Success Stories

Current international student, Thomas Fenech, studies his Level IV Certificate in Trichology from Malta.

Thomas is a highly experienced hair professional, with a career stretching over almost 40 years. Thomas and his wife Rose run Thomas Hair & Beauty Studio, one of the best known salons on Malta, situated in the town of Balzan in the heart of the island. Thomas has a high profile locally – he has a high-end client base and a regular live spot on a Maltese television programme where he offers advice to callers on their hair problems.

Thomas began his career in a local hotel salon, and then opened his own business, the first of the three salons he’s run over the years. Soon afterwards, he was invited to work as an educator and trainer by the Italian product manufacturer Framesi. This took him to Milan, and then all over the world, demonstrating new trends and products at shows, conferences and trade fairs. He’s a regular at the leading international beauty event Cosmoprof.

Experienced Thomas may be, but he knew there was still more to learn:

“Like most hairdressers, I often see clients who are worried about their hair and scalp. I can give them some advice, and my time talking to the researchers at our product brand has given me some insights, but I’ve always wanted to know much more about the causes of my clients’ problems. That way I can be of real help to them.”

Being based in Malta didn’t make it easy for Thomas to find where he could pursue his passion to learn more, but a friend told him about TrichoCare’s online Courses which can be studied wherever you are in the world. He talked to TrichoCare’s Jackie Passey about what the Courses involved, and he was hooked. “At Jackie’s suggestion, I took TrichoCare’s Introduction to Trichology Course first. Once I’d started and got used to studying online, I really enjoyed it!” he remembers.

Thomas then moved straight on to the Level 4 Certificate, and is now half way through the modules. “Again I’m really enjoying it,” he says, “some of it covers familiar subject matter, but other areas, like anatomy and chemistry, are new. It can be challenging, but it makes you realise how everything in the body is connected, and so you get a much deeper understanding of how things can go wrong with the hair and scalp.”

COVID has meant that everyone has faced even more financial pressures than usual, but this didn’t deter Thomas from continuing his studies: “This is an investment in my career, my future and the well-being of my clients. It really does make sense.” And he has nothing but praise for the support he’s getting from the Course tutors: “Studying again at my age isn’t always easy, but Keith Barker-Jones, the Course Director, has been fantastic in helping me. I was particularly concerned about the written assignments at first, but now I’m much more confident in tackling them.”

Thomas plans to make trichology his main focus in the future, with a separate trichology consultancy and also advising in local health clinics: “There are so many clients out there who need our help with their hair and scalp problems. And TrichoCare’s Level 4 Certificate is an amazing Course. So interesting. Every hairdresser should do it!”