The road to the stars is a rocky one

A conversation with Veszelovszky Norbert about home, perseverance, and how a haircut can give back something of a person’s self-confidence and dignity.

Veszelovszky Norbert is a master hairdresser, trade instructor, national champion and holder of the Hairdresser of the Year title. He began his career in 2011 as an apprentice of Hajas László. Today he is the men's training stylist at the Retek utca salon of Hajas Salons and a member of the creative team.

His work has earned him numerous professional accolades. Besides his national championship title, he has also achieved something special as a teacher: his first apprentice, Veszelovszky Dóra, won the national final of the Szakma Sztárja Fesztivál (Star of the Trade Festival), and the Budapest Chamber of Commerce and Industry honoured them both with a certificate of recognition for the preparation work.

He has worked at fashion shows and Fashion Weeks, on television programmes, music videos and film sets. He worked as a hairstylist for the cast of the films Ma este gyilkolunk and Sárkányok Kabul felett, and on the set of Magyar menyegző he led his own team as head hairstylist. A long line of actors, musicians, athletes and well-known public figures have passed through his hands.

Behind the titles and successes, however, lies the story of a man whose path was anything but a given.

Norbi lost the steadying strength of a home and a secure background at a young age. Hairdressing was at first something to hold on to and a way out; later it became a vocation, an identity, and a chance to give others back some of their self-confidence.

Perhaps that is exactly why he turns so naturally towards children who themselves lack the security of a home. He regularly supports the residents of the Esze Tamás Children's Home with equipment, shared activities and free haircuts. For years he has also taken part in initiatives that help children's homes and sick children, and he takes on the role of counsellor at summer camps.

When he cuts the children's hair, he gives them more than a new hairstyle. He also gives them attention, confidence and the sense that they matter. Norbi knows exactly how much it can mean when someone becomes a steady point in another person's life, even if only for a short while.

We talked with him about what kept him going through the hardest times, and why a child's smile is worth more than any payment.

When someone sits in your chair for the first time, what would you like them to sense about you in those first few minutes?

That they're in good hands. That I'm up to date, that I keep training, and that I love what I do. Along with professional skill, I'd like to pass on a sense of calm.

How would you describe the Norbi you are today – not through your professional titles, but as a person?

I'm a guy who loves anything new. I like trying out every side of my profession, I look for challenges, and along the way I want to give back some of what I know. Cheerful, easy-going, precise and open – I think those four words are me.

At a very young age you experienced what it is like to lose your home and your security. What has stayed with you most from that time?

Mostly I remember the loneliness. There was me, and there was the trade. That's what kept me going. I knew I couldn't afford to sit back. Every single day I had to do something for myself.

What gave you strength back then, when you couldn't yet see how this could turn into a different life?

Hope, and my stubbornness. Something in me said there was no way I wouldn't make it. There was always someone in a harder situation than me, and I wanted to prove something – mostly to myself. Every morning was a decision.

Was there someone by your side who believed in you?

My aunt, Veszelovszky Viki, and my best friend, Benjamin, believed in me all the way. But first I had to believe I could do it.

If you could sit down now next to the young Norbi of back then, what would you tell him?

I'd tell him not to be impatient. Everything will turn out the way he dreamed it – he just shouldn't rush it. He should enjoy what he has right now, too, and dare to dream even bigger.

The trade that kept him going

How did hairdressing come into your life?

Through my aunt. She was already a hairdresser back then. I saw how she lived, what kind of life the trade gave her, and I wanted that too. Later we took the trade-instructor exam together, and then the master's exam as well. It was love, and at the same time a way out.

When did you first feel that you hadn't simply found a job, but something you could be truly good at?

The first time I felt that a client was getting not just a haircut but confidence too. That's when I understood this was more than a job.

What does it mean to you to be one of the leading master hairdressers at Hajas Salon today?

A childhood dream come true. A chance at the life I had always longed for. It's not just a workplace – it's also a confirmation.

When did it first really sink in how far you had come?

When I got my first apprentice. The other defining moment was when a well-known producer personally asked me to work on a feature film. I stood there and felt: this is another level now.

On your path, how much do you think came down to talent, and how much to perseverance?

My instructor at Hajas once told me: “I'm not talented, but I practised a lot. You, Norbi, are talented – so practise all the more.” That's been my motto ever since. Perseverance is what moves you forward.

What makes hairdressing more than a haircut for you?

It's what lets me be who I am. It isn't just hair – it's identity, self-expression, and a little bit of therapy too. All I can give a client is myself: my story, my attention and my knowledge. That's what makes it personal.

Does it happen that someone gets up from your chair with a different posture or in a different state of mind than when they sat down?

Fortunately, often. It's the best confirmation that I'm doing my job well. When someone sees that they look beautiful and feels they've been truly paid attention to, they get back some of their self-confidence.

Being a steady point

How did you come into contact with the young people living in the children's home?

On a film set I met Adri, who was working there as a dresser and, outside of film work, is one of the carers at the children's home. That's how it all began.

Why was it important to you to cut their hair for free?

I couldn't imagine accepting anything in this situation other than a smile, a hug or a handmade bracelet. To me it's worth more than money when they greet me in the street or look up to me.

What was your first meeting like?

At first they weren't very open, which is completely understandable. It took time for us to become friends. To begin with, they didn't even believe their hair would turn out any different from when the carers used to cut it.

What do you see in them when they look in the mirror with their finished hairstyle?

Happiness, joy and confidence. That they feel they matter to me. Nothing beats that.

Is there a sentence or an encounter that has particularly stayed with you?

Once, one of them came running up to me in the street. They've also said things about me like: “Look, he cuts just like on Insta – he can do anything.” But maybe the best question is always: “When are you coming next?” Those things really warm my heart.

When you give to them, do you feel that you are also reaching back a little to the young Norbi?

Absolutely. I'd like to believe I can be a steady point for them. At least for as long as I'm doing their hair.

What would you like them to learn about themselves from the way you treat them?

That they matter too. Very much so.

Finding home

What does home mean to you today?

It may sound superficial, but for me it's a place where I'm not at anyone else's mercy. Where I can be myself. I feel truly at home when both my private life and my work are on track and I'm in balance.

What would you say to someone who feels right now that they have nothing to hold on to and can't see the next step?

Do what you love. If you put your work and your energy into it, sooner or later it will pay off. And believe in yourself.

Quick-fire questions for Norbi – this time from the children

At the last haircut session together, the children came prepared with a few questions of their own. They didn't necessarily quiz Norbi about life's big questions – more about all the things that are really important to know about someone.

• What's your favourite food?Brassói – a Hungarian pork and potato dish.
• And your favourite drink?Cola.
• Which song do you most like listening to right now?Roy Woods: Beautiful.
• How old were you when you started hairdressing?Twenty – here, at Hajas Salon.
• What's your favourite team?Fradi (Ferencváros). Because the first match I ever went to as a kid was a Fradi match.
• Who's your favourite singer?Post Malone.
• What car would you like?The dream is a new Toyota Supra. The reality is a plug-in hybrid BYD.
• Which film would you have loved to be in?Harry Potter. As Draco, the bad boy.
• And which film or TV production would you most have liked to work on as a hairstylist?Peaky Blinders.

If you could tie a single sentence from your life story around someone's wrist to take with them on their way, what would it say?

“The road to the stars is a rocky one. Believe in yourself.”