READ this feature article in Mocha Magazine
The Urgent Need to Upskill in 2026
By Hayley Mears 
The future of hairdressing education is no longer a distant projection; it’s a rapidly unfolding reality shaped by Artificial Intelligence. For Australian salon owners, educators, and corporate beauty brands, the time for passive observation is over.
The transformative speed of AI demands real-time adaptation in our skill sets, or we risk being left behind entirely. Let’s be blunt: this is how your competitors will overtake you. While it might sound intense or like a utopian Hunger Games where only the fastest adapt, that is the reality of business as we step into 2026. We are operating in a climate where 34% of Australian salon businesses closed in 2024 (oof, yeah, that’s one hell of a wake-up call if you haven’t already been slapped in the face by your P&L) It’s that age old case of the rhetoric “get comfortable, with being uncomfortable”, which is easier said than done when you are in a spiral of overwhelm.
We need to lean in, not pull away, from innovation to secure our future. The easiest and most comfortable way to do that is to find the right person to walk you through the AI onboarding process in small and digestible steps.
Follow the link to read the full article
https://mochagroup.com.au/ai-in-the-commercial-world-of-hairdressing/
Hayley Mears
Six Underground Media | Cutting Through The Noise Podcast
@sixundergroundmedia | @haylsmears | @cuttitngthroughthenoise.podcast
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