Trauma-Informed Haircare Practitioner
BAS International
You may feel ashamed when you first sit down. I do not comment on how the hair got this way, and you can tell me as much or as little as you like.
Credentials
27 Matted Hair Specialist Credentials, All Verified.
I am Vitalii Prisacari, a matted hair specialist in Catford, London, and I take matted and badly tangled hair apart without scissors. Every card below names the organisation that issued the qualification, so you can check it with them. If your hair is matted now, keep it dry and put nothing on it until I have seen a photo.
Many people come to me after another salon has refused their mat or offered only to cut it. Since 2020 I have worked with more than 1,000 clients, and 99% were saved without cutting. You can see that work in the before and after photos in my gallery, and read what clients wrote in their reviews.
The short answer
I hold 27 qualifications for this work. The main one is the VTCT Skills Level 3 Diploma in Women's Hairdressing, Ofqual regulated, including the Level 4 Hair and Scalp unit. I also hold State Registration with the Hair Council, First Aid at Work and the Level 2 Certificate in Awareness of Mental Health Problems, and I am a Mental Health First Aider with MHFA England. The rest are specialist certificates in matted hair work, scalp care, hygiene and client care, from 2020 onwards.
My Matted Hair Training, Year by Year
2020
Severe Hair Matting Removal & Hair Recovery Specialist
BAS International
This is the training behind my main work: removing severe matted hair in London without cutting, and keeping the hair underneath, on every hair type and texture. I start the dematting with my fingers, tips to roots, before any tool.
Mental Health First Aid for Hair & Beauty Professionals
BAS International
A course in recognising the signs of mental health difficulty. From the first message, I go at the pace the person can manage.
Safeguarding Adults & Vulnerable Clients
BAS International
Some of my clients have matted hair because of an illness or a disability. This course covers how to recognise a vulnerable adult, protect them and work with them safely.
2021
Community Haircare & Wellbeing Specialist
BAS International
A course in haircare for community and home settings. The home-visit side of my work began here, with clients who could not reach a salon.
Hair Loss Consultant & Scalp Assessment Practitioner
BAS International
If your hair is thinning or breaking, I tell you plainly what I can see and what can realistically be done about it. This course covered assessing hair loss and the condition of the scalp.
Dementia Awareness for Hair, Beauty & Wellbeing
BAS International
Elderly and memory-affected clients are among those most likely to develop severe matting. This course covered dementia and how to adapt care to it. With these clients I explain each step as I go, and I stop whenever they need a break.
2022
Basic Hair Washing, Scalp Care & Styling
Hair & Beauty Space · BAS International
Covers correct washing, scalp assessment and gentle styling. Before you go home, I show you how to wash your hair so it is less likely to tangle again.
Infection Control & Cross-Contamination Prevention
Hair & Beauty Space · BAS International
Professional training focused on preventing cross-contamination between clients. Between one client and the next I clean my tools, the surfaces I work on and my hands, the same way every time.
Advanced Trichology & Scalp Health Specialist
BAS International
An advanced study of the scalp, the hair follicle and the medical conditions that sit behind hair and scalp problems. It taught me to look at the skin under a mat as well as the hair. The course has trichology in its title, but I am not a trichologist or a doctor; if your scalp needs medical care, I will tell you to see your GP.
2023
Chemical Safety in Hair Treatments
Hair & Beauty Space · BAS International
Covers the safe handling and application of the chemical products used in professional hair treatments. In my studio, a detangler or any other product goes on only once a section has started to open, and I know what is in it before it touches your scalp. My free complete guide to detangling explains why I wait.
Scalp Detox & Hair Growth Therapy Specialist
BAS International
After months of matting, the scalp is often congested and the hair fragile.
Basic Hair Cutting Training Course
Hair & Beauty Space · BAS International
Foundation cutting techniques. I can cut hair, so I know when a section really needs scissors and when it does not.
Infection Control & Hygiene in Hair & Beauty
Hair & Beauty Space · BAS International
This was my second hygiene course, a year after the one on cross-contamination. It covers hygiene with clients in professional and care-focused settings, where matting work means long, close contact with the scalp.
Client Consultation & Professional Communication
Hair & Beauty Space · BAS International
A course in talking with clients professionally and with respect. Before I touch the hair, I tell you what I think can be saved and how long it may take. If you want the detail first, read how a detangling session in London runs.
2024
Basic Barber Training
BAS International
Completed in London.
Hand & Arm Massage for Relaxation & Wellbeing
Hair & Beauty Space · BAS International
Certification in safe, relaxing hand and arm massage for wellbeing settings. When someone is anxious in the chair, I can stop and massage their hands for a few minutes.
Hairdressing & Styling, Certified Hairdresser
GT Space Academy · BAS International
This course gave me the title of Certified Hairdresser.
2025
Keratin, Botox & Nanoplastia for Hair, Advanced
Hair & Beauty Space · BAS International
Advanced training in keratin, botox and nanoplastia smoothing treatments. Hair that comes out of a long mat is often dry and frizzy, and it can tangle again quickly.
Professional Conduct, Ethics & Confidentiality
Hair & Beauty Space · BAS International
What you tell me, and how your hair looks when you arrive, stays between us.
FELPS: Hot & Cold Botox, Cold Restoration, Keratin, Nanoplastia
FELPS Professional
Professional certification from FELPS in botox and restoration treatments. It covers how to recover hair that has been damaged or over-processed, step by step. Some mats form on hair that was already over-processed.
2026
VTCT Skills Level 3 Diploma in Women's Hairdressing
VTCT Skills · Ofqual regulated · 600/1482/9
A nationally regulated UK qualification, awarded on 30 April 2026 through Green Labyrinth - Kneads Training Academy. It includes the Level 4 unit Hair and Scalp Specialist Services (D/601/5344, 9 credits), which covers the scalp as well as the hair, alongside consultation, health and safety, cutting, colouring and styling. You can look it up on the Ofqual register.
See the 8 units
- Hair and Scalp Specialist Services (D/601/5344, RQF Level 4, 9 credits)
- Hairdressing Consultation Support (H/600/9061)
- Maintaining Personal Health and Wellbeing (D/600/8779)
- Monitor and Maintain Health and Safety Practice (R/600/8780)
- Promote and Sell Products and Services (J/601/5337)
- Cut Hair (R/650/8079)
- Style and Dress Hair (R/600/8634)
- Colour Hair (D/600/8636)
State Registered Graduate Hairdresser
The Hair Council · Registration No. HC-950365
I am on the state register of hairdressers kept by the Hair Council under the Hairdressers Registration Act 1964. You can check my registration with the Council. The registration is renewed every year.
First Aid at Work
OCN
A full First Aid at Work course. Some of my sessions last many hours.
Level 2 Certificate in Awareness of Mental Health Problems (RQF)
Focus Awards · 601/7715/9
A regulated course about the mental health problems that often sit behind matted hair: stress, anxiety, depression, dementia and more. In my study of what causes matting, 42% of all my clients since 2020 came to me after depression, illness and hospital stays.
See the 13 units
- Understanding Mental Health (Y/506/2880)
- Understanding Stress (H/506/2882)
- Understanding Anxiety (H/506/2884)
- Understanding Phobias (A/506/2886)
- Understanding Depression (L/506/3105)
- Understanding Postnatal Depression (L/506/2889)
- Understanding Bipolar Disorder (F/506/2890)
- Understanding Schizophrenia (L/506/2892)
- Understanding Dementia (Y/506/2894)
- Understanding Eating Disorders (D/506/2928)
- Understanding ADHD (F/506/2937)
- Understanding OCD (D/506/2900)
- Understanding PTSD (T/506/2904)
Adult Mental Health First Aid: Mental Health First Aider
MHFA England
The Adult Mental Health First Aid course from MHFA England, which makes me a Mental Health First Aider. If you tell me things are hard, I listen, and I can point you to the right help. This is a separate course from the BAS training in 2020.
Understanding the Principles of Dementia Care
Hair & Beauty Space · BAS International
A deeper qualification in dementia care, going beyond awareness into the principles that guide it. I use it when I plan an appointment with a family or a care home, so the person in the chair is not rushed. If you look after someone at home, read what carers can do about matted hair in dementia.
Ask Whether Your Hair Can Be Saved
Send me a photo of the matted section and I will tell you honestly whether professional detangling can save it without cutting. I usually reply within an hour, Monday to Saturday, 9am to 10pm. The first step is a free 10-minute consultation by phone, WhatsApp or video call. A session costs £100 per hour in my studio, and a home visit anywhere in London adds a flat £200 surcharge. Klarna and Clearpay both let you pay in 3 at 0% interest. Questions about timing, and about a mat that is worse than it looks, are answered in the matted hair FAQ.