We all know that there is a deep connection between our hair and our state of mind. There is this famous line from Flea bag: “Hair is everything… it makes the difference between a good day and a bad day,” and as a woman, the first thing you’re warned about after a breakup is “don’t change your hairstyle!” Although we all know this connection exists, the professional hair industry itself has only just started to talk openly about it. That’s where Adam Reed comes in.
Reed is a legend in the hairdressing industry with a resume and list of awards to envy. In his 30-year career, he has worked with Madonna (he styled her hair in the ““Me against the music” video), Sophie Dahl, Lady Gaga and Harry Styles. We first met during Pride Month 2023 when I visited his salon in Covent Garden for a styling appointment before hosting an event with actor Elliot Page at London’s Southbank Centre. Reed, himself a gay man, offered free appointments for Pride to members of the LGBTQ+ community, something he also did for key NHS workers in 2020 – community is important to him, as is promoting wellbeing and mental health.
He is originally from Somerset and now lives in London with his partner Kenny and son Riley: ARCHIVE by Adam ReedThe name of the salon and the associated hair care range is derived from her initials. Since then, it has become a staple in my at-home hair washing, conditioning and styling routines. The products are luxurious and beautifully scented, at affordable prices. The brand also has an incredible backstory: it was founded after the lockdowns during the pandemic hit so many of us hard, not least Reed himself. He wanted to create something that celebrated the importance of looking after one’s mental health.
We met with him to talk about why this conversation is so important to him.
Shon Faye: Hi Adam. Let’s start with the name of your brand: Arkive Headcare. The name itself is a play on words: it’s about the relationship between caring for our head, meaning our hair, and our head, meaning our mental health. Could you talk a little about why you wanted to build a range of products around mental health?
Adam Reed: I think it’s because my own mental health has been so impacted my whole life, and especially during the pandemic when I’ve really had to talk about it. I realised that identity has a huge impact on mental health – I’ve had to struggle with my identity, which I did as a young person. But I’ve also realised that we’re actually really strong as communities and that the beauty industry has this incredible sense of community. That’s something I’ve really held onto throughout my career.
When we adopted our son Riley, we did a lot of the things my grandmother did with me, like spraying him with perfume and then hugging him, brushing his hair, bathing him, washing his hair, all those things. And suddenly I realised how important those things are for bonding. I had a breakdown in the first lockdown when I came out of hospital and was struggling and feeling like I had lost myself. I realised that these everyday things are enormously helpful in making you feel a little bit better.
Shon Faye: I’m interested in this point about community in the hair industry. What does that look like to you?
Adam Reed: As hairdressers and creatives, we have this amazing community where people can come in and sit with us, and we can talk and share. That’s part of head care. And it’s an important part of it. During the pandemic, I’ve missed the connection with my clients, and that’s affected my head. It’s such a safe space. As a man who’s been doing this for a long time, I’m so in people’s safe space – with my hands, my body. My clients sit there, and I’m so close to them! It’s a very personal thing.
Shon Faye: If you ask someone if there is a connection between hair and wellbeing, most people will say yes. However, in the hair industry – the industry you have worked in for a long time – mental wellbeing and emotions have only recently started to be discussed explicitly, although it is well known. Do you agree that it is a relatively new topic and if so, why now?
Adam Reed: Well, as hairdressers we’ve always been described as free therapists. That should be on our CVs because people share things with us. Since I started speaking publicly about my own mental health about 14 years ago, people have come to my salon just to talk to me about it. But it’s such a safe space that people feel quite comfortable talking and sharing. I think as hairdressers we’re empathetic, we’re a bit of a sponge. I don’t want to generalise but I think a lot of people in the creative industries suffer from mental illness. It’s definitely a two-way conversation. We don’t give advice because we’re not necessarily trained to do that. It’s about us opening the conversation.
Shon Faye: One thing I love about your products themselves is the scent. I feel like fragrances have disappeared from most hair care products in recent years, but using a shampoo with fragrance feels more luxurious. I’ve heard the scent is related to your childhood – could you say a bit more about that?
Adam Reed: When I was really struggling with my identity as a young boy in Somerset, where I grew up, scents were a real suit of armour for me. But the scents I chose often provoked a reaction because I never understood why scents are gendered, why some things are considered feminine and some things are considered masculine – I thought, ‘if you like a smell, you like a smell.’ The narrative element of scents for me is absolutely crucial to my mental health. It’s always been a huge part of my identity and it’s what I’ve been able to really hold on to. I believe scents have an incredible impact on how you feel. When you smell something that you have a strong happy memory associated with, it makes you happy.
Archive should always be perfumed. Nobody, Elsie was inspired by memories of my grandmother and Future bloom is a “gender-neutral” floral fragrance: it’s meant to express that floral is actually a great scent that anyone can wear. It’s so popular that in September 2024 I’m launching four unique fragrances that can be worn alone or layered, which I’m very excited about.
Shon Faye: The brand name “Arkive” is named after your family – you, your partner Kenny and your son Riley. This puts your identity as a gay man and your family life at the center. Despite the stereotype that straight people have of the gay barber or others, many LGBTQ+ people don’t really feel safe in hair salons, whether it’s gay men or masculine lesbians at the barber’s or trans women experiencing microaggressions in salons: In fact, hair salons are not always super safe for our community. Why is it important to you to be open about your identity?
Adam Reed: Because I fought for so long, I was bullied as a child because I am gay. I saw We are all strangers recently and I saw It is a sinand they reminded me of my childhood in the 80s. When you look back, you realise that it was a really tough time. Saying at school that I wanted to be a hairdresser just gave the bullies more ammunition. I struggled with my identity as a gay man for a long time. A very, very long time.
When Kenny and I got married eight years ago, for years I found it really hard to call him my husband. It just didn’t sound right when I put it on my lips! Then we adopted Riley, and I think when you focus on London, it’s a bit like saying, ‘Oh, it’s so easy to be in London and be gay or trans or lesbian or whatever you are and whatever you identify as.’ It’s not that easy. And for me it’s about making sure people don’t feel the way I used to feel. And that I don’t always get everything right, and as a 50-year-old man, sometimes I get really confused by how life has moved on so quickly. But I will always support it and I’m always there to really listen and learn. And I think salons are great places to do that.
