya Gettin On?” went top 20 in Australia. The old saying be careful what you wished for was never more precise, as in this case six months after signing with Warner the company was sold internationally and with its sale went many of the company’s staff and artists. As a result of the Warner’s sale Jet was now a free agent and together with father Patrick moved to Melbourne the home of Rock in Australia to form a new band namely “The Gear”.

Three piece band The Gear would go on to record with Aria winning producer Paul McKercher and receive critical acclaim and national airplay for The Gear EP. The Gear toured the US and Canada on two occasions and were twice selected to play at the world’s leading music festival SXSW in Austin Texas. The Gear‘s popularity on the competitive Melbourne music scene was further cemented with them winning the Coke Live Unsigned Band Competition in 2006. In 2007 Patrick’s hairdressing career beckoned once again though in the space of time that he was in Melbourne, regular visits back to Adelaide meant Patrick’s loyal client’s hair was always being maintained while he was living the Rock N’ Roll lifestyle.

Along with these visits back to Adelaide, Patrick continued design work on hair care brands and as a result of his industry knowledge in early 2007 he was asked to become the Editor of the Australian Hairdressers Journal. As Editor Patrick had the opportunity to write many informative articles as well as interview some of his long time Hair Hero’s including Edward Beale, Lloyd Lomas, Jonathan Antin and Fernando Romero. In 2010 Patrick was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award for his services to the Australian Hairdressing Industry. More recently while editing one of Australia’s leading hairdressing magazines the AHJ and managing The Gear, Patrick also opened his latest salon in Adelaide namely Love Hair, which he describes as the ‘love child’ of the original Patrick O’Rourke Hairdressers.

Love Hair still maintains Patrick’s strong affinity with music and displays the same swagger that was evident in his original city salon, and as then he along with his talented Love Hair Team still produces great hairdressing at their busy Prospect and Blackwood salons. With a career spanning forty years and no signs of slowing down, Patrick intends to continue servicing his brilliantly loyal clientele, while training what he believes will be many of Australia’s future great hairdressers.

PRODUCTS

At Love Hair we pride ourselves on the quality of work we provide our valued salon clients.

To further to assist the Love Hair team in doing so we always use and recommend only the very best of professional and retail hair care products available in the world today.

Love Hair is proudly associated with REDKEN and use their extensive range of hair care products in the majority of our in salon professional services.

We also stock a full range of REDKEN, Wella and Sebastian home hair maintenance products to suit every hair type, as well as a cool selection of the world’s leading hair care brands from which to choose your next hair care purchase.

The Love Hair Salon is the ‘love child’ so to speak, of renowned Adelaide salon Patrick O’Rourke Hairdressers that was established on King William Street Adelaide in 1978. Patrick O’Rourke has been at the forefront of Australian hairdressing for almost forty years both as a Stylist, Educator, Product Designer and Marketer.Love Hair is Patrick and his brilliant team’s latest hair escapade!

Love Hair specialises in great cutting,styling and colouring for both new,maintenance and corrective colour work.As a former Technical Consultant with Wella Australia and a recent recipient of a AHFA Life Time Achievement Award,Patrick and the Love Hair team would ‘love’ to take care of all your hair care needs!

Love Hair in Prospect East, Adelaide, SA is listed under Hair Salons Specialising in Hair Tinting, Mens Hair Cuts, Hair Streaks.

Some other services offered by Love Hair are Blowdry, Hairdressing Services, Hair Foils, Hair Tints, Hair Straightening, Hair Cuts, Kids Hair Cuts, Hair Colour.

Contact Love Hair to make your next appointment.

Services

Menu and Price List menu-and-price_list

Reviews

“I look forward to having my hair done at Love Hair salon. Nikki knows just how to style & colour my hair to my liking! The music playing during my visit puts me in the mood. �”

“Fantastic job !! Loved the atmosphere and extra attention paid when you visit. Definitely going back !!”

“Love Hair is a unique salon . I get my hair done by Nikki whilst talking to the owner about anything and everything . My favourite discussion Rod Stewart. Have never had a bad hair do yet. If you ask to be called if they have a cancellation – they remember and call you!!”

“What a great salon tucked away in Northpark. The staff are always friendly and they know there stuff. Perfect place for a little “me” pampering.”

“Been using love hair for several years – ALWAYS happy with the service :-)”