Valentine’s Hair Inspiration

Mark McCarthy, owner of local salon MARKDAVID, on Valentine’s date night hairstyles and how to create them at home:

HOLLYWOOD WAVES – for romantic dinners out what better hairstyle than big, voluminous, Hollywood waves.

This is a fantastic and very popular hair choice for those who want to make an effort on their date nights, where they can come into the salon to receive a bouncy blow-dry or pin curls to help achieve the look.

I always like creating this look with pin curls to achieve curls with maximum bounce and volume. I also love pairing this style with a deep side parting, which as well as adding further volume and height to the style, also adds to the glamour of the look.

Before blow-drying and then styling with curling tong and pinning into place, I always mist some volumising spray to give the hair added volume and lift and finish with a hairspray to give the curls hold and a light shine.


CRIMPScrimped hair and loose waves have made a major comeback for 2022 and for Valentine’s this is a great way to style your hair and experiment with a look out with the ordinary hair ups and curls.

Hair crimping instantly gives the hair drama and volume and is the perfect look if you want to make a lasting impression! If your hair is naturally straight, this is a great way to add texture and to update your hairstyle for date night.

Always use a heat defence spray prior to crimping your hair and once complete, finish by spritizing some texture spray through the finished look for further texture and hold for a more edgy look.

If you prefer a polished appearance, a shine spray, which will give your waves softness and a beautiful shine. If you don’t have crimpers on hand, sleep overnight with braids to create a similar look!


LOW SLEEK BUN – If you prefer a hair up, a topknot or low sleek bun are perfect choices for Valentine’s and look incredibly elegant and chic.

Decide on your bun style and ensure to use a hair serum such to sleek your hair off of the face and get rid of any frizz and flyaways before creating the bun. I love teaming a low with a bun to give the look added drama.

Firstly create your ponytail at the name of the neck and then create your braid (take your serum again and distribute a small amount through your mid lengths and ends before creating your braid for manageability and shine).

Once the braid is complete, gently pull at some sections of the braid to give it volume and then wrap it around the base of your ponytail to create your bun.

Top award for Edinburgh salon

MARKDAVID Salon wins Salon Design Category at the 2021 Salon Business Awards

The Salon Business Awards 2021 held at Quaglino’s in London on 19 July 2021 Photography by DFphotography.co.uk/Danny Fitzpatrick Credit : DFphotography.co.uk

Local salon, MARKDAVID, has won the Salon Design category in this year’s Salon Business Awards.

The glamorous awards ceremony, which took place at the decadent Quaglino’s in London, saw over 250 guests turn up in an event that brought the industry back together in the way we remember – with hugs, dancing and networking from start to finish!

Guests were greeted by a saxophonist before the awards announcement began and the MARKDAVID salon was announced as the winner of the Salon Design category.

Created by industry trade magazine Salon Business, the awards are one of the most prestigious awards in the industry and for the MARKDAVID salon to be awarded as the winner of the category amongst hundreds of entrants, is an incredible achievement.

Each entry was judged by representatives from prestigious professional hair brands including Schwarzkopf Professional, Remi Cachet, Paul Mitchell, iSalon and Unite, as well as award-winning hairdressers including Errol Douglas MBE and Guy Kremer.

Salon Business Publishing Editor Joanne Charlton said: “The SBAwards Grand Final brought the industry back together in the way we remember – with hugs, with dancing and networking from start to finish.

“We were proud to give the winners the recognition they deserve in glorious surroundings filled with friends. Each of the winners truly represent everything that’s good about our industry – dedication, hard work, creativity and togetherness.”

Mark McCarthy, Owner of the MARKDAVID salon commented: “When our salon was called out as the winner of the Design Salon category at this year’s Salon Business Awards we were absolutely thrilled!

“Last year we were awarded runner-up in the category and to win this year meant a great deal to us, having worked so hard throughout the lockdown period to expand the salon and make it even bigger and better for our clients.

“To have all of our team in London for the awards to celebrate was truly fantastic and a night to remember!”

For further information on MARKDAVID, please contact Alex Hamilton by emailing: alex@ajc93.com.