My big fat hair salon: Hairdresser opens UK's first salon dedicated to the larger lady

For many overweight women, the idea of trip to a High Street hair salon is enough to have them running for the hills.



The average salon is a minefield for the big-boned. The gowns are too small, the mirrors are endless - and there's a very real danger of getting wedged in either chair or sink. That's not to mention the appraising stares from fellow customers - almost always thinner than you.



The list goes on and on - but now, for many women, that trauma can end as a hairdresser catering solely for fat people has opened its doors.



Safe haven: Bashar Brown created the UK's first ever salon for the larger ladies who felt intimidated visiting High Street hairdressers

Trim Bashar Brown, 31, opened his business after learning overweight clients felt discriminated against in salons full of slim women.



Bashar, from Rainham, Kent, spent £5,000 making sure his salon is fat friendly - complete with an extra-large seat, roomier gowns, and even wide-neck basins for washing hair.

For now he is running the Hair By Bashar out of his home, but plans to expand as he already has more than 50 clients after just a few months in business.



Bashar said: 'I've been a hairdresser for years. Increasingly, larger women were telling me how they hate going to the salon because they are filled with slim, glamorous women.



'For them, it feels the same as walking into a gym full of ultra-fit people. They feel like everyone is staring at them.



'I just thought - 'this isn't right!' and decided to set up a salon where overweight people would feel comfortable.

Pleased: Bashar Brown with satisfied customers, from left to right: Samantha Jessup, Sue Gent, Victoria Gent and Tony Tang

'I went out and bought a jumbo hairdressers' chair - it's the biggest seat I could find - 22 inches wide. And I bought a bunch of extra-large gowns as well.'



Bashar says he knows exactly how his clients feel as he used to be overweight himself.

He said: 'I used to weigh nearly 17 stone so I know what it's like to dread going out because people will stare at you and make rude comments.

'I've lost a lot of weight and now I'm only 14 stone. But I still remember what it was like to hate going out anywhere because of how I looked.' And Bashar's wife Julie, 37, was also an inspiration.

He said: 'She is a size 26 and weighs 22 stone and still hates going out in public.

Claire Richards from Steps, left, and Dawn French, right, would be dream clients, Bashar says. 'They have the right curves for my salon,' he added

'I love big women and think she looks fabulous but it gets her down.

'Before she met me she hated getting her hair cut and avoided it as much as possible.

'It was only when she met me that she started enjoying getting her hair done.

'It just seemed so wrong that someone as gorgeous as my wife would worry about going to the hairdressers.

'I just thought it was about time it was made an enjoyable experience for women like her.' And now Bashar hopes that he will one day get to style the hair of larger sized celebrities.