Creative HEAD UK January 2024

£4.50 JANUARY 2024

In print•online•everywhere!

KEEP IT FRESH WHERE WILL 2024 TAKE YOU?

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NEW

Paul Mitchell® Clean Beauty Color Protect Collection is the ultimate TLC for color-treated hair.

Clean Beauty Color Depositing Treatments, plus a clear Shine Enhancing Treatment, enhance vibrancy in between your guest’s salon visits.

Infused with antioxidant-rich pomegranate extract, known to help prevent color fade from environmental exposure and free radical damage.

Borage oil helps soften and nourish every strand.

Collection features six colors: Cayenne, Cinnamon, Truffle, Cocoa, Vanilla and Gloss.

* Kline 2022 Salon Hair Care Global Series, for John Paul Mitchell Systems® master brand portfolio which includes Paul Mitchell®, based on value sales of products in 28 markets.

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Discover the whole Clean Beauty Color Protect collection here. #PMCleanBeauty @paulmitchelluk

Exclusively distributed by Salon Success For more information on Paul Mitchell, contact our team on 0800 458 4565 or email club@salon-success.co.uk Visit our website salon-success.co.uk Also available online at salon-services.com

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15/12/2023 13:38

Create your own customised Trimmer, Clipper or Foil Shaver.

With a choice of 10 colours and personalised engraving, you can customise your tools to suit your creativity, personality, and style.

Let’s Amplify Your Locks DENSITY THE EXCITING NEW ADDITION TO ALAPARF MILANO’S LUXURY SEMI DI LINO RANGE IS DESIGNED TO INSTANTLY NOURISH AND INCREASE THE THICKNESS TO EVERY STRAND OF HAIR. ■ For fine thin lifeless hair ■ Thickens hair instantly ■ Perfect for lifeless thinning hair due to hormonal changes

alfaparfmilanopro_uki

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Join the world’s #1 booking software for salons Scheduling. Payments. Marketing.

All within one platform. Subscription-free.

Unlimited team members Invite your entire team to join your account and stay up-to-date with their schedules Unlimited locations Manage multiple venues from one main account with no limitations Unlimited clients Track client history, take notes and keep them engaged with free integrated email notifications Unlimited appointment bookings Get bookings 24/7 with realtime slot availability and fill your calendar overnight Unlimited product inventory Add unlimited products, generate orders and manage your online shop and stock inventory on-the-go Unlimited reporting and analytics Monitor how your business is doing with live dashboards and financial reporting

Join Fresha today

fresha.com/for-business

EDITOR’S LETTER 50

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38 JOIN US!

Okay January, I see you… and I’m ready! My hair’s rocking a Peach Fuzz-infused tone (Pantone Color of the Year, apparently), I’ve mapped out my goals for the year (thanks for the tips Samantha Cusick, future gazer extraordinaire, on page 24) and I’m turbocharged to keep 2023 and its onslaught of gloomy roadblocks in the rear view mirror. That’s the vibe of our How to Nail 2024 special (from page 32), an uplifting look at how you can boost your career and business in the coming months. From career-amplifying competitions to confidence swelling education, easy-to-use tech to fresh collaborations, we’ve packed it with ideas that will hopefully keep your planner full in 2024. If you’re looking for inspiration on the artistic side, we have quite the mouth-watering treat. Smother yourself in the perfectly imperfect visual world of session supremo Gary Gill, the go-to for an ‘anti-glamour’ aesthetic.

His story – recalling his start in hair in Brighton, and his late entry into the world of fashion as an assistant at the age of 40 – is riveting. Hopefully all of this goodness will make up for the new year detox you’re probably currently enduring…

Amanda Nottage Editorial director

amanda@alfol.co.uk

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creativeheadmag.com

creativeheadmagofficial

Happy 2024! With the New Year comes a new schedule of Creative HEAD events, and first we’re talking about Salon Smart! Our business networking event for salon and barber shop owners and managers provides unique opportunities to spend time with a host of industry innovators, all onboard to help you build a better business.

Taking place in London on Monday 18 March, look forward to a full day of talks, discussions, debates, live Q&A and opportunities to make new connections. Tickets are on sale now – see page 38 for more, including our special £20-off ticket offer. And next, save the date: 1 March marks the launch of the 2024 Most Wanted and It List Awards.

The trophies are waiting… creativeheadmag.com/events

@creativeheadmag

19/12/2023 11:51

KOLESTON PERFECT THE 1ST AND ONLY PROFESSIONAL HAIR COLOUR COMBINING • •

Uncompromised colour performance Metal purifier, anti-metal technology •

ME + Dye Technology 4

1- Dermatologically tested for skin irritation- an allergic reaction may still occur- always perform an Allergy Alert Test 2- Excluding Special Blonde 3- Wella Company is a member of the International Collaboration on Cosmetics Safety 4- For info on ME+ dye technology consult www.wella.com/kolestonperfect

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January WHAT’S INSIDE

OUR CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

CONOR JAMES DOYLE CONOR JAMES EDUCATION

DANIELLE GARNER WILDFLOWER

EXAUCÉ IMBO EXSTUDIO

FRAZER WALLACE THE HAUS STUDIO

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ON THE COVER

GARY GILL GRACE DALGLEISH BILLI CURRIE

HALLEY BRISKER SESSION STYLIST

LORRAINE McNAUGHTON OB-1 HAIR

MICHELLE SULTAN HYPE COIFFURE

SAMANTHA CUSICK SAMANTHA CUSICK LONDON AND STAˉ STUDIOS

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR AMANDA NOTTAGE

ART DIRECTOR NICK JABBAL

DIGITAL DESIGNER DANIEL PEACE

CHIEF SUB EDITOR ADAM WOOD

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TARIQ HOWES AVENUE MALE GROOMING

We talk to the man behind perfect imperfection about his rise to the top of the fashion world

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SCENE

The Big Hair Do returns, The Coterie talks creative collaboration and ALFAPARF Milano Professional celebrates in style

DIGITAL AND SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR

CREATIVE PARTNERSHIPS MANAGER

DIGITAL AND SOCIAL MEDIA ASSISTANT

CREATIVE PARTNERSHIPS DIRECTOR

COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR

PUBLISHER

KELSEY DRING

AOIFE CONNELL LAURA TUCKER

Hair by Noogie Thai for Paul Mitchell.

Make-up by Francie Tomalonis.

Wardrobe by Rafael Linares.

Photography by Daeja Fallas.

JENNY BROOKS

JOANNA ANDERSEN

CATHERINE HANDCOCK

Creative HEAD is printed on paper certified as being from sustainable sources using only vegetable-based inks. Printed

by Buxton Press, Environmental Printer of the Year and Printing Company of the Year.

Creative HEAD is published 10 times a year by Alfol Ltd. Creative HEAD is a registered trademark. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without prior permission of the publisher. All information correct at time of going to press.

WRITE TO US AT: Creative HEAD, Alfol Ltd, 15 Priestpopple, Hexham, NE46 1PH 01434 610416 enquiries@alfol.co.uk

19/12/2023 14:15

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06/12/2023 12:04

IN THE KNOW Trevor Sorbie honoured at Fellowship Awards

HIGH ENERGY AT CSM BA FASHION STUDENTS at Central Saint Martins delivered a high energy, high impact catwalk for the annual White Show, with Clare Hansford of Headmasters leading the L’Oréal Professionnel Paris hair team. ‘Sport is our fashion’ was the brief for Clare, and working with ID Artists and team members from Portfolio salons, they collectively created looks for 140 models with just three hours of prep time. Hair was treated to look sweaty and damp, depending on what the model was wearing and their hair type, with varying levels of product to reflect how hair can look during sporting activities. End results ranged from damp curls around the face to a soaking, wet look finish reminiscent of “playing squash for two hours”, Clare explained. Forget your next gym class, this is all the sporting action you need!

In print print•online•everywhere! print• online•everywhere! £4.50 OCTOBER 2023

Trevor Sorbie was the star of the Fellowship Luncheon and Hair Awards 2023 as the hairdressing legend collected a Lifetime Achievement Award from long-time friend, TV’s Lorraine Kelly. Held once again at The Londoner, the annual event also saw Tracey Ann Smith crowned Fellowship Hairdresser of the Year. The new FAME Team was revealed (well done to Hair & Co’s Stephen Campbell, TONI&GUY’s Illaria Bellemo, Tribe Salons’ Elle Foreman and Ventura’s Harry Andreou), while Angelo Seminara and Lisa Farrall also scooped up two awards each. There were also salon awards for Brooks & Brooks and Goldsworthy’s.

See more at creativeheadmag.com

Clare Hansford

2024 FAME Team

Tracey Ann Smith

Fellowship president Robert Eaton with Trevor Sorbie and Lorraine Kelly

A SELECTION OF THE ESSENTIALS

January a bit quiet? It’s the perfect time to give your space a facelift with a lick of paint. The psychological effects a colour scheme can have on a salon’s team and its customers is profound, so choose wisely!

Earthborn Paints offers rich and eco-friendly colours, ensuring your refresh is chic and planet conscious.

Claypaint £57.90 for 2.5 litres. earthbornpaints.co.uk

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I feel

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15/09/2023 11:31

FREE CREATIVE HEAD MAGAZINE!

Start 2024 in the best way… with something free! You can now grab a subscription to Creative HEAD magazine entirely free – that’s 10 issues a year stuffed with business advice, inspiration, deep dive profiles and all the excitement from the industry’s buzziest events, delivered to you at no cost. Happy New Year!

Sign up at creativeheadmag.com/subscribe

CREATIVE HEAD

19/12/2023 11:52

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Winner 2023

Hair & Beauty insurance to suit your style The beauty of our flexible policy means you can pick the cover you need for your business.

Choose Ripe for insurance you can get creative with.

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a fresh approach to insurance Underwritten by Aviva Insurance Limited

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Inflation hits salon prices

BOOK IT!

EDUCATION COURSE MAPPING WITH WELLA Looking ahead and knowing you need to plan in training for yourself or your team, but don’t know where to start? Panic not. Wella is offering free Education Course Mapping in its London, Edinburgh and Manchester studios in January. This will be an opportunity to have a personalised meeting either digitally or face-to-face in the studio, to talk about education that’s relevant to you or members of your team. You’ll leave with a bespoke plan mapping out areas of personal growth, targets and goals. Something you can tick off that 2024 ‘to do’ list with ease!

WHERE: London (2 to 11 January), Manchester (w/c 8 January); Edinburgh (w/c 15 January) CONTACT: Your nearest studio to book

More than eight in 10 (85 per cent) beauty businesses have raised their prices due to inflation, according to a survey by software firm Vagaro. Its results also showed that half (49 per cent) of respondents had seen their wholesale costs increase by more than 10 per cent. To cope with the rising costs, 28 per cent had cut back on inventory and products, while 13 per cent had cut opening hours. But Vagaro revealed consumers keen to treat themselves is reflected by an increase in beauty and hair appointments on the platform of 159 per cent, year-on-year.

SEE IT!

is Peach Fuzzne the Panto Year e Color of th24! for 20

Matty Bovan

Rebel – 30 years of London fashion, Design Museum

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Keen to know how London made its name as the international wild child of fashion?

Get yourself down to the Rebel exhibition at the Design Museum, sponsored by Alexander McQueen. Immerse yourself in three decades of fashion culture and celebrate the many great careers that have been forged in the process. Go while you can, the show ends on 11 February.

Adult tickets from £16.33; designmuseum.org

ASP hunts for Colour Rebels

British brand ASP is searching for artistic and ambitious stylists to join the next intake of its mentoring programme, Colour Rebels.

The two-year programme sees the lucky stylists mentored by Tracey Ann Smith and the team of ASP UK ambassadors, and will include opportunities such as shooting a Colour Rebel Artistic Team photographic collection, as well as appearing at events across the globe. The deadline is 1 March.

Visit asphair.com/colour-rebels-2024

L’ORÉAL LAUNCHES PARTNER SHOP L’Oréal has unveiled a business to business shopping site stocking partner brands alongside its own products.

Stylists can shop from hairdressing brands as well as coffee and tea suppliers, publishers and more. uk.lorealpartnershop.com

CATCH-UP Caroline Larissey is the new NHBF chief executive.

Heather Robertson has been announced as UK artistic team director for ERGO Styling Tools.

Inanch Emir is the first UK brand ambassador for CombLine, the innovative hair enhancement system from Australia.

SLICK UNVEILS AI COACH A new AI Business Coach tool will suggest improvements to salons and stylists using Slick software.

Launching in February, the AI Business Coach dashboard shares a snapshot of their business, with their AI Business Coach then providing hints and tips to improve.

The dashboard draws on aggregate data harvested from across the UK, and then allows the user to benchmark their own performance on multiple metrics against a local average.

CREATIVE HEAD

15/12/2023 14:44

BP CombLine Ad Creative Head V02 PRINT.pdf

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15:30

CombLine Hair Enhancement System THAT WILL REVOLUTIONISE YOUR SALON

MY

CY

CMY

K

COMPATIBLE WITH ANY

HAIR BOND COMPLETELY

DESIGNED FOR COLOUR & VOLUME

EXTENSION SYSTEM

UNDETECTABLE

INSTANT

Distributed by: Banbury Postiche Apollo Park, Ironstone Lane Wroxton, Banbury OX15 6FE

100 Y E A RS

E STA B L IS H E D 1 921

01295 757411 info@combline.co.uk www.combline.co.uk

A wonder from Down Under, Australian haircare brand CombLine is landing in the UK with its innovative hair enhancement system. It promises a fuss-free application for invisible, lightweight and super comfy bonds. There’s no need to remove, you can blow-dry, colour and perm over the bonds, and with no excessive tension, your fine-haired clients don’t need to fear when looking for fuller hair. combline.co.uk

Need to nail that ‘no make-up make-up’ colour look? Illumina Color from Wella Professionals is the perfect choice for luminous and expensivelooking results that also look oh-so natural. Yes, it has new packaging and there are four new on-trend shades, but it’s the still the formula you love, with 100 per cent grey coverage and damage prevention Metal Purifier technology.

Express services and lunchtime appointments against the clock need a speedy solution. Enter Color Gels 10min from Redken, giving high saturation in 13 shades that’s spot on for root retouches and balayages.

In-salon service uk.lorealpartnershop.com

In-salon service

uk.wella.professionalstore.com

Make quick work of colour and fit more services into your day with the new Semi Colour Liquid Activator line-up from Keune. There are three options: Semi Colour Liquid Activator for tone-on-tone and darker shades; the Semi Colour Activator Gel for precision techniques with multiple colours; and Semi Colour Activator Intense for toneon-tone and grey blending.

In-salon service

keune.com/uk/professionals

new Supercharge your hair’s future with kopf warz Sch Bonacure Scalp Care from nt? edie ingr key The Professional. ulas form plex Com od The Superfo , powered with goodies such as kale ugh thro run that rana gua and berries the three ranges – Scalp Soothing, g.

Anti-Dandruff and Root Activatin

RRP from £17

schwarzkopfpro.com/bonacure

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The wellness and selfcare movement will be big in 2024, so you need to ensure your client experience keeps up.

The Yume Noble from Takara Belmont delivers the plushest of backwash beds to offer unparalleled comfort and support.

For salons that want to elevate their backwash services but have limited room, there’s the new space-saving Yume iXi, too.

Yume Noble £7,800, iXi £5,900

Both options are available with 0 per cent, zero deposit finance lease. takarahairdressing.co.uk

CREATIVE HEAD

19/12/2023 11:53

STOCK IT!

Help clients hit that Cowgirl Copper vibe at home with new Pureology Top Coat + Tone Copper. It’s a 10-minute high-gloss treatment that revives copper tones and restores softness for up to six washes.

LAUNCHES AND INNOVATIONS READY TO HIT YOUR SALON SHELVES

RRP £33.60

uk.lorealpartnershop.com

There are two new cool, rich and intense burgundy red shades (4.26 and 5.26) joining the iNOA range of ammoniafree colour from L’Oréal Professionnel Paris.

Deep, long-lasting reds, 100 per cent grey coverage and a formula that leaves hair 48 per cent shinier – what’s not to love?

Infused with pomegranate extract to help prevent colour fade, and borage oil to visibly reduce the signs of ageing, the Clean Beauty Color Protect range from Paul Mitchell delivers the ultimate in TLC for coloured hair.

RRP from £12.25 salon-success.co.uk

In-salon service uk.lorealpartnershop.com

Got clients with vivid hair? Fight the fade with Manic Panic’s new line of colour depositing conditioners. There are eight intermixable shades of Love Color Conditioners, each designed to brighten and moisturise semi-permanent hair colour.

RRP £14.99 manic-panic.co.uk

Help guests multi-task in luxury at home with the Sensorial Cream Scrub for the scalp, body, and face from Authentic Beauty Concept. The vegan form ulation gently exfoliates, restoring balance to the skin’s moisture levels while rem oving excess oils, impurities, and product build-up without irritation.

RRP £41.70

authenticbeautyconcept.com

ALFAPARF Milano Professional is here to help clients with hair thinning issues with its new Semi di Lino Density range. It can increase hair thickness by 19 per cent and boasts Filler Complex technology, which nourishes, strengthens and protects thin hair. As well as the line-up of shampoo, conditioner and leave-in cream, there’s a professional density lotion and new treatments, too.

RRP from £14.50 xpertprofessional.co.uk

CREATIVE HEAD

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18/12/2023 09:34

BLUE TIT LONDON, WOOLWICH @bluetitlondon

The Blue Tit London group is cementing itself as a cultural fixture in some of the most interesting London neighbourhoods.

Its latest outpost, situated in the upand-coming Royal Arsenal Riverside in Woolwich, is no exception. Lee Beever, co-owner of Blue Tit Greenwich and now Woolwich, doesn’t care for shoe-horning a salon into a local area. Step inside the new space and the minimalist vibe is clear, which is in-keeping with the riverside’s historic surroundings. Clever aesthetic touches, including a dusky shade of pink on the walls and sandy coloured furniture, lighten up the space, a design mix sure to charm people away from the chill alongside the Thames.

The furniture is custom-made and although inspired by the furnishings from the Oway farm in Ortofficina, is produced in the UK. It’s all by the same carpenter who crafted the furniture for the Greenwich salon, allowing for a pleasant uniformity of design.

THE PLACES

NEW SPACES, FRESH LOOKS AND LOCATIONS TO HELP YOU WORK BETTER

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CREATIVE HEAD

18/12/2023 11:18

Newly launched

Ripple

Yume ixi

Looking to upgrade your equipment or refresh your salon?

Make a showroom appointment today to learn about the many benefits of our 0%, zero deposit finance scheme

www.takarahairdressing.co.uk

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14/12/2023 11:10

THE FACES THE PEOPLE IN ACTION

What would Steven Goldsworthy do?

After lockdown, Steven Goldsworthy, director of Goldsworthy’s Hairdressing, ripped up the rulebook on work patterns. Here, he details the economic and wellbeing payoffs FOLLOWING COVID RESTRICTIONS, we split our team into two and they worked one day on and one day off over 12-hour days.

We worked flat out, but knowing you had the next day off made it more bearable. We gradually shortened the days once the client demand lessened and suddenly we were getting a long weekend off every fortnight.

The team absolutely loved it.

With more clients working from home and enjoying more down time, we discussed the possibility of opening four days instead of five and trialled it with everyone having a different day off in the week. But this was proving to be too complicated, so we decided to cut the week short by closing on Tuesday and working longer days.

We still have the phone lines manned on the Tuesday, but we now close Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. We weren’t sure if it would work, but we haven’t looked back. We now have a dedicated training day on Tuesday for all our learners and we find getting trainers in on Tuesdays much easier as we are

no longer competing with everyone who wants them on a Monday. A shorter week also consolidates bookings; sometimes if you have too many appointment options then clients can be booked sparsely, and we used to find ourselves with stylists having gaps. Now, everyone is fully booked for weeks ahead, working smarter when they are in the salon and still getting extra time off.

Revenue has improved and our stylists’ wages are booming; now they come in to work and are very busy. This means we have a further day where we do not need to use electricity, gas and water which cuts our energy bills by a fifth.

The late appointments are booked up months in advance as people no longer want to dip into their days off for a salon visit and we have now found that Thursday and Fridays are the new Saturdays. A few clients will ask for a Tuesday but overall, no one was too put out. As for the team, we get a lie in on Tuesday which is brilliant when you’ve been at a hairdressing function late on Monday night! @goldsworthyshair

WHAT MADE ME DANIEL COUCH RUSSELL EATON HAIR @danielcouchhair

At the age of 25 I decided to make a career change and retrain as a hairdresser. This moment changed the course of my life, and has definitely made me the person I am today; someone determined to change perceptions about the hair industry and show everyone what an amazing place it is.

I found the process very difficult initially.

First, finding a salon willing to train me was a challenge as there was very little funding

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for my age at the time! It was a hard journey.

I discovered that there was still a lot of stigma around the industry. I have always been so surprised by peoples’ views on hairdressing as a career. So many people reacted as if I had taken a ‘step down’.

I think this is where a lot of my drive and passion comes from, whether I am completing education programmes, or assisting other hairdressers. I took opportunities to enter competitions – I won the chance to assist Josh Wood on a shoot with Creative HEAD! I am focused on proving to myself and anyone who doubted me how amazing the hairdressing industry is. We can be exceptionally creative as well as have the power to make profound changes to our clients and how they perceive themselves.

CREATIVE HEAD

18/12/2023 11:19

CR EATIV E HE AD AD VE RT OR

IA L

’ruoloc‘

Career enhancing! Profile boosting!

Want to work with industry icons and send yourself stratospheric? Then don’t follow the rules; it’s time to…

R U O L O C

BE A REBEL!

You’re ambitious, and you can see where you want to go.

You’ve got skills, you just need that chance to make your mark.

Don’t follow the rules; bend them to your will and see your career rocket with the incredible opportunity to be an ASP Colour Rebel! The iconic British brand is on the hunt now for the most artistic, forward-thinking, passionate and hungry stylists to join the family. On this two-year programme you will be mentored by the iconic Tracey Ann Smith – freshly crowned Fellowship Hairdresser of the Year! – as well as the team of ASP UK ambassadors.

This programme is all expenses paid, with branded hairdressing equipment and products to add to your kit bag.

Oh, and have your passport handy, there could be international travel too as you showcase your talents at hair shows and events across the globe.

So, what do you need to do? Simply download and complete the application, sharing your career highlights and why you think you should be a Colour Rebel. You’ll need to talk with gusto about an amazing ASP product that you love in a short video clip – the judges want to see your passion! – and include a mood board with your top fi ve hairdressing creations, to show exactly what you’re capable of.

“Joining the ASP Colour Rebels was the biggest turning point of my hairdressing career” LET LEW, ASP UK AMBASSADOR

Then, if you’re one of the lucky finalists selected, you’ll need to present in front of a group of other applicants and the judges at the ASP UK Academy in Romsey on Sunday 24 March.

Here, you’ll be asked to present a mood board to match the model look. You must be an active ASP stylist, at least 18 and be able to travel abroad for shows and events. You’ll need to get to that the all-important interview on 24 March, and then, if chosen, you’ll need to march on down to Boot Camp at ASP HQ in Romsey on 22 to 25 April. You’ll have a schedule of training shows and events, up to three days a month, so if you have a salon employer, make sure they’re on board too.

Exciting, right? Deep breaths… this is your chance to join one of the most creative and energetic artistic teams around, but you’ve got to make the 1 March deadline. Go on, be a rebel…

See yourself as an ASP Colour Rebel? Visit asphair.com/colour-rebels-2024.

Got a burning question about your application? Call Millie Arfman on 01794 527111 @asphair CREATIVE HEAD

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FUTURE GAZING

A New Year is upon us – let contributing editor Samantha Cusick, founder of Stā Studios and Samantha Cusick London, help you conquer the art of goal setting

Hello 2024! A new year means new goals and the concept of future gazing takes centre stage. It’s not about predicting trends in colour or styling; it’s about setting intentions, both personally and professionally.

The beginning of the year is the perfect time to explore the transformative power of goal setting.

GET THE BALL ROLLING ON GROWTH Setting goals is like having your map for personal and professional growth.

Whether you’re a stylist, running your own salon or a freelance business, being able to figure out and go after your goals is what will give you the ability to drive your career to new heights.

It’s not just about dreaming big; it’s about turning those dreams into doable missions, creating a roadmap for a journey of constant improvement.

TAKE PRACTICAL STEPS So where do you start? The real trick is making your goal practical, tangible, and measurable.

Start with a clear picture of your goals, and then chop them up into bite-sized chunks. If your goal is to master a new cutting technique, specify the courses or workshops you’ll attend.

JOIN SAMANTHA AT HER FUTURE GAZING EVENT THIS JANUARY! WHEN: 15 JANUARY WHERE: STA STUDIOS, LONDON

BE MOTIVATED AND INSPIRED This is much more than a ‘to-do’ list; goals are a source of motivation and inspiration that can keep you going when things get overwhelming.

When I’m faced with hurdles and challenges, it’s my goals that keep me going. Each one reached reinforces why I LOVE being a hairdresser and being part of our industry.

It reminds me why the hard work is all worth it.

USE IT AS A PERSONAL RITUAL I credit goal setting as a major factor in my career success. It’s a personal ritual at the start of each year, and a great excuse to buy new stationary and cute notebooks! It’s a time for reflection, envisaging the path ahead, and where I plan out the months to come.

I make sure to add into my calendar periodic check-ins throughout the year to ensure I’m still aligned with my goals, allowing for refocusing where needed.

MANIFEST! I start with manifesting and visualising what I want to achieve by the end of the year. I used to think manifestation was just smoke and mirrors, but I’ve come to realise it’s a powerful visualisation tool that aligns your thoughts, actions, and aspirations to meet your goals.

You’re not daydreaming – you’re setting a clear path. This visualisation trick keeps your goals vivid in your mind, giving you direction, clarity and the focus to make them happen.

Future gazing is all about envisioning the life, career, and impact you want to create, and making an actionable plan for how to get there. As we step into 2024, let’s embrace the power of goals, manifest our aspirations, and collectively make this year your most transformative yet!

SEE SAMANTHA AT SALON SMART! FOR MORE AND TO FIND OUT HER TOP TIPS FOR GOAL SETTING, GO TO CREATIVEHEADMAG.COM

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19/12/2023 11:55

FOR FREELANCERS, FOR FREE… FOR LONGER! New for 2024, our Self/Styled Masterclasses are taking over!

Now, you can watch our brilliant free education when YOU want to

JANUARY: NIKKI CLIFFORD

Nikki shares her take on the Quiet Luxury trend with her Air Touch technique for a beautiful lived-in look, using the revamped Illumina Color range from Wella Professionals DROPPING ON: SUNDAY 7 JANUARY WATCH ON: CREATIVEHEADMAG.COM/SELFSTYLED OR @CREATIVEHEADMAG ON FACEBOOK

Want to ask Nikki a question? Join the new Self/Styled Facebook Community Group now creativeheadmag.com/selfstyled 025_Self Styled.indd 1

SCAN TO SIGN UP

19/12/2023 11:37

Your clients are searching for natural-looking colour that delivers on that ‘your hair, but better’ promise. It’s central to the ongoing Quiet Luxury trend… and your business can tap into it with Illumina Color from Wella Professionals

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CREATIVE HEAD

18/12/2023 11:21

IA L CR EATIV E HE AD AD VE RT OR

Illumina Blush

Illumina Glow

Having your finger on the pulse of the latest consumer trends ensures you can market services that speak to what clients really want. That ‘no make-up make-up’ vibe isn’t going anywhere.

The Quiet Luxury trend means serious business. Last year, Google searches for it grew more than 600 per cent year on year. We’re talking your hair, but better – sporting seamless blends and mesmerising multi-tonal finishes that look oh-so natural and whisper effortless luxury. This is expensive-looking hair that doesn’t need to shout – and Wella Professionals has the secret to serving this to your most switched-on clients.

Elevate your premium colour services with Illumina Color from Wella Professionals. It’s boasting a new look but it’s the same formula that’s loved across the globe, certified vegan and with the innovative metal purifier technology that helps prevent damage.

This is the premium hair colour for natural-looking results that last, the main driver of colour clients in salons.

Luminescent, shimmering shades that serve up that expensive vibe.

And with a new selection of warmer

shades (that Cowgirl Copper microtrend isn’t going anywhere), this is the perfect time to upgrade your colour services and share a mouth-watering menu of possibilities.

Yes, clients want reliable, long-lasting colour… but they’re also thirsty for natural-looking results that enhance the underlying beauty of their hair.

Be inspired by the language of make-up and discuss bespoke looks and cool and warm palettes within your consultation.

And because this chimes in perfectly with the aspirational Quiet Luxury trend, you have an exceptional opportunity to build your bill.

This colour service is akin to investing a little more in a capsule wardrobe of beautiful, long-lasting luxury.

Illumina Color’s high-quality formula offers 100 per cent grey coverage, making it the ideal choice for new colour clients looking to keep those greys at bay but with a natural-looking result.

This is subtle yet powerful technology, delivering a gleaming, lustrous and highluxe finish. It’s millionaire hair for clients in your chair... but don’t have to keep quiet about it!

Illumina Nude Illuminatural – the new services you need to know Illumina Color empowers you to grow your luxe-level colour business with these new service ideas to elevate your menu and bill, and it’s perfect for that Ultimate Repair treatment add-on, too!

Illumina Blush: The tool to create multifaceted, vibrant tones that still look natural.

Illumina Glow: A lifesaver for blondes in need of luminosity and shiny results.

Illumina Nude: For full, natural-looking coverage that maintains natural highs and lows.

Nail the Quiet Luxury trend – and so much more – with the revamped Illumina Color line by Wella Professionals. Boost your skills using Illumina Color, visit uk.wella.professionalstore.com and education.wella.com

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No.1 SALON COLOUR BRAND IN THE

WORLD

*

COLOR

SAME ICONIC FORMULA BRAND NEW LOOK Wella Professionals most luminous permanent colour ✔ Violet based ✔ Up to 100% grey coverage ✔ Sheer and expensive looking results

✔ Contains metal purifier technology

SHOP NOW *Excluding Special Blonde **Wella Company is a member of the International Collaboration on Cosmetics Safety. ***Tubes: 95% post-consumer recycled aluminum and 5% post-industry recycled aluminum. Caps: Post-Consumer Recycled PP (polypropylene) *Based on sales in 22 markets representing 85% of the global professional hair care sales. Source: Kline Salon Haircare 2021, based on value sales collected in local currencies

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ARE YOU A GLOSS BOSS? SUBMIT YOUR COLOUR CREATION TO THE REDKEN UKI GLOSS BOSS AWARDS 2024 AND GET YOUR TALENT CENTRE STAGE

Show-stopping colour excites, so whether you’re a bright blonde aficionado, brilliant at all things brunette, or constantly combining supreme shades with curls and waves, get your name out there by entering the Redken UKI Gloss Boss Awards 2024!

Launching on 8 January, you have a choice of three categories in which you can showcase your colour artistry and expertise – Blonding Boss, Brunette Boss or Texture Boss.

And there’s also a People’s Choice category, with a winner voted from entries that don’t finalise in the three main categories. Simply create an Instagram Reel lasting a maximum of 60 seconds with a before and after image of a model of any gender, identity or hair type.

More than a before/after, your Reel should be well-executed and include details of formulas and techniques. Judges will look out for colour, technique and placement skills, as well as

a stunning style and finish. The look must be inspired by upcoming trends, reflect your professional skillset and maintain the integrity of the hair – we’ve got to see that shine! Once uploaded to the Redken Gloss Boss Awards portal, the video must also be posted to Instagram using the hashtags for your chosen category.

The winner from each category will automatically qualify for the European finale at the famous Redken Symposium in Berlin on 5 and 6 May. There’s also the chance to take part in the European Shades EQ Gloss Boss Awards 2024, where the winner will win a trip to New York, soak up education at the Redken 5th Avenue Exchange, and sight-see in the Big Apple! So, time to choose…

WHAT KIND OF BOSS ARE YOU? Blonding Boss

Brunette Boss

Texture Boss

We’re talking boundary-defying balayages, brilliantly placed babylights or a blonde creation that is totally your own! Whatever your choice, your blonde must stir the senses and shine brightly with 60 per cent of the end result between a level 7 and 10.

For those more interested in the darker spectrum, Brunette Boss 2024 is your bag.

Deep chocolate, rich coffee or redder tones, the choice is yours, just ensure you work on a natural base between levels 2 to 6 with an end result on a level 4 to 7.

If you adore working with curls or waves, then you’re an ideal Texture Boss 2024 candidate. Showcase beautifully tended textured hair between 3A and 4C that’s perfectly balanced with colour too, and with a result between level 4 and 10.

Discover the Gloss Boss judges and enter the Redken UKI Gloss Boss Awards 2024 now by uploading your Reel at redkenglossbossawards.co.uk, or scan the QR code Entries close 1 March 2024 @redken 30

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ENTER REDKEN GLOSS BOSS AWARDS NOW 4 CATEGORIES 4 PRIZES TO EURO GRAND FINAL, BERLIN 1 PRIZE TO REDKEN 5TH AVENUE, NYC Full competition details and T&Cs available on the website

@redken

MEET YOUR GLOSS BOSS JUDGES

Larry King

Samantha Cusick

Tia Lambourn

Emily Mander

Claire Martin Kennedy

Amanda Nottage

Redken UKI Brand Ambassador & Founder Larry King Salons

Founder Samantha Cusick Salons & STA Studios

Redken Advocate Member & Founder Bay Studios

Redken Advocate Member & Founder Orla Hair

Redken Advocate Member

Editorial Director Creative Head

BE A PART OF IT! BERLIN, GERMANY MAY 5 & 6TH 2024 Purchase your tickets at uk.lorealaccess.com and search ‘Symposium’

2023 was pretty tough for most of us. But we have a clean slate ahead as we go into the next year, full of potential. Want to set yourself on the right path?

Let’s discover…

How to

NAIL 2024 How to…

SHARPEN YOUR CUTTING SKILLS

Need to boost cutting prowess in your salon?

Melissa Timperley (pictured below, inset) has your back, with a new app that promises a ‘professional bootcamp’ in precision cutting.

MT MasterClass delivers step-by-step videos of her most requested cuts, including the ‘InstaFringe’. Lessons through its subscription include Six Haircuts Every Hairdresser Needs to Know, but if you fancy a taster first, you can access free tutorials on a one-length bob and a curly mullet. Subscriptions start at £10.99 a month, or you can save 25 per cent by getting the £99 annual subscription. Find MT MasterClass on Google Play or the App Store.

How to…

BOSS THE GLOSS

We know that competitions are a brilliant way to get the team thinking creatively, and the marketing potential is always a bonus. But sometimes the looks are a little more on the avant-garde side, not always something clients can embrace.

Well, Redken’s new Gloss Boss Awards contest is a fresh way to get stylists sharing their artistic vision while whipping up some excitement on social media too, with colour looks that clients will crave. There are three categories – aimed at blondes, brunettes and texture, as well as a People's Choice award – and the prize would see you at the Redken Symposium in Berlin with a place in the European final! Get your Reel ready.

Visit redkenglossbossawards.co.uk for all the details

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Be inspired

by Chris and enter the Most Wanted 2024 awards – launching 1 March!

How to…

BUILD YOUR PROFILE

Top tips from double Most Wanted winner Chris Foster, the brains behind reputation-enhancing source, The One Programme

1. CREATE A STELLAR PORTFOLIO Transform your portfolio into a visual masterpiece. Display your varied talents and artistic flair with highquality imagery online. Remember, a mesmerising portfolio is a magnet for clients and peers alike.

2. SHARPEN YOUR BIO

How to…

GET SERIOUS ABOUT BEING ETHICAL

Stag in Edinburgh is Scotland’s first B Corp salon. This is how co-founder Murray McRae (pictured, inset) did it…

“We’ve always been conscious of the way that we’ve run our business. I’ve got a few friends who run B Corps, and they talked about the process. If you do gain the B Corp status, you know that a business has been scrutinised.

The most difficult element of the process was understanding the language of the application process and trying to make it relatable to hairdressing. There’s lots that doesn’t have anything to do with us, and we used a consultant to help us.

“It was expensive and it takes a while – for us it was about a year. But if you’re serious about doing it, don’t be afraid to ask questions about your business that make you feel quite uncomfortable. Who do you bank with? Is that bank an ethical fit? It shines a light on areas hairdressers probably don’t look at very often.

And don’t be put off by jargon, go seek help.

“We’re the first salon in Scotland to gain B Corp status. The staff can feel confident there’s evidence for all the things that we do daily. We scored really well in employee and community areas, for things such as diversity, equity and inclusion, alongside economic impact and supply chain management.”

Revamp your biography. State the unique problem you solve, drawing in those eager for your expertise. Add zing with a catchy tagline that defines your role and how you help.

This isn’t just a bio; it’s your professional anthem.

3. LEVERAGE COMPETITIONS Dive into competitions!

They’re not just contests; they’re platforms to showcase your skills and to network. Whether you win or simply

participate, these events are goldmines for credibility and exposure. Use these stages to flaunt your skills.

4. NETWORK LIKE A PRO Network, network, network! It’s the golden ticket in this industry. Be a fixture at events, join professional circles, and collaborate with other creatives.

Use your website to flaunt these connections. A robust network isn’t just about opportunities; it’s a testament to your credibility.

5. CARVE OUT YOUR UNIQUE BRAND Craft a brand that’s undeniably you.

Make sure it’s consistent across your digital footprint – from your logo to your colour palette. This isn’t just branding; it’s about imprinting your unique style upon the industry.

HOW TO… SWAP A COLOUR PARTNER When you need to shake things up, looking at your colour partner is an obvious first step. Katie Katon (pictured below, inset), managing director at Leicester-based George’s, explains why the time was right to make the change.

“Our focus for 2024 is on creating incredible transformations for our clients while maintaining the integrity of their hair. We’re also revolutionising our client consultation process and prioritising customer experience and education for our team. We wanted to ensure that our salons were fully supported with education, retail, new colour, and team motivation. The BLONDME range from Schwarzkopf Professional caught our eye and has been revolutionary in our colour transformations. We’re thrilled to have such a collaborative partnership.”

How to...

GET FRESH BUSINESS IDEAS Book your place at Salon Smart 2024!

Turn to page 38 for details

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Fresha

Ella and Gavin McIntyre

Gavin and Ella McIntyre, co-founders of G&E McIntyres in Northampton, on how software has set them on a better path “A demo of Floomly made us realise we needed a better performing and more detailed software to help us run our business. What stood out was the ability to communicate to our staff what we were looking for from them.

“We’ve worked with Fantastic Hairdresser for many years and most of our business model is built around its expertise. Floomly is an extension of that, incorporating all the business points it teaches into one software to monitor your business performance easily and efficiently. It also includes business education content from Fantastic Hairdresser in there.

“We’re very focused on the numbers. We hold weekly briefings with our team on performance and targets. Floomly not only puts it across simply for our team, it also holds particular accuracy on retention details, for example, which we haven’t found in software we’ve used before.”

How to…

MAKE TRENDS WORK FOR YOU One benefit of running software platforms for oodles of salons is that you can see what clients are booking, and identify trends that can lead to opportunities. That’s why Fresha partnered with trend forecaster WGSN on a ground-breaking report – to gain a better insight and understanding into what consumers want, so salons can then curate services to match.

The maths are impressive – 600 million Fresha bookings, more than 2,000 social media accounts scanned, and 1,000+ consumers surveyed across the US, the UK, Canada and Australia. The report uncovered and decoded 11 trends set to shape the industry (for example, the modern male audience is looking for more beauty and wellness services from its barber shops), and is packed with opportunities for business growth. You can find it at fresha.com.

And Fresha isn’t alone in investigating the impact of trends. New colour service and technique ideas from Wella Professionals are all based around the strength of the Quiet Luxury trend – think ‘no make-up make-up’, but for hair – something its newly revamped Illumina Color range taps into perfectly.

Illumina Color by Wella Professionals

How to…

IMPROVE YOUR REACH AND PROFIT

How to…

TAKE CONTROL OF COLOUR COSTS Take a leaf from Tuckwell & Co’s book and get serious about how the team uses and prices colour.

Owner Simon Tuckwell (pictured) joined Vish Colour Management six months ago and now has clear oversight of a department difficult to monitor. In that time, Simon and his teams in Nottingham and Derby have captured £22,300 in additional product charges to the client for extra colour product used, on top of the service charge.

They’ve also cut colour costs by bringing waste to below 12 per cent (the national average is 40 per cent!) and honed stock control, with reordering based on data not emotion.

How to…

PREP YOUR APPRENTICES You want to be confident that when you’ve brought an apprentice on board, they’ll be firing on all cylinders as quickly as possible. Ensure the best start to their career – and get them killing it on the salon floor – with the experts at HOB. It’s now offering its HOB Apprentice Academy programme to external salons – Percy & Reed and Saco are already on board. If you want your young stars to fly through their EPA and start building strong columns, this is the ideal starting place. Visit hobsalons.com/academy

Want to see more tips on nailing 2024? Head to creativeheadmag.com

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START ME UP! HOB Camden

Getting your next generation of talent skilled-up and delighting clients has never been more crucial. Let the iconic HOB Apprenticeship Academy get your young stars ready for action

Finalist!

Employer Provider of the Year at the National Apprenticeship

The number of awards the HOB Awards 2024 Salons group has amassed over the years is incredible. It’s a hothouse of amazing artistic talent that has propelled the chain across its 40-year journey. Now, you can tap into that foundation of expert knowledge and practical know-how with your own salon team. And where better to start than at the beginning – your apprentices.

The HOB Apprenticeship Academy is now delivering external training for apprentices aged 16 and over to salons across the UK. They can be the guiding lights to those talents looking to begin their journey in hairdressing and barbering, and can help map out a rewarding career.

What does this look like? Well, the programme involves the apprentice working in your salon four days a week, including a model night once a week. In addition, your apprentice will attend one day a week at the famous HOB Apprenticeship Academy in Camden, covering both theory and practical course components. The team also offers in-salon training for those unable to attend the Apprenticeship Academy.

Working alongside your own training programme, the HOB Academy team will prepare your young star for their End Point Assessment, with full mock assessments to ensure they’re ready for anything. The apprenticeship will take 18 to 24 months, made up of 17 to 21 months learning on the course programme, with two further months preparing for the EPA. At the end, the apprentice will gain the Level 2 Diploma for Hair Professionals…

alongside confidence, a brilliant skills base, and be set to hit their column and start generating your business vital revenue.

“This is a new chapter for HOB Academy.

Having seen huge success with our own apprentices, and we are very excited to be offering this training to the wider hairdressing community,” says HOB Apprentice Academy manager, Treena Eagles-Sime. And big names are already signing up, including Steven Carey, Percy & Reed, Saco, and Palmer Fisher. “We look forward to offering our skills to the next generation of hairdressers,” she adds.

And that’s not all. The HOB Academy team also offers Level 2 Diploma the Barbering Professional Standard over a 14- to 18-month period, and a Level 3 Diploma for Advanced and Creative Hair Standard over a 12- to 14-month period, either in the Academy or in-salon training. HOB is here to help guide team members to future success, and ensure your salon squad is as strong and skilled as you need to thrill every client!

The time is now to fuel the future with an iconic brand that has nurtured talent for decades. What are you waiting for?

For more information, contact Treena Eagles-Sime on 020 7485 7272 (option 3) or treena@hobsalons.com or Lisa Forward (head of apprenticeship recruitment) on lisa.f@hobsalons.com. Visit hobsalons.com/academy @hob_academy CREATIVE HEAD

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MAX YOUR COLOUR PROFIT FOR 2024!

Modernise your pricing for profit and see just how much more revenue Vish salons can generate through clever charging. We’ve got the top three tips to help you max it up!

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TIP ONE! Level up what your stylists use We love that each stylist has an individual eye when it comes to creativity… but there are big differences when it comes to their colour use that are not so positive. The data shows that while some may use £14-worth of colour for a service, another uses just £2.40… for the exact same service! Rewind 2024 shows the average should be around £7.13, so if you are spending more, you need to make changes quick. With simple-to-use apps, it’s easy to identify training gaps and, with data-backed education, eliminate those variances. Want some help? Vish has your back with its free Efficient Stylists Checklist online.

TIP TWO! Modernise pricing for profit Of the 3.12m appointments recorded by Vish during 2023, there were 4.4m services delivered and 6.5m bowls of colour mixed. Did your systems catch every additional bowl? Being able to identify exact colour costs in every service opens the way to updated pricing, where part or all of your colour costs are passed to the client. Many now use Vish data to set cost thresholds. Once passed, these trigger specific rules set by the salon to protect

Lea rn more about boosting profits with Vish at Salon Smart 202 4! creativeheadmag.com/ salonsmart

You and your team work hard. You have loyal clients in your seats, booking colour services on the regular. But where are your profits going? Take a look at your colour use and your colour sales. We bet they don’t match up. In fact in most salons, about 20 per cent of services deliver no-to-low profit… and roughly 15 per cent of colour revenue never finds its way to your client’s final bill.

But with a little insight, salons can make some changes. The newly-published Vish Rewind Report – from colour management software innovator Vish – reveals recent trends and data points from colour-savvy salons who share valuable examples of how they’re recouping their spend… and even banking some.

Thanks to Vish Colour Management, thousands of salon owners and stylists have not only seen profits stabilise but actually grow, with an average salon adding £45,000 to £80,000 to their bottom line. That’s a serious difference. Here’s how a deep dive into the data can help maximise your business…

profit and the take-home earning for stylists. Others have opted for a model where services are charged by the hour based on the stylist’s expertise, with product charged separately per gram used. And it works – in 2023, salons using Vish banked an extra £3.2m in additional colour revenue!

TIP THREE! Keep tweaking those prices So, you’ve dropped that constrictive fixed-menu model. Woah – suddenly a new landscape of proactive pricing awaits you! Just think, any salon that has nudged all or some of the colour costs over to clients can respond immediately when manufacturers up their prices by tweaking their colour charges in Vish, rather than waiting for an averaged annual price increase.

In one salon, the business amended its pricing four times on Vish to instantly match increases by suppliers. A tube of colour you paid £5 for in January is not going to cost the same come November.

But if you’re charging the same price across the board, come the end of the year, you’re making less money on that service. But swapping to another model – charging for the colour per gram and the stylist’s time by the hour – no sweat, you’re covered!

Nail your pricing and profit with Vish this year. To find out more, visit getvish.com/efficient-stylist-checklist

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BUILD A BETTER BUSINESS

ON STAGE WINNIE AWA ENTREPRENEUR AND TEXTURED HAIR EXPERT TALKING ABOUT THE UNTAPPED TEXTURE MARKET

Meet Listen Debate Network Discover Learn Grow Come and be inspired

ON STAGE SAMANTHA CUSICK SAMANTHA CUSICK LONDON/STĀ STUDIOS TALKING ABOUT DIVERSIFYING YOUR BUSINESS

ON STAGE JORDAN MASSARELLA & BEN JONES MASSARELLA & JONES TALKING ABOUT HONING A HOME-FROM-HOME CLIENT SPACE

CREATIVE HEAD’S BUSINESS NETWORKING EVENT FOR SALON AND BARBER SHOP OWNERS AND MANAGERS Discover more at creativeheadmag.com/salonsmart Headline sponsor

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Real experiences shared New ideas explored Big topics discussed

ON STAGE HAYLEY JEPSON THE RESILIENT HAIRDRESSER TALKING ABOUT KEEPING YOUR HEAD

ON STAGE TOM SMITH HAIRSTYLIST AND TREND FORECASTER TALKING ABOUT TRANSFORMATIVE SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY

Monday 18 March 2024 9.30am until 5.30pm ON STAGE ALISON MCRITCHIE THE HEAD GARDENER TALKING ABOUT DOING POSITIVE SOCIAL GOOD

The Chain and Buoy Store, London

TICKETS £95 + VAT* Book your place today at creativeheadmag.com/store *Includes access to the full event agenda, a hot lunch, refreshment breaks, and gifts from our sponsors.

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19/12/2023 15:43

PROFILE

Image by Santiago Franco Shicke

GARY GILL A modern trailblazer

The acclaimed session stylist may occasionally reference his troubled past in his work, but the results are always spectacularly forward-thinking HAIR AND MODEL PHOTOGRAPHY BY GARY GILL Gary Gill attributes his irreverent approach to hairstyling to the years he spent as a teenager in Brighton’s punk community. His work is artistic, sculptural and anti-establishment, stamped with the codes of counter-culture he was obsessed with while growing up. His aesthetic has been called anti-glamour (he particularly loves that description).

Relatively late in life, the former salon owner and Wella educator has reached an elite level in the world of session styling that only a select few ever achieve. He is called upon to generate looks for Balenciaga, Y Project, Dries Van Noten, Acne Studios, Martine Rose, Diesel and plenty of other labels seeking to balance their collections with his signature clean, artful styling.

In 2019 he was voted into the BoF 500, a global index of handselected professionals shaping the fashion industry.

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But what’s equally impressive – and possibly also a large part of the reason for his success – is his meticulous approach to work, his calm demeanour and his kindness to others. “How to work with people and how to be within large groups of people I learned the most from my mum, who was a hairdresser herself,” he says. “She was a really good teacher but only later in life I realised what a great mentor she was. From being a young, arrogant hairdresser who thought he knew it all, I became a mature person within the industry. She always used to say that 90 per cent of success is having a good attitude. It was the most valuable lesson for me in how to get on in the industry. At hairdressing events people would always say, “Hi Gary, how is your mum?” It’s made me realise how good she was with people and how important that is.”

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Vetements – Paris A/W20 We brightly coloured the hair and added false fringes and hair at the back to create an easy mullet

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Balenciaga – Paris S/S23 A heavily disconnected cut with random splodges of colour as a contrast to the heavy mud theme

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PROFILE Gary, we don’t get to see you very often nowadays but we hear a lot about you – especially from the new generation of stylists. It seems like everybody who’s ever won an It List award wants to work with you!

I've always been very interested in our industry. I feel a lot of session stylists forget where they came from, but for me it’s so important. I always say to my team, ‘You are the future, and I’m currently living my future!’ I’ve had two or three careers already, so I’m very positive about supporting them, and very pro them understanding where they came from, and how important it is to remember that they came from salon backgrounds, where they were doing 10 clients a day and had all that incredible training. I’m always really keen to connect with the industry, it’s just that my time has become so limited because of my session career. So, to do interviews has always been a good way for me to say how I feel, and tell my story a little bit, you know? It’s not an ‘all about me’ thing. I’m very passionate about younger hairdressers doing well and feeling that they’re worthy of being who they are as a hairdresser. It’s about inspiring them, to say ‘you can go on and do many things’, whether as an educator, a platform artist, a session stylist or a salon owner.

And so much of what I do now is stuff that I learnt when I was a salon owner.

Molly Goddard – London S/S24 A simple ponytail with fringes attached to create a hair headband

Martine Rose – London S/S20 Random cheap wigs just pinned and gripped quickly to create an ‘off’ effect

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How did you find your way into hairdressing?

I grew up in Brighton and I’ve never made any secret of the fact that I was very wild as a youngster. I was rebellious, always wanting to do my own thing. On the plus side, being involved with different gangs gave me an insight into youth culture and its tribalism, which, in turn, led me to music, fashion and style. Back then, in the ’70s and ’80s, hair was intrinsic to youth culture, and it was a way for me to be able to express myself. Changing the way I looked, changing my hair or connecting to punk, ska, goth or the rave scene was a way for me to be rebellious, to say something and to have a point of view, without having to put it into words.

Moving from Brighton to London, I didn’t really have any direction and I felt a bit lost. I actually started hairdressing to make my parents feel a bit more proud of me. I trained in a little salon only a few miles from where I live now, in south-west London. The day I walked into that salon, I felt like I had found my home. There was something about it that made me think, ‘I love this’. And I got a very good training with an excellent teacher, who really put herself out for me. We’d do extra training nights and enter competitions, which was a really great discipline, and I was so enthusiastic about it and so into doing hair that within three years I decided to get my own salon – I’d only just finished my apprenticeship!

My mum came to work with me and I learnt a lot from her – not necessarily about hair, but more about how to run a day-to-day salon business because she’d had her own salon for about 10 years. My dad was a very good businessman, too; both my parents really were guiding lights for me, I was so lucky.

So, that was in 1985, I was 21 years old. And of course, I thought I knew everything, then quickly realised I knew nothing and made a million mistakes.

But my mum was a great mentor and I had a great business partner, Kay Bolton, and it ended up being very successful. We expanded into the shop next door, we employed 25 people… And then it just got to the point where my mum wanted to retire, my business partner had a baby – and it seemed the right time to call it a day.

But it’s quite a leap, going from salon owner to session stylist. So, how – and why – did you make that happen?

I was 39, coming up to 40 and I remember thinking, ‘If I’m not careful, I’m just going to end up in this little office, in my salon, all on my own. Maybe I’ve got something else in me’. So, we collectively decided to sell the salon to a bigger company, which had a chain of salons and an academy, and I ended up staying on with them for 10 years as a consultant. But it was only one day a week, and that allowed me to discover myself as a session hairdresser.

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PROFILE When you first started out, how confident were you with your session hairdressing skills?

I would read magazines like i-D, The Face and Dazed and I would think, ‘I can do that’. But then when I started doing it, I realised it’s actually really hard. It was quite a shock to me when I started working in fashion to discover I just didn’t have the skills that were needed. So, I had to get some experience through working with other artists on shows and shoots. It was maybe easier for me because I was a bit older and more confident, and people seemed to respect and accept me. I worked on teams alongside Eugene Souleiman and Duffy, and stylists like Harris Elliot and Elgar Johnson, while photographers like Gerald Jenkins and Jamie Hawkesworth gave me some great opportunities. I learnt so much from these people.

Aged 40, it was really funny becoming an assistant, but it was so liberating, it was lovely. I shed all the responsibilities of being a salon owner, I could just do hair. I started doing some of my own shows in London – smaller ones at Men's Fashion Week – and then I started doing a few in Paris and it snowballed from there, resulting in Paris Vogue labelling me ‘one of the four best hair and make-up geniuses’ in a feature on the next big names in beauty. But it was meeting the Russian stylist Lotta Volkova and designer/photographer Gosha Rubchinskiy that really catapulted me into the limelight. Vetements had started street casting, using more interesting-looking people.

And I’d been through that whole ’70s and ’80s thing in the salon, doing the haircuts and the really bright colours, and so I’d go to the tests in Paris with Lotta and Demna [Gvasalia, Vetements co-founder], and there was an authenticity to what I was doing. And I guess I was lucky – I was in the right place at the right time, with the right skill set for the right kind of job. And that really helped me. And from there, Demna went to Balenciaga, and the rest is history…

Martine Rose – London S/S20 Extensions added in to create an extreme asymmetric shape

It seems that as well as getting this experience, it was important for you to be authentic, and to develop something unique to you?

When I started out in session, I remember thinking, ‘I just don’t know if I’m going to be happy in this environment’. I just didn’t feel like it was going to fit with me.

So, I made a conscious decision about how my work was going to be, what kind of aesthetic I was going to promote, to create a point of difference and get away from what I suppose you would call the ‘glamorous’ side of fashion. That was really important to me. To feel confident, I have to understand what I’m doing and why I’m doing it.

My advice to anybody who wants to work in fashion is to hone your craft. If you don’t develop good skills, this will become apparent very quickly. This world is all about reputation and it’s about making sure that you can do the work. If you develop strong skills you then have the power to subvert them, and having this foundation means you can have good ideas very quickly, which is demanded of you as a session stylist.

Those technical skills from your days in the salon have obviously helped you create your niche, but there’s another side – the mentoring of your team, how you educate them, teach them new skills – that surely also links back to your time as an employer?

To a certain extent, but I think I’ve improved on it even more. We just did a show for Balenciaga, where we had more than 100 models and a five-day prep, and I had two or three teams in different places at different times. And the management of every single one of those people, whether they’re there as part of my core team, or just packing the kit, it matters to me that everyone feels valued. It’s impossible for me to do my job without my team, and it’s virtually impossible to do it without a team that is motivated and excited.

I can have all the ideas in the world, I can do all the client meetings in the world,

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Martine Rose – London S/S24 An undercut with heavily gelled curls to give an edgy Latina feel

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Diesel – Milan S/S24 The inspiration was dirty, grown-out extensions

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Vetements – Paris A/W20 We coloured the hair pitch black and gave it an undercut to go with the structure of the coat

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PROFILE but I can’t do all the work. It’s just not possible to turn out that many high quality models without a very strong team. And I’m not just talking about doing hair, I also have [my agency] Streeters, which is phenomenal.

It’s just a massive team effort. And I genuinely believe that if people want to work for you because of what you’re bringing in terms of values and ethos, you can do anything. I don’t want people to come to work and feel fear, I want them to feel comfortable – people do really good work when they feel comfortable. I mean, I am strict, and I do have quite a rigid regime, but on the other hand I give people space to do good work.

My previous first assistant, Tom Wright, worked for me for 10 years and he left this year. He had been so integral to what I have done and created to this point, I will miss him but we planned his departure, it was a kind of a slow process to ensure he was secure with his move. I also would be doing him a disservice if I didn’t help him on his way to pursue his own career. The way I structure my team gives me strength and depth and all the people who were working next in line have all moved up and filled in the gap and are offering me something new.

Martine Rose – London S/S20 Made-up hair pieces just pinned and gripped really quickly to create an ‘off’ and random effect

Your work is very distinctive. How do you retain that point of difference?

I got to a point where I thought, ‘Right, I know what I want my work to look like.

I know I have good ideas. I’ve developed my skills – now I need to make sure I’m working with people who share my vibe’. I think carefully about who I work with, there’s got to be a mutual understanding.

Clients look at different portfolios and think, ‘Who is the right person for this job?’ and I think it can hold you back if you do a lot of everything. If your work changes from shoot to shoot, it’s harder for a client to understand what you’re about and if you are right for the job. I see people who join agencies and they’re not being managed as well as they could be. If they are pressured to do all the jobs that are offered to them, their career can end up snowballing into nothing. It’s better to have no content than the wrong content.

So, the individual aesthetic is everything. Is this something you help your team to develop?

It’s crucial to have your own point of view. This could be a style, a quality or a message. Then, you need to work with people who will enable you to elevate what you do and who give you a platform on which you are able to be your best. To do this, you need to educate yourself about photographers, about stylists, about brands. Do your research so that you can make good decisions about who you work with, rather than being seduced by the name of a brand. Don’t fall for that.

I think a lot of people do because they think it is going to get them to a certain place, but it doesn’t always. Develop a strong strategy about where you’re going and who you are going to be. Really research your ideas and make sure they are strong, and you are not too influenced by other people’s opinions. And practice hard. Even now if there is something I am not certain I understand how to do, or know how to use, I will practice it until I feel completely confident with it.

Acne Studios – Paris S/S23 Loose hair bows created to be worn in different parts of the hair

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Shoots, shows, campaigns… How do you stay sane when your schedule is so hectic?

I can only do what I do because of my team. Thanks to my core team – Rebecca Chang (who’s just taken over as my first assistant), Tasos Constantinou, Natsumi Ebiko, Mike Mahoney, Brixton Cowie, Dario Grassi and Daniel Moura – I never feel that I am working completely alone, which is important to me. And then there’s my agent Charlotte Alexa, Stella Katterman, and all the team at Streeters. Their hard work and dedication allow me to be the best I can be. Also, I’ve become better at taking breaks. I had six weeks off in the summer, so I can’t complain about that.

And we usually have two to three weeks off for Christmas and my core team all get the same break.

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PROFILE You were contributing editor at Dazed for several years, and now you’re a ‘dream maker’ at Beauty Papers. What does that entail?

I’ve always had a very strong relationship with Beauty Papers. The founders, Maxine Leonard and Valerie Wickes, have been very supportive of my career and given me a lot of space to do interesting work that other people maybe wouldn’t have let me do. It's a role that I’m sharing with Eugene and Holli Smith, so the three of us are the hair dream makers. I guess that means we’re contributing beauty editors, taste-makers within the world of hair and make-up.

It’s great that hairdressers are being recognised in that way, isn’t it?

Yes, absolutely. I think it’s really inspirational for younger hairdressers. And it’s funny, my team come from all over the world and we were chatting the other day and I told them that when I was young, you only did hair if you were kind of considered a bit daft, or not academically good enough to do another type of job. And they all said it was exactly the same where they were from, even at their age, which is mid-20s to early 30s. Hairdressing is such a stigmatised industry and yet creatively hairdressers are on the same level as designers and so many people have made great businesses out of beauty and hair. So I hope that one day it will finally be recognised as an industry that can have some respect.

Do you think you could use your voice in the industry to help change things?

Hairdressing saved my life on several occasions, and I’m very grateful for that. In the summer, I did the Summer Club. It’s where you go and spend a day with some inner-city kids who are considering working in a fashion-based creative environment. And it was a lovely thing to work in that environment, and to try and show that no matter where you’re from, and what you’re doing, there’s opportunity in a creative field. It was the first time I’ve done something like that, and I got a lot from it. I actually ended up having four young people from the Summer Club come and work on one of my shows in London. A couple of them were doing video and photography, one of them worked with my producer and one of them wanted to do hair. I was trying to show there’s lots to do in and around our environment, rather than just the work we do.

And for the past two years a production company has been filming a documentary about me. I was a bit apprehensive at first but then I decided I would do it because I wanted to tell my story and make it inspirational for people who are coming from areas where they can’t get a job, or they can’t see any future in school, or they’re running into problems with crime or drugs. I want to show that you can still do something, that there’s still a way forward. I feel like I’ve been stigmatised a lot because of being a hairdresser and this film is a way for me to say, ‘Actually, you have to be pretty smart to be able to get through this world that I work in’. Because it’s not easy. You have got to have many skill sets, emotional intelligence, production skills, people skills, and then you’ve got to do your job on top. And yet sadly, sometimes when I'm dealing with things outside of my industry, I tend to take my signature, which says hairdresser, off my email.

So I just really feel really passionate about making people understand what a positive job it is and the employment opportunities that exist.

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Image by Giammarco Amorroso

Rebecca Chang is Gary’s new first assistant (Creative HEAD readers may also remember her as the 2017 It List It Girl winner). So, what’s it like to hold such an important role within the team?

“When Gary asked me to become his first assistant I felt like everything I have worked for in the past 10 years had come true. It was perfect timing because I understand now how much and what it takes to be a first assistant – how to handle situations under high pressure and perform your best, even when obstacles come your way.

“Gary is a perfectionist and there is always a reason why he does something. He has taught me that ‘Prior Preparation Prevents Poor Performance’ and I swear by that, even in my personal life.

“But he is also very open-minded and encourages us to contribute creatively on shoots and how we can improve our system. I don’t feel like I am ‘working for’ Gary; I am ‘working with’ him. He is always asking our (the core team’s) opinion about everything from the hair creative to which hotel we should stay in. We are very transparent in our communication and I believe that’s what makes our team a family.

“Gary is my mentor – that’s how he stands out from other session stylists I have worked for. He has shaped me to become a stronger artist, both technically and mentally. He encourages me to do my own shoots when the opportunity arises, and is so supportive of me building my portfolio and clientele. He is like a father figure, moulding and guiding me at work and outside work. He’s taught me how to be the best version of myself and I will forever be thankful to him.”

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Diesel – Milan S/S24 The inspiration was dirty, grown-out extensions

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HAIR Jack & The Wolfe. MAKE-UP Ellie Durbridge.

Class act

In the vibrant realm of hair couture, Heiress from Jack & the Wolfe juxtaposes the opulence of inherited wealth with the raw, rebellious spirit of rock and roll culture. Inspired by the dichotomy between privilege and edge, this is a journey where luxury meets rebellion PHOTOGRAPHY BY PHILIP VEITCH CREATIVE HEAD

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SCENE THE BIG HAIR DO

A vibrant conclusion to the Not ‘Just’ A Salon advertising campaign, the Big Hair Do partied hard once again! The campaign showcased – across social media, on billboards, outdoor sites and on major bus routes in Bristol – the remarkable ways hair pros take care of people to an audience of 20 million. The live in-salon event that followed invited attendees to get a taste of the expert skills and knowledge, and exciting services and products available in-salon.

Guests at salons in Bristol, Dublin and Edinburgh left with new fringes, colour touch-ups, beautifully glossy hair, and a goody bag filled with product samples from a range of L’Oréal Professional Products brands. In Bristol, the team at Gaudi Hair combined fun, fashion and food, as well as some education in the form of styling demonstrations and handy hair tips. At Madison-Rae, we spotted gorgeous sweet treats as well as up-dos and manis!

In Dublin, the lovely lot at Wildflower gathered to spoil their guests with scalp reading consultations, a brightly coloured, superfood buffet of fruits, nuts and olives, and some wonderful party-ready waves.

And it was fizz, friends and all sorts of fabulousness over at Frame in Skerries. In Edinburgh’s Holy Corner, Charlie Miller’s Big Hair Do activities spanned two floors of the salon – from gorgeously fragrant candles and sipping cocktails to styling appointments and securing some merch! While the team at Neil Maclean Hair Studio got busy with styling tips and make-up transformations, too.

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Neil Maclean Hair Studio

THE EVENTS AND PARTIES TO BE SEEN AT

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Madison-Rae

Not ‘Just’ A Salon Scan to see more about the campaign

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Frame

Gaudi Hair

Photography by Jess Shurte (Neil Maclean Hair Studio), Matt Willis (Madison-Rae), Roger Kenny (Frame).

Charlie Miller

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Darcie Harvey Czar Joshua Ventura Halley Brisker

Laura Chadwick Aimée Croysdill

The last Creative HEAD event of 2023, The Coterie crashed new co-working space Stā Studios to explore the blood, sweat and tears that go into fuelling jaw-dropping creative collaborations, in association with event sponsor JOICO. Session stylist Halley Brisker and fashion stylist Aimée Croysdill took a deep dive into concepts for clients including Bridgerton’s Nicola Coughlan, such as her first trip to the Met Gala, where carefully placed feathers in her hair seamlessly referenced the Richard Quinn dress.

Hair stylist Laura Chadwick met her make-up artist collaborator Czar Joshua Ventura via a Facebook post, and the two have partnered on a range of projects that include designer Patrick McDowell’s ‘Catholic Fairytales’ collection, which made an important statement about faith, identity and inclusivity. The 2023 It List Editorial Stylist, Darcie Harvey, recalled nabbing her first collaboration just a week into her apprenticeship, a long way from the Grazia cover shoot she styled for England Lioness, Chloe Kelly. And the evening was closed out by Adam Garland, who was exceptionally frank about his collaborations thus far. His London Fashion Week work with designer Harri saw him lead the concept on hair AND beauty… with further collaborations together in the pipeline. And everyone left clutching a generous bag of JOICO goodies, too.

Adam Garland

Photography by Harvey Williams-Fairley

THE COTERIE

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Rounding off a jam-packed couple of months, ALFAPARF Milano Professional’s Love Your Evolution tour headed to Cancun in Mexico for its final stop of the year. Set against the luxurious backdrop of the Barceló Maya Riviera resort, the four-day spectacular brought together 800 guests from 14 countries. Not just an opportunity to network while sipping delicious cocktails, the gathering centred around celebrating the new-look Evolution Of The Color line, as well as exciting ventures on the horizon. From the UK and Ireland, attendees included Mikey Lewis of bebop – UK winner of the 2023 Next Color GenHAIRation Award – as well as Lisa Whiteman from Whiteman Soho and Amanda Hogan, winner of the Irish Next Color GenHAIRation Award from Pelo Salons. They heard more about the steps being taken to improve sustainability efforts, with a goal to meet at least 13 out of the United Nation’s 17 sustainable development goals by 2030. There was also excitement surrounding the brand’s involvement with a new show, Hairstyle – The Talent Show, currently broadcast in Spain, the US and Italy, with the latter featuring Rudy Mostarda, the brand’s international creative director. An epic two-hour live presentation concluded the event, with Cuco & Guille – members of the ALFAPARF Milano Professional Mexico Artigiani Artistic Team – sharing pastel delights, while Mostarda delivered an extraordinary take on modern hairdressing with a fusion of music, dance, and true hair artistry. An awe-inspiring spectacle…

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Cuco & Guille show

ALFAPARF MILANO PROFESSIONAL LOVE YOUR EVOLUTION TOUR

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Rudy Mostarda with Lisa Marangon of ALFAPARF Milano

Rudy Mostarda show

THE LAST WORD ON…

HEALTHY HABITS Jamie Street for Unsplash

CHANGING YOUR ATTITUDE TO HABITS IS HARD WORK, BUT STICK WITH IT AND YOU WILL REAP THE BENEFITS

Healthy body, healthy mind, is a principle that most of us can get behind. However, shifting gears means forming healthier habits and these don’t happen overnight.

A study published in the European Journal of Social Psychology discovered that it takes more than two months for a new habit to become automatic. This considered, there isn’t a better time to start healthy habits than in the New Year. Play your cards right, and you could be a healthier, happier you by March!

Sean Hanna, founder of the seanhanna salon group, agrees that healthier habits from a business perspective should begin at the start of the year. “A new year is particularly motivational as there is an emotional watershed. For business owners, my tips would be to plan out your marketing calendar for the year ahead.

If you haven’t done this before, simply divide the year into four quarters and choose a focus for each quarter. Then, plan a set of activities for each focus. If your focus is on colour, this might include planning specific colour focused social content and a new cover for the front page of your website.” Have your plan laid out for the year, and you’ll be less likely to deviate from it.

So determined are some of us to reach huge goals that we can lose momentum and give up on healthy habits altogether. For Jamie Johnston, founder of mental health-forward dating app Mattr, it’s about long-term, incremental progress. “Rather than committing to a grand resolution with a looming deadline, work towards your objectives gradually.”

Healthy habits can start simple, such as “increasing your daily step count” or “taking the stairs instead of the lift”, he adds. Jamie compares these seemingly small changes to visiting the gym.

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“There’s no finite endpoint, it’s an ongoing journey that becomes difficult to abandon once you’ve established a routine.”

So, can you inject healthy habits into your professional development, too? Yes, says Liz Sebag-Montefiore, director and co-founder of HR consultancy 10Eighty. Just as a gym goer works on their physique, Liz believes that professionals should continually work on their career profile. “Make sure that every month you do at least one item of professional development work to ensure you appreciate as an asset,” she says.

Other ideas she has for healthy habit setting include “reviewing the past 12 months to decide what you enjoyed doing so that you can arrange to do more of the same. Then, look at what caused you frustration and irritation to see if you can minimise those aspects of your work”, she says. Peer review is another idea: “Ask for feedback and what people like about what you do, and then ask what they think you should work on.” Co-mentoring can help too: “Identify someone in a similar job to you, and see if you can arrange to do some peer-to-peer mentoring,” adds Liz. For those taking their first steps into healthy habits this new year, start with a simple morning walk, suggests Simon Bacher, chief-executive of language app, Ling. “Healthy habits start when you wake up,” he says. “One habit I’ve started doing every morning is going for a walk. It sounds simple but it’s a great way to get your body and brain functions going.”

Our work and personal lives can feel like competing forces regularly, so don’t drag your new healthy habits into the mix.

Instead, take on what feels realistic. These habits are for you, after all, so make them something worth sticking to.

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