Cranbrook hairstylist Britany Bingham is in the running as a finalist for the Ultimate Stylist competition – an online, international hair and beauty competition with a purse of $10,000 and a feature in Life & Style magazine.

Bingham is one of 16 finalists out of nearly 10,000 who entered the competition a few short weeks ago. May 13th is the last day to vote for Bingham in this round, which, if she wins this vote, will send her into the top tier and get her one step closer to victory.

Bingham got her start with hair at a very young age. She was enamoured with braids and gave her first men’s haircut at the age of 13. Since then, she has developed a diverse style and clientele, along with the title of an elite stylist.

“I’ve been interested in becoming a hairstylist since I was around 10 years old. I was really good with braids at a young age. If I wasn’t doing hair now, I have no idea what I’d be doing. This is 100 per cent what I was meant to do,” Bingham said.

She says her signature look is diverse transformations, taking classics styles and creating modern twists, occasionally avant-garde.

“I’m best known for my advanced braiding skills and love to incorporate them with other techniques.”

Born and raised in Cranbrook, Bingham says she has no desire to move to a big city centre – her dreams are already coming true here.

“I attended the hair program at College of the Rockies with Gwen Stewart as my teacher. I’ve been with the Hair Mob here in Cranbrook for five years, since opening day, and I’m always looking to upgrade my education and learning opportunities,” she said, adding that she was able to get a job right out of school. “All of the salons here are so supportive and I was able to easily get a placement.”

Bingham has travelled to Los Angeles and Vancouver, where she participated in courses as well as another international competition, in which she was also a finalist.

She is sought after in the Cranbrook community as she is one of the only people offering services for dreadlocks, braids, hair tattoos and fades, among her other abilities.

“One of my goals is to continue to diversify the work that I do. Along with learning barbering techniques, such as straight razoring, I have lots of clients with different textures of hair. I want to continue to learn more about the products that need to be used on various kinds of hair, as well as helping to educate people like parents when it comes to their kids’ hair,” said Bingham.

Bingham is also a Hairskeen stylist, helping those who are bald or have thinning hair. Hairskeen provides clients with non-surgical hair replacement options, Bingham says, that last several weeks.

“It’s so humbling to see the confidence that someone gains [with Hairskeen]. I have had clients in their early 20’s with thinning hair and to see the smile it puts on their face and the confidence they gain is absolutely priceless,” Bingham said. “It truly changes their lives.”

Bingham says that if she won the competition, it could change her life as well.

“I would use the money to upgrade my equipment, which would mean better services for my clients,” Bingham said. “I would also be able to travel for courses that aren’t offered here, and gain mentorship from fellow stylists in Austrailia and the Middle East. Winning $10k would allow me to move forward in my career and one day open my own salon.”

To vote for Britany Bingham as the Ultimate Stylist, head over to the website at ultstylist.com/2021/britany-b. The deadline to vote is Thursday, May 13th at 7pm (MST).

If Bingham makes it to the final round, votes for the next round will start again at zero.

To see more of Bingham’s work and connect with her, visit her Instagram pages: @hairbybritanyb and @britanybraids.

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