This week, we speak with Maria Dowling, the founder of mariadowling salon and the OG hair stylist and colourist in Dubai. Welcome to the weekly series where we speak to some incredible entrepreneurs and businesswomen both based in the UAE and globally to find out about their career paths that led them to where they are now; what their daily routines look like; the advice they’d give to those starting out; and the hurdles they’ve had to overcome. Mariadowling salon is known for its hair colour techniques that lend a natural and an all-year sun kissed effect for a subtle and flattering transformation.
Specialising in hair colour treatments, this gem of a tucked quietly away on an assuming neighborhood along Al Mina Street, attracts a loyal client base of residents looking to refresh their look. I absolutely loved English at school. During the school holidays I worked in a salon in my native town of Kilkenny in Ireland.
Initially, when I left school, I wanted to be a police officer, but I was too young to enter the profession. So, I ended up going back into the salon and spending a year working there. When I finally was the age, I needed to be to enter the police force, I realized I had enjoyed working at the salon so much that it was what I wanted to do for a living, so I moved to Dublin for two months to do a finishing course.
To become a fully qualified hair stylist takes four years but as I had only completed one year and two months, I spent the next two years working in.