Meet our friendly team of professionals who can't wait to welcome you to our award-winning salon! 

• Voted #1 Best salon in the City in 2021
• #1 Salon in the 2020 Times Colonist Reader's Choice Awards
• Voted the Best Salon in BC in 2020 and Best Hair Stylist 2019: Philip Ferreira 
• Award-winning master stylists with over 30 years' of experience
• The only official Bellami Hair Extension certified salon on Vancouver Island
• Certified to offer Japanese Hair Straightening and Smoothing Treatments
• We are the only Advanced Level DevaCurl salon (a specialized cutting system from NYC) and offer curly hair extensions
• Neuma and Maria Nila cruelty-free professional products are sold here, plus our bespoke retail selection of natural and locally made products
• Outstanding customer service — visit us and see for yourself!

Interested in joining our incredible team? Visit our Careers page.

Master Stylist and Salon Co-Owner

Philip Ferreria - Level 5 
Instagram: @hairphilosophy
(Call to book, new clients welcome)

Philip was born and raised in Montreal by Portuguese immigrant parents. His father was a tailor and his mother worked by his side making leather goods. While the family struggled to make a living, Philip remembers always having beautiful leather jackets and being well supported and loved. Philip dreamt of being an architect but when the family relocated to Victoria in Grade 12, he didn’t speak enough English to attend college. With language as a barrier to education, he worked construction until he found a mentor who introduced him to the world of hair. He worked the night shift at Denny’s, travelled to Nanaimo for his BC hair license, all the while being a young father. Philip is the only Canadian to have won International Trend Vision, Sassoon trained, he’s travelled the world educating and he’s an inspiring artist and cutter. The best thing about Philip, besides his obvious talent, is he’s the kindest man you’ll ever meet. Find out more about educational opportunities to learn from Philip.

Stylists

Sarah Stratton - Level 4 stylist (DevaCurl Specialist)
Instagram: @basicunicornlooks

Sarah grew up in Nanaimo, BC and her childhood was an exception, as she was the tenth born child of twelve. Yes, you read that right! Her parents had twelve children and actually decided that together when they got engaged. Growing up in such a large family meant many joyful times, closeness and acquiring lots of “keeping the peace” skills. Sarah still has family in the centre of her life, but she’s also an ambitious career woman. As a teenager she loved playing with hair, decided what she wanted to be a stylist. She loved every second of hair school and of course she also excelled at it. She won all the awards and took the best job of all the graduates. She’s been cutting for about 15 years, with a few years off being a full-time mom. She now complements her hairstyling with makeup and leads our makeup and bridal program at the salon. 

Shaylyn Easton - Level 3
Instagram: @stylesbyshay.yyj

Shaylyn grew up in Victoria but has travelled as far as Brazil. On her journey to South America via Hawaii she was on a mission with her church to share her way of life. Her faith in Christianity and the culture of charity behind her religion is what motivates her to help others and heal the world. Hairdressing is about the art for her but also about building relationships and sharing herself. She’s an amazing listener and loves helping people feel good. Her parents own a small business where she continues to work once a week. She loves local entrepreneurs and puts her heart and soul into our team. She’s also amazing at balayage! 

Heidi Ellis - Level 5
Instagram: @heididoesthehair

Heidi was born and raised in Port Alberni. She moved off island to Vancouver, where she met her husband, formerly a member of a special forces unit (he’s now a Navy man). She missed home and moved back to Victoria with her hubby and two young boys. She went to school at Ray’s Beauty School in Vancouver and graduated in 2006. A talented stylist for over 16 years, she’s experienced in hair extensions and loves her blondes and balayage. When she’s not energetically cutting and styling hair, she loves to bake and change her own look (which she does monthly). 

Ashley Connell - Level 3
Instagram: @my_blondeobsession

Ashley travelled from her hometown of Victoria to study and work in Vancouver. She’s been doing hair for over 8 years and loves highlights, balayage and extensions. This millennial is beyond hardworking, she comes to work with us every 5 weeks from Vancouver. When she’s not hard at work at the salon, she loves the outdoors, especially in the summertime. 

 

Emylia Biegun - Level 2 Stylist
Instagram: @emyliabhair

Emylia grew up in Nanaimo and moved to Victoria in Grade 4. From the age of seven, she attended musical jams and revelled in community, singing and piano. She’s now a vocalist in her own band, plays the piano and tours the country. While in elementary school, she would watch videos about hair and makeup, then experiment on her own hair. When she got to high school she was introduced to the Vic High hair program and said to herself, “Yes!” She started with the intro class and it felt right. She loves the hands-on art form and she’s passionately working as a stylist at our salon. 

Lauren Hawley  - Level 2 Stylist

Instagram: @naturally.laurentess

Lauren is a graduate from Vancouver Island University and has completed level 2, on her way to receiving her Red Seal. She's goal-driven and ready for the many opportunities the hair industry has to offer. Lauren was born in the UK and moved to Canada at a young age. Growing up in the small town of Qualicum Beach, she has always appreciated spending time in nature. Lauren loves to hike and camp, while exploring Vancouver Island. She has a passion for travelling, seeing the world, and experiencing and celebrating different cultures. In her free time, you can find her sewing, refurbishing and reupholstering furniture, focusing on reusing and repurposing materials to create something new and beautiful. With and eye for design, it's no wonder she has pursued a career as a hairstylist! 

 

Arcelie (Anne) Lim - Level 3 Stylist

Instagram:  @hairbyannelim

This feisty Taurus is passionate about all things hair. An avid gardener, seamstress, reader and gym rat, Anne also speaks fluent Tagalog. Her first hair gig was at the age of 12, her favourite colour is rainbow and her work ethic is hardcore. She’s a master at men’s cuts, loves hair extensions and vivids.

 

Lydda Holt - Level 4 Stylist 

Instagram: @ apurepassionforhair

Born and raised in Sydney, Australia, Lydda completed a 4-year apprenticeship with Toni&Guy and then worked there as a senior stylist. Her adventurous spirit led her to wander and adventure the globe. We are lucky that she now calls Canada home! This talented and well-trained stylist loves the outdoors, music and poetry. She’s very chill, devoting herself completely to the tasks at hand. She stays inspired in the hair world with structure, passion & kindness ... she gravitates towards doers. Those are my kind of people! She sure joined the right team at The Natural.

Reegyan Leepcha - Level 4 Stylist
Instagram: @hairregain

This talented and worldly stylist of over 17 years was born in Northeastern India and brought up in Bhutan (ranked one of the happiest countries in the world!). As a young man, Reegyan had to move to southern India to take care of his family. He found his passion for hairdressing unexpectedly after an aunt gifted him a small amount of money to take his first hair course. Within just a year, he won a L’Oreal New Generation Young Colourist Award, which propelled him to a new level and new life in London, Hong Kong and Singapore, which is where he received his advanced training. A Tony and Guy trained stylist, Reegyan specializes in precision cuts and has experience working with diverse clientele with a variety of hair textures. On a personal note, Reegyan gains energy from working with a team in a creative atmosphere and is passionate about health & fitness and travelling to new places. We are happy he chose Victoria to set down roots. 

Lindsey Kim - Level 3

Instagram: @hair.by_lindsey

Lindsey is originally from Korea and has been doing hair for 6+ years. With her training at Vidal Sassoon and her experience working in busy salons in Toronto, she’s a great new asset to our team. Lindsey loves highlights, cuts and specializes in nano extensions. Lindsey has experience with textured hair from her time in Toronto and loves to do blowouts! Outside of the salon, she enjoys staying fit by hitting the gym and finding the best places to eat in town!

Paola Gaujous - Level 3

Instgram:  @paogau

Fluent in Spanish and born in Monterrey, Mexico, she’s been a Canadian for fifteen years. She has a 12-yr-old son and a dog named Dezzy. Her hair career launched in 2012 after taking the program at Academy of Excellence. A lover of professional education, she has attended hair shows from Las Vegas to Vancouver. Paola specializes in creative colours, vivids and challenging colour corrections. A traveller, her favourites are London, Barcelona, anywhere in France and Amsterdam.

Taylor Holt - Level 1

Instagram: @tayzer.beauty

Taylor was born and raised on Vancouver Island, and has lived here her entire life. Having been surrounded by a loving supportive family, they became the backbone of her drive to be successful in her career. Taylor has taken it to heart to be supportive of her clients in their decisions to feel the best in their own skin. 

Before she started doing hair, Taylor initially went to The University of Victoria to study theatre. She specialized in costume and set design, learning everything from Ancient Greek theatre to the proper way to sew on a button. She loved her career, but the need for silence backstage became a difficult task, so she opted to switch to an environment where she could be as bold and talkative as she wanted. Having some experience doing wig and makeup work, she decided to pursue a job in the beauty industry. She opted to work in a salon as an assistant for a few years to learn if she liked the industry before she went to school to be a hairdresser. Realizing that she loved every day of her career, she jumped in headfirst and has never looked back.

Naomi McCullough - Level 1 stylist

Instagram @naomibenettehair

Naomi was born in Haiti and adopted by Canadians when she was two. Raised in Maple Ridge, Naomi moved to the island eight years ago. Naomi has expertise working on braids, box braids, cornrows, crochet, butterfly locks and extensions. Her goal is to help continue to create an environment at The Natural where BIPOC feel welcomed, understood, and well-catered to. She’s into health and wellness, spending her free time hiking, cycling, doing yoga and reading. Naomi is a beautiful addition to our team.

Olivia Lucas - Apprentice

 

Currently studying at Vancouver Island University, Olivia will complete her program this December 2021. She's a hard-working young lady, talented and driven. Creative and introspective, Olivia loves to read, thrift and walk her French bulldog, Ru. Her obsession is with curly hair and she chose our salon specifically because of our advanced training in DevaCurl. Olivia is at the salon 1-2 times a week for now, but come the new year she'll hit the floor as a Level 1 stylist. 

Becca Faithful - Assistant to Philip Ferreira

Becca comes from Terrace BC and studied in Prince George. While she comes from afar, her home is now Victoria along with her two kids and partner’s family. Hair was always a hobby for Becca, but as a young mom she wanted to make a life for herself, so it became her career. Her first job as an apprentice was with a well-known stylist in PG who encouraged Becca. She’s outdoorsy, loves to set out on a good drive and wants to learn it all! Her bucket list includes mechanics and carpentry. She’s working directly with Philip, so many of you will be lucky enough to get a fabulous scalp massage by Becca. A calming presence, Becca’s goal is to soak up all the education and get behind the chair.  

Durga Phelan - Student Apprentice 

Durga was born and raised in Victoria along with her two brothers, one of them her twin. Competitive by nature, she loves to try new things. Her interest in hair came about because she used to dance and got used to have stylists do her hair. Durga is outdoorsy, loves to bake, and brews her own kombucha. She’s a student at Victoria High and works with our team on Saturdays. We love her motivation and attention to detail. She’s a gem!

 

Salon Management

Angela Funk-Theriault - Manager
Instagram: @angelafunkphotographer

With over twenty years in the beauty industry and ten years as an Advanced Nail Technician and Esthetician, Angela grounds our salon in experience and knowledge. As our salon manager, she not only takes care of the clients to her utmost, but she also cares for the staff. As if that isn’t enough, Angela is a talented photographer in her own right (she took the headshots that grace this team page). Offering elevated service, warmth and a seamless salon experience is made all the more possible with Angela running the show.

 

 

Kailey Garrett - Salon Coordinator

Instagram: @allorastudios

Kailey is 25 years old and loves all things seventies. A hopeless romantic, her dream is to live on a farm and homeschool her six kids. Her favourite thing to do to relax is to go for loooonggg drives and blast some tunes, although this doesn't happen as often as she'd like. She went to school to get a major in history and a minor in biology and then planned to go back for a post bachelor in education, but then she dropped out and decided to travel. BEST decisions she ever made! Her favourite country that she's travelled to is Australia and she thinks of it as her second home. No stranger to salon life, she’s trained as a stylist and has been a coordinator for Foundation up island and Fish around the corner. This high energy salon coordinator also runs her own business in digital media.

 

 

Natalie Grunberg-Ferreira - GM and Co-owner
Instagram: @thenaturalhairsalon

A consummate entrepreneur who has created several successful businesses and had a previous career in education. With her savvy business and management skills, she brought in all the necessary talent and professionals to run the best salon in Victoria. Her goal is to be the best employer in BC and she's off to a great start with this team!

 

On Leave

1. 

Jag Moussa - Level 4

Instagram: @jaghedrtw

Born into the industry with parents who are both stylists, Jag Moussa has loved all things hair since he picked up a comb in his teens. Boasting many awards for cut and colour performance, Jag has a strong eye for designing hair looks for both blonde and trend colour clients. Jag understands that each individual client requires an in-depth consultation allowing him to customize current trends to fit each client's ‘hairstory’ and technical needs. Jag recently lived and worked in London and has 17 years in the biz. While he’s an international traveller and has won numerous accolades, he’s looking forward to developing long-term relationships with clients here. We are lucky to have this big talent at the salon.

 

Ashley Johnstone - Level 3
Instagram: @ashleyjhair

A mother of two girls, Abbie & Charlie, Ashley graduated from Martier School of Hair Design in 2008 at the top of her class. She was a born stylist — she used to practice hair on her Barbie dolls. In the rare moment when Ashley has some free time, she loves baking, crafting and reading. When she’s hard at work at the salon, her passion is cutting and she’s a talented colourist.  Book with Ashley for your dream balayage. She’s passionate about longer hair styles, so please choose another stylist for short hair looks.

 

 

Team photos by Angela Funk-Theriault.