Helen Wegener
founder — willow hair, eugene, oregon
Helen founded Willow Hair in December 2009 after training in Adelaide under the Sassoon methodology, managing salons in Sydney, and spending a decade working in Los Angeles. She built Willow as the salon she always wanted to work in — one where craft, collaboration, and genuine client care were the standard, not the exception.
“Bloom where you are planted.”
Helen is not currently taking new clients. Her focus is on the salon’s direction and her select longtime clients. Her page is here because her story is the foundation of everything at Willow.
background
Helen began her career with a four-year apprenticeship at Gentiles in Adelaide, Australia — one of the country’s most respected salons, founded by stylists trained under Vidal Sassoon in London. She trained under Tony Gentile in the Sassoon methodology before moving to Sydney, where she took a management role at Split Enz in Neutral Bay. Then London, then Los Angeles, where she worked at Einsteins and Off The Top in Venice — a salon in orbit around the film industry. A decade in LA. A return to Australia. Then Eugene, where she opened Willow.
Her continuing education includes Schwarzkopf Educator training in Los Angeles and Bumble and Bumble cutting certification. She has been in this industry since 1981 — and is still excited for what comes next.
specialties
Precision cuts · Bobs & pixies · Root touch-ups & all-over color · Lightly textured precision bobs
what clients say
“I’ve been a client at Willow Hair for over 20 years. I’m truly grateful for Helen’s experience and skill in helping me transition to new styles and color as my hair has changed. I feel like a new person every time I walk out of the salon!”
— cathy Barber
“I’ve been going to Helen Wegener at Willow Hair for over 20 years and I always love my cut and color. Wouldn’t go anywhere else!”
— Julie Ogle
“Even though I have moved from Eugene to the Oregon Coast, I still come back once a month to get my cut and color!”
— Lisa Emond
“Got the best haircut ever. And the owner, Helen, is wonderful and super friendly. I can’t recommend it highly enough!”
— Fern Thompsett