Hair to the throne? (GALLERY)

Melissa Allard joined her classmates from the Barrie campus of the Modern College of Hairstyling & Esthetics, Sunday, and headed to North Bay for the 5th Annual Hair Competition and Show, held at the Best Western.

Allard, a senior student, competed in the avant garde upstyling portion of the competition. The creativity was on full display, as models sat at styling stations in full make-up and costume, row after row, ready to be shaped at the imaginative whim of the students. Music courtesy of local DJ Kyle Selle thumped throughout the day, inspiring the competitors in what was a fun and loose environment.

The results were stunning, as hair stood up in ways one could not fathom. The scent of hairspray filled the air as one by one, the stylists finished their masterpieces and relinquished creative control to be graded by the expert judging panel. 

See some of the avant garde creations in our photo gallery above.

Allard worked with model Lisa Johnson Sunday and admitted that the final result was due more to a burst of creativity rather than careful planning. "We went with what we were feeling in the moment, we only found the flowers and the tattoos this morning. I was kind of nervous at first, but once I got over it I was good to go."

Allard, at age 30, was among several students on hand who had discovered their passion for hairstyling and esthetics later in life. The mother of two said that after previously attending college and then having children, the ability to run a business out of her own home upon graduation appealed to her.

Valerie Vezeau is the campus coordinator at the Sudbury campus of Modern College. Vezeau, who doubles as the esthetics coordinator at the school, was thrilled that a competition for future estheticians has been added to this year's event. "The outfits and the make-up for the avant garde competition are so fun. That is also new and it shows a creative flair."

Field education manager for sponsor Kao Canada, Heather Scott was once again impressed with the level of talent on display while serving in her role as coordinator for the Spring Hairfest event. "What I like about this competition is it really puts students in the frame of mind to continuously challenge themselves to grow their creativity to the next level."

Scott who hails from northern Ontario relayed that it is important that the competition "sets the stage for stylists from the region to attain their goals," and allows local shop owners to see the talent coming up. "We're promoting education and employment, and giving a boost to the hairstyling community in northern Ontario."

Several hundred aspiring hair and makeup artists, predominantly from northern Ontario, competed in various categories this past weekend, such as evening upstyle, cut and finished, and avant garde upstyle. The categories were broken down into junior and senior college competitions, as well as for apprentice and licensed stylists.

Sunday's competition was followed by cocktails and a catered dinner that included special presentations and an awards ceremony. Monday, workshops with industry experts are on the agenda, presented by Modern College and Kao Canada.