A Cut Above: How Hair by Rach Is Making an Impact Beyond the Salon

For Rachael Sprigg, hairdressing has never been simply about how somebody looks when they leave the chair.

After almost 25 years in the industry, the Leicester hairdresser and woman behind Hair by Rach has seen first-hand how powerful a haircut, a conversation and an hour of somebody’s undivided attention can be.

Now she is increasingly using the skills she has spent decades developing to make that difference beyond the salon too — from cutting hair to support children experiencing hair loss to giving her time to community projects supporting people who may not ordinarily have access to the salon chair.

“I love giving back to the community because not everybody can afford to have the resources that I have, to be pampered and made to feel good, even if it’s just for a little while,” says Rachael.

From starting out at 15 to nearly 25 years behind the chair

Rachael’s career in hair began when she was just 15, undertaking work experience at Toni & Guy before progressing through Saturday and full-time roles.

Over the years she has developed a particular love of precision cutting, colour and transformations, but it is the person underneath the hair that remains at the centre of her work.

Rachael believes the consultation and conversation can be every bit as important as the technical skills.

“Doing somebody’s hair can make them feel amazing. It can brighten their day,” she explains.

“It’s the conversation, the human touch, even something like a head massage that can make somebody feel relaxed. Then it’s about creating something that is right for them — their head, their face and who they are.

“I really enjoy transforming somebody’s hair to fit them. When they look at it and they’re happy, that’s what I love.”

Her own experiences have also shaped the way she approaches her work.

Having worked from a young age, Rachael understands what it means to graft for the opportunities you want. She is equally conscious that many people are dealing with difficult circumstances, trauma and financial pressures that can make something as ordinary as visiting a hairdresser feel like a luxury.

It is one of the reasons community work has become increasingly important to her.

Taking the salon chair into the community

In 2025, Rachael volunteered her skills at #LookGoodFeelGood, a Leicester community event bringing hair and beauty professionals together to help people feel better about themselves.

It was there that she properly got to know Jesse James, a much-loved member of Brotherhood Legion CIC who was passionate about giving back to his community.

Although Rachael had seen Jesse around over the years through mutual connections, working alongside him gave her the opportunity to really get to know him.

Despite Rachael’s own decades of experience, Jesse was still able to teach her something.

She remembers him showing her how to create a wolf cut and helping her with the particularly challenging task of working through severely matted hair.

It is a memory that has stayed with her — not simply because of what he taught her, but because of the way he was always willing to step in, share his knowledge and help somebody else.

“He was always helping,” says Rachael. “He was just a beautiful soul. When he got going he was fun, and he was just a really cool guy.”

The pair connected following the event and began discussing how they could do more.

Their idea was to take the ethos behind Look Good Feel Good and make it more regular, working together as stylists to provide haircuts for homeless people on an ongoing basis rather than limiting that support to occasional events.

Sadly, they would never get the opportunity to put those plans into action together.

Jesse recently passed away, leaving his family, friends and community grieving the loss of someone Rachael describes as a man who was always willing to show up for other people.

“I was absolutely gutted,” she says.

“I was really looking forward to working with him. He would want everyone to come together and continue. He’d want everyone to still do it, and I think he’d be happy knowing that we were carrying on.”

Continuing Jesse’s legacy

This September, Rachael will return to #LookGoodFeelGood — but this year’s event will have an altogether deeper meaning.

Organised by Reiss Loftus of Brotherhood Legion CIC, #LookGoodFeelGood will take place on 16 September at The Centre Project, Alfred Street, Leicester, and this year’s event will be held in celebration of Jesse’s life.

Rachael will once again be there with her scissors, giving her time and skills to support the community.

For her, continuing the work is one way of ensuring that the plans and conversations she shared with Jesse don’t simply disappear with him.

And her community work isn’t stopping there. Rachael is planning further charity haircuts from November as she continues exploring ways to use her profession to support people who need it.

Hair with a purpose

Rachael has already demonstrated that commitment elsewhere this summer.

She recently stepped in at Abbey Mela after being asked at short notice to help cut hair being donated to The Little Princess Trust, which provides real-hair wigs to children and young people experiencing hair loss.

One of those stepping forward was Bella, who donated her hair for the cause, with Rachael carrying out the cut.

The event, which also featured a performance from Britain’s Got Talent winners Rak-Su, gave Rachael another opportunity to use an everyday part of her profession for something much bigger.

Anything involving children and cancer is particularly close to her heart.

“I absolutely adore doing anything I can for charities, especially when it comes to children and cancer,” she says.

“To think that we can do something that can help make their day is unreal. It was beautiful to be a part of.”

When business skills become community skills

Small businesses are often described in terms of turnover, growth, customers and jobs.

But businesses are also collections of skills — and those skills can have value far beyond the customers paying for them.

For Rachael, that skill happens to involve a pair of scissors.

A haircut cannot solve homelessness, grief, childhood cancer or the difficult circumstances somebody may be living through.

But Rachael knows it can give somebody a moment.

A chance to sit down, have a conversation and experience human connection.

An opportunity to be looked after.

And, perhaps most importantly, the chance to look in the mirror afterwards and feel a little better than they did before.

As Rachael approaches the next chapter of Hair by Rach, she wants community work to remain part of both her business and the person behind it.

Nearly 25 years after first stepping into a salon as a teenager, success for Rachael is no longer measured solely by what happens behind her own chair.

Sometimes, it’s about taking that chair to somebody who needs it.