Uplifting the senses

ROCCO DANIELI, CO-PARTNER OF UPLIFT PROVISIONS CO. ALONG WITH STEVE AND KELLY PRESTI, HAVE PRODUCED A PRODUCT LINE THAT IS CLEAN, FRESH AND PERFORMS WELL. CREATED AT THE KITCHEN STOVE TWO YEARS AGO, THEY NOW MANUFACTURE AN INCREDIBLE LINE OF HANDCRAFTED, PROFESSIONAL BARBER/SALON GROOMING PRODUCTS.

Products that are made by a barber always stand that little taller, made with a knowledge of what barbers want and need. Rocco has his own barbershop ‘Over the Top’ in Stoneham, MA, and has created a line infused with patience, love and a healing energy. A clean, safe, line that are gender neutral, smell amazing and something that is very dear to Rocco’s heart, Uplift Provisions Company donates a portion of all sales to The Family Restored, a non-profit that helps families and individuals suffering from addiction.

Rocco had a few turbulent, wild years. He has lost two sisters due to drug overdose and has an older brother in recovery. He started his own recovery journey and one of the things that helped him focus on being positive was to build this brand. “If I didn’t create this product, who knows what I would be doing today.” The core values of this brand stand strong and speak for themselves.

He said: “Uplift is a brand that is very conscious of what is being put on the skin. That starts with having natural essential oils as the base.”

Rocco has been cutting hair almost 20 years, and he felt that he wanted to create a product for everyone. To not aim for one demographic and to create something that he could use on kids, as well as Wall Street guys, and women, he wanted versatility.

“It starts with our scent. It’s a very clean scent. It’s not overly masculine or feminine, it has a good balance. It doesn’t overpower. I wanted a scent that was inviting, and I think we have nailed that.

“The base of the pomade product is made from corn, we went earthy. That is reflected in the colors in our brand. The blue we use is very inviting, it takes you to ocean colors, warm and soothing.

“On our products we print inspirational quotes which are well thought out and I know have helped me in my recovery journey, which is all part of the wellness element.

“If you look at our ingredient list compared to our competitors, we have maybe half of what they are adding. There are no parabens, sulphates, and copolymers. We have one of the safest lines. We are water-based, and peppermint features highly in our ingredients. Peppermint essential oil is used for inflammation, helps with headaches and it increases blood flow to the area you use it on. It soothes the sinuses and stimulates hair growth. Then we have the lime oil which is an acidic, as opposed to the alkaline properties of peppermint, so they balance out. Lime swells the hair follicle which allows the peppermint to penetrate and lift the hair. It also cleans the scalp.”

In the early days of Uplift, the team decided that the quality of the ingredient lists was paramount. “We refused to downgrade any of our products as we scaled up. Our fragrance which are essential oils is probably one of the most expensive on the market. We take pride in that, and we won’t dumb down the ingredients. Our core values are to use products that people can use safety over and over. Kelly added: “We stick to products that we can source in the United States, and preferably from the New England area. We feel that being able to partner with local companies in our community helps us give back and create this larger network as well.”

Another major ingredient in the Uplift range is Kaolin clay. Rocco adds: “It’s from the earth and it does a good job of masking and softening the contact that it is on. It also helps with eczema. It’s so safe and non-abrasive and it’s a great clay for the skin. It’s so smooth, and it feels incredible. None of our products dry up and get gritty and that’s down to quality of the ingredients.”

Retailing and non-profit

For barbers thinking of bringing in a clean, safe product line, Uplift is wholesaled through Classic Barber. Rocco has some interesting stats for barbers. “We offer one of the best margins for wholesale that a barber can possibly make. Wholesale against retail doubles your money. Eg, our Uplift Sea Salt Spray is $9, but sells for $18. We also provide the backbar. You are selling a mission. Apart from the clean ingredient list, a portion of all the sales goes to a charity called The Family Restored. It gives back to families that are struggling with addiction. Rocco said: “For example, if you are a single mom and you can’t afford to get your kids into rehab, we would be able to fund that through our nonprofit to get them into the right place. Not just that, we oversee it. I’m on the phone with the parents, I work in recovery. That is stuff that is hitting an emotion, that helps Uplift sell itself, plus barbers can make a great profit from it. The best part about our products is that they perform professionally as well as at home.”

When they were developing the product line, Kelly assumed that the target market would be men aged between 18 and 34. But Rocco said that he couldn’t do that.

She continues: “He said that he has children in his chair and that he has got to sell products to the mom, and convince the mom that it’s suitable for the child, the stockbroker, the guy riding the Harley. It has to be suitable for everyone. It has a genderneutral packaging, the scent is gender neutral and it has a softer scent. It appeals to a broader audience.”

All the products are water based, so usability for barbers is really important. Kelly continues: “Our products don’t leave a tacky residue. You don’t have to wash your hands after using them. One barber said that he doesn’t mind cutting hair that has our Uplift Texture Dust in it as it doesn’t gum up his scissors. It’s user friendly and will easily wash out.”

Rocco finishes with: “Our Uplift Shave Gel is insane. It seconds as a tattoo rejuvenation gel. It has cactus extract in it which is a natural SPF and arnica that gets rid of inflammation on contact. It’s hydrating, it’s not greasy, it’s like the opposite of a lotion.” www.upliftprovisionsco.com

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Taking his career path

Growing up, Richie watched a couple of his family members in the barber industry. He completed school and did some jobs, like working at Walmart, the bowling alley, Hot Topic and bagging groceries at Albertsons. However, he narrowly missed his chance to join the Navy when he couldn’t pass the Navy test and so he decided to do cosmetology.

He dropped out of cosmetology school and signed up to Barber College in Anaheim. He is currently teaching at Paul Mitchell, he is also learning the Paul Mitchell way of cutting and color so he can teach both barbering and cosmetology.

He has a studio where he works in the morning and goes to Paul Mitchell in the evenings. His clown journey

Although Richie enjoys his life as a clown, some of his immediate family members do not feel comfortable with that. For instance, Richie is an ever-happy person who wants to say hi to everyone around him.

Once you tattoo your face, it's a commitment that you have to embrace despite the reaction from society. According to him, this is his lifestyle, and he feels free to live it just like anybody else.

Richie has an interesting story to tell. He believes that a clown can choose to be silly, giggly or just witty, because being a clown brings out that inner childhood feeling of not taking everything seriously but rather having fun with life.

Richie says that despite the effort and struggles you have to endure through your journey or dreams, you have to remain hopeful that things will turn out for the best. You have to keep hustling and juggling but also remember to be real, be authentic and above all be yourself.

He told us there is a clown bible that contains everything about clowns. This clown bible is known as Circus. As a clown, it is, therefore, worth it to understand that no matter what you do, not everybody in the world is going to like you and so you have to keep on moving through life.

Family reactions

According to Richie, his family has given him so much support and love even with his facial tattoos. Although his mom never understood him at the beginning, she later embraced it, but through it all has always showed unconditional love. Richie doesn’t understand people's perspectives. For instance, a lot of people who know him would say they don’t see the tattoos anymore. However, it took his nieces and nephew a while to get used to his new look, they all love him, however, Richie does not attend birthdays and parties.

He can hang out with his family as well as refocus the time he spends with his family. When he’s at home, he doesn't sit on his phone, but rather parks it in his bedroom and leaves it there until the next morning.

He feels that when in business, you need to move fast because if you're not going to do your job then there are people out there that are going to do it. If you are not the one for him, then he is ready to move fast.

And Richie is always looking to be better. For instance, he is currently at a beauty school where he is teaching and giving demos. He is recording a new album where he wants to start doing little tours or playing in bars.

He is also planning to be part of various conventions like tattoo, barber and horror conventions. Although Richie was once rejected in the barber industry because he is a clown, people are now accepting him.

Due to having worked in a tattoo barbershop, Richie met a tattoo artist who took him to Manchester where he became the first barber ever to cut hair at a tattoo convention.

It was on a first come first serve basis, and he spent the whole day just cutting hair and throwing confetti , although he found it quite hard to engage or impress the people around him.

Despite having tattoos all over his face, Richie lives in his little world where he hardly pays attention to his face or to what people think of him. Many times, people look at him like he is crazy, but to him, he feels comfortable about himself and even treats his situation as the norm and everyday lifestyle.

He said: “It's like a soccer player or a basketball player dribbling all day and shooting hoops all the time. They're practicing all the time who they are. This is what I do. I practice being a clown. I love being a clown. It's my whole life and I would not change it for the world.”

With Richie, one main thing that impresses him is that even regular people are struggling to be themselves. You don’t have to care what anybody else thinks about you. All you need is to be yourself, be happy and live your life.

How you can connect with Richie

Richie is best and widely known by his name Richie the barber. You can therefore connect with him on Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, TikTok, and Google @richiethebarber