How Hairstylist Rachael Banjo Uses Her Craft as a Vehicle For Individuality and Expression

Hair holds a complex place in our lives. Hours spent battling texture or fighting how we feel or determining who we are is as powerful as it is consuming. But for all the pain, hair is an incredible tool for sharing an extension of our identity with the world. For London-based hairstylist Rachael Banjo, this is precisely the point she wants to prove. This idea sits at the heart of her work.

At 26 years old, Rachael’s work has been featured in Elle UK, Marie Claire and Vogue, each shining a light on her versatile styling. From falling into the craft to now taking the lead, Rachael finds joy in unlocking new sides to herself, and wants to encourage us to do the same. 

Rachael’s journey begins where most great origin stories do - with those closest to her. “It wasn’t intentional but out of boredom, I would just watch her,” she says of her childhood observing her auntie braid hair. It didn’t take long until her curiosity soon became hands-on when aged eight, she received a Bratz styling head. “All the teachers would know who was hanging out with me because they would come back to class with two braids in their hair!” she chuckles. Fast forward eight years and plenty of schoolyard practice, Rachael began taking on clients in a more official capacity, before betting on herself backstage during an acting job to seek work as a hairstylist on future projects. This would put Rachael exactly where she now knew she wanted to be, besides in the chair. 

Through her work, Rachael encounters a microcosm of the wider world, where hair exists as part of a much bigger picture. “It’s one of the first things you see. Before you get to know someone. We as people move off our first looks and energy.” This observation goes deeper than hair, since it does not exist in a silo. 

Life can feel like a rat race balancing our appearance, negotiating the social signals we send out versus our intentions behind these styling decisions, and our identities laid bare for daring to be seen. Perhaps most striking is the emotional weight carried by something so seemingly ordinary. Hair is a visible signature, unspoken denotation of who someone may be, and one of the first ways we occupy space in the world. So how we choose to present ourselves will inevitably stir up any emotion - good or bad. 

On the job, Rachael recognises a transformation in the people she works with as they come alive on set. Presence, she suggests, is something felt “not even through words, but through how you carry yourself and how you move.” She can smell an aura that allows these people to command respect. Yet there is an interesting tension when you see first-hand that the finished look rarely tells the whole story. “Your favourite celebs or style inspo aren't always creating these concepts by themselves. It’s a whole mechanism of people coming together with the end product to share with an audience. We all have an important part to play.” Maybe a dose of realness for an industry built on image? Or perhaps that is part of what makes the work so rewarding, taking part in the craft which constantly explores identity.

It is through exploration that we understand ourselves better, taking possibility and running with it because well, why not?! “Hair is an expression of who you may be. You're giving someone an insight into your world before they get to know who you are for real,” Rachael says. After all, hair is not fixed - there is no life sentence attached. She likes to heed this message too. “New character unlocked - now I’m moving different!” speaking on trying a red wig to revamp her look. Why not stretch your comfort zone if the option is there?

In showcasing hair versatility, Rachael proves that there is beauty in experimentation and manipulating hair in ways our younger selves would not believe. “Back when we were younger, getting your hair done was just to put your hair away so we don't have to deal with it.” There has been a mindset shift giving room for hair to flex versatility and engage with trends.

And this can happen away from backstage hustle. “I love the era that we’re in where people are trying to do things themselves and experiment,” she says of people having agency over how they want to look.  Suffice to say, she takes on her own advice. “I don’t want to be boxed into doing just one thing, I don’t want people to limit me.” It’s all about keeping possibilities open to being more than one version of ourselves, moving away from a monolithic view of beauty.

Many Black women juggle social expectations and self-expression. A 2026 report conducted by World Afro Day revealed 70% of respondents with afro-textured hair cited hiding or covering hair as a consequence of Afro-textured hair discrimination, with over 50% of respondents acknowledging a risk of unfair treatment or even career limitation. So reminders that there is no one way to be beautiful or accepted are both powerful and necessary. 

It has taken a great deal of work to reach this point. “If you scroll to the bottom of my Instagram page… it's a scary sight!” she laughs thinking about way back when, and the progress is not lost on her. “I look back to doing hair out of my parents’ house -  them thinking it’s just a hobby for the summer - to now seeing the places I’ve gone to and the people I can meet today… It’s surreal.” And in Q4 the progress has not stalled, with a fresh appointment as a Dyson ambassador. 

Having previously worked with the brand on various projects, she widens her scope to representing the beauty giant at masterclasses and shoots, among other exciting opportunities. For a hairstylist who has built her career through persistence and a willingness to back herself, this is huge. As she puts it, “See what hard work can get you and see the rooms and respect you can get from people you also respect,” spoken with pure gratitude. It is an exciting prospect that will allow more people to see why she is an important, emerging creative who platforms versatility in styling. Her trajectory has reinforced her belief that there is always more to explore, both in her craft and in herself. “There’s no limitations.”