Working in a salon “saved” Kaitlin Horsforth’s life – now she wants to give back to hairdressing students
Kaitlin Horsforth, 25, is determined to open her own hairdressing academy (Image: Kaitlin Horsforth )
A mother-of-three from Pudsey has set the ambitious goal to start her own hairdressing academy, after hairdressing “saved her life.”
Kaitlin Horsforth, 25, from Pudsey, Leeds, was only 16 when she was “kicked out” of her home. Kaitlin explained that she had never considered hairdressing, but a small apprentice role in a local salon was the first place that would hire her, and she has been “hooked” ever since.
Kaitlin said: “I then ended up moving in with a boyfriend’s mum, thankfully, she was kind enough to take me in. Within a few weeks, I started a little Saturday job in a salon to bring in enough money to get to school and back.”
Kaitlin named her salon after her two daughters, Milly and Willow (Image: Kaitlin Horsforth )
Kaitlin explained that getting that job “saved her life” and helped her get back on her feet. Kaitlin said: “I don’t know where I would be in life; it’s one of my passions.”
Since beginning her training in 2016, Kaitlin has gone from strength to strength. Now in 2026, Kaitlin owns a little salon in Pudsey named ‘Millow Haus’ after her daughters, Milly and Willow.
Kaitlin, who recently gave birth to her third child, said: “I’ve always said that I’ll show them, no matter the cards you’re dealt – what’s important is how you play them.”
But now, Kaitlin wants to go one step further by giving back to a community that changed her life “drastically”. Kaitlin’s fear is that industry education is expensive for students from low-income backgrounds and that apprenticeships are hard to come by post-Covid.
Kaitlin said: “Many people will know hairdressing apprenticeships have taken an unfortunate nosedive, due to poor standards of education and high costs for businesses to employ. Apprenticeships are how our industry thrives, it’s the whole basis of how we learn and move up the ranks and have done for generations. Without apprenticeships, we stand to dilute pathways into the industry and allow the standard of training to drop. We need to do something and fast.”
“Apprenticeships are how our industry thrives, it’s the whole basis of how we learn and move up the ranks”(Image: Kaitlin Horsforth )
Kaitlin’s goal is to raise between £30,000 and £50,000 to begin “Millow Haus Academy & Co”: A one-of-a-kind education hub for hairdressers to train, grow, and thrive.
Kaitlin said: “We plan to run a hybrid mix of academy and salon suites, as not only a wise financial decision guaranteeing income through suite rents, but allowing prospective students to see what’s on the other side of their NVQ.”
Alongside the training, the academy would aim to provide in-house funding and grant opportunities to close the barriers preventing young people and career switchers from joining the industry. Kaitlin said: “I myself struggled; the kits you’re expected to buy can surpass £300 easily, and this is a detrimental burden, and for many, the reason they don’t start. The main part of this programme will be funded through social media income and a percentage of rentals of our hosting room.”
The goal is currently to find a space that would include enough room for a hosting/demo room for industry leaders, a theory room, a practical salon for trainees, plus space for six to eight salon suites, basin areas, and a sizeable kitchen/breakroom, all with the hopes of offering many routes of employment for the area as well as opportunities for the upcoming generations of hairdressers.
Despite the challenge, Kaitlin said she is confident in her ability to set up the academy: “I may only be a 25-year-old mum, but I hope this, myself and this project can bring endless benefits for the industry and local communities. Hairdressing changed my life- drastically.
“I know it can for others too. Even if we don’t raise the funds in time, Millow Haus Academy is coming… Maybe just when the right premises comes along.”
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