Professional Hairdresser November-December 10-9

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2019

N OVEM BE R / D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9

ISSUE 10

Festive Flair

FOLLOW ME: @nicolaprohair FOLLOW PRO HAIR MAG: @ProHairMag @ProHairMag

This is the season for skyrocketing your retail sales with your social media campaign being a vital part of your Christmas marketing calendar for the salon. We may loath big brands pre-emptive Christmas marketing that seemingly begins as early as October and we may also resent the elf hats and Santa beards that already don the isles of the local supermarket. There is a reason these brands have begun marketing the big day so early, and it’s the same reason Christmas social media campaigns should already be firmly in your plans: consumers are already planning for the 25th December, and online shoppers are searching for it. What this means for Christmas social media campaigns is that you need to get in early. Posting to clients on Christmas Eve saying you are now offering a 10% discount on all Christmas gift sets will not generate sales. Your salon social media needs to live and breathe Christmas from the end of November to have any effect.

Also transform your salon into your seasonal super-hero and make it really work for you when it comes to tempting your clients to buy. They will be hankering after festive inspiration for those original gift ideas so use your salon to help by creating strikingly festive merchandise displays. It’s most definitely the season to sparkle so transform your salon interior and exterior to become your eye-catching Christmas advert. You might not have the budget of John Lewis, but a little festive flair and a good sprinkling of glitter dust and your salon can become a high street seasonal showstopper.

So as you shimmer and sparkle your way through your busy columns, do make time to delve into our Christmas issue in which we are bringing you some great party looks and Christmas business advice. This year we have changed things up a little and our ‘12 Days of Christmas’ festive giveaway will be online at www.professionalhairdresser.co.uk from the beginning of December so keep an eye on our Instagram @prohairmag for daily alerts as to what you can win!

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from all here at Professional Hairdresser!

Editor Nicola Shannon nshannon@hamerville.co.uk Assistant Editor Megan Danskine

REGULARS 6

NEWS Industry goings on

26 GIFTS GALORE Retail Round-Up

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NEWS EXTRA Goldwell Global Zoom

32 QUEEN OF THE NIGHT Step-by-step with ghd

mdanskine@hamerville.co.uk Digital Manager Ruth Williams Digital Assistant Rebecca Mcgeoch Designer Donna Booth Group Production Manager Carol Padgett

CHRISTMAS SPECIAL PRODUCTS

Printer Walstead Roche Ltd Publisher Bryan Shannon Group Sales Manager Oliver Shannon oshannon@hamerville.co.uk

64 SPOTLIGHT ON HH Simonsen

12 NEWS EXTRA UNITE Global Session VI

35 THE SALON CHAMPION With Andrew Barton

SUSTAINABLE SALON LIFE

15 NEWS EXTRA Wella Trend Vision UK Final

36 TIM SCOTT WRIGHT Glam Looks

67 GREEN QUEEN KARINE

PEOPLE

38 PARTY TIME Accessories Round-Up

Production Assistant Claire Swendell

62 What’s New

19 HOOKER & YOUNG With Zoë Irwin 22 TREND SPOTTING With BaByliss PRO

FASHION 42 ON TREND COLLECTIONS

23 FOLLOWER OF FASHION With Jackie Ambrose

68 SPOTLIGHT ON Leaf Scissors

BUSINESS 70 Phil Smith 71 Trisha Buller 72 Michael Smith 73 Debbie Digby 74 Jamie Brooks

National Sales Executive Alana Asher aasher@hamerville.co.uk

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©2019 Professional Hairdresser accepts no responsibility for damage or loss, however caused, to any material submitted for publication. While every effort is made to ensure facts are correct at time of going to press, no responsibilty can be acceoted for incorrect product descriptions or facts. No part of this magazine may be reproduced, in any form, without prior written permission from the publishers.

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COVER: Mark Leeson for Revlon Professional

PROFESSIONAL HAIRDRESSER 5

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Color Wow’s Global Creative Director, Chris Appleton, has won Hair Influencer of the year at the American Influencer Awards.

TO THE MOON AND BACK HAIRFLAIR CELEBRATES REBRAND AND PRODUCT LAUNCH WITH A LUXURY MOON & STARS PAMPERING EVENT. Set in the penthouse of The May Fair Hotel, HairFlair recently launched its new Waveformers collection and limited edition ‘Bright as a Star’ hair accessories and Softhood with a luxe pampering sessions for journalists, celebrities and influencers.

Guests were invited to the Schiaparelli Suite to choose from a curl menu, and while their hair set into shape they enjoyed a variety of ritual treatments from gel nails, vegan glitter waxing, eyelash extensions, make-up, tarot reading, sleep therapy, million dollar facials and more.

HairFlair also showcased their rebranding including a new logo, website and packaging as well as beautiful model imagery and videos art directed by Marie Claire’s Lisa Oxenham.

New Waveformers work on the same principle of setting hair from damp to dry creating amazing hold, but with a looser result. The tools were used at the Julien Macdonald

RUSH V Cancer

RUSH Hair collaborates with Girls V Cancer

RUSH Hair are delighted to reveal their collaboration with Girls V Cancer, a charity founded to support and connect with those affected by a cancer. Founded by Lauren Mahon, a breast cancer survivor, a

6 PROFESSIONAL HAIRDRESSER

London Fashion Week Show S/S20 by hairdressers Karine Jackson and Ken Paves who created a glamorous yet modern take on the bouffant. Guests were also introduced to new Styleformers by HairFlair, a range of four styling products designed to be cocktailed to enhance and nourish curls and waves while optimising their staying power.

Speaking after the event, Alexandra Malet, CEO of HairFlair said: “HairFlair was thrilled to host the press event at The May Fair Hotel in London – the perfect glamorous location for the relaunch of the brand and our fabulous products to the international press and influencers who, I am happy to confirm, loved the results. As an original Indie Brand, HairFlair is proud to be an inclusive, consumer orientated and focused brand for hair tools and products that really do care for your hair. I am extremely proud of our team who strive everyday to bring our products to both the consumer and the professional stylist to style hair kindly.”

little over three years ago, the organisation has provided women with a platform of support, offering guidance through times of hardship and emotional suffering whilst making them feel empowered and part of a family. Lauren and her team are consistently working towards changing the way people perceive cancer and opening the channels of dialogue.

Since their first meeting, Paola and her team have headed up the hair styling for the past three shoots, and are fully on board for all future campaigns, with Girls V Cancer planning two campaigns each year.

Education Director, Paola Pinto commented, “To be a part of this incredible movement with Lauren is an honour. Both Lauren and her team are a true inspiration and are establishing a great community network for those affected by cancer. On each campaign we are so lucky to meet some amazing people and making them feel good about themselves is something I am truly honoured to be a part off.”

NHBF BUSINESS AWARDS

HAIR AND HOUNDS THE FIRST EVER HAIR AND HOUNDS SPONSORED DOG WALK IS ORGANISED BY HOOKER AND YOUNG. For anyone that follows Gary Hooker and Michael Young on social media, it will be clear that their love of all things canine is comparable to their passion for hair. It was no surprise that their first-ever Hair and Hounds sponsored dog walk raised money for both The Hair and Beauty Charity and the Dogs Trust.

This pioneering pets and people walk attracted 310 legs (50 dogs and 55 owners) and was held at Exhibition Park Newcastle raising a phenomenal £1193. In a bid to raise extra funds the Hooker and Young team had organised printed t-shirts reflecting the Hair & Beauty Charity colours of purple and sported pictures of either a British Bulldog or Great Dane with quiffs!

All well-behaved pets and owners went back to the William Brewery afterwards for a nice iced water, or chilled prosecco, courtesy of Gary and Michael.

There is still time to donate if you would like to, please visit: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/hairandhounds

Virtual Salon Ashley Gamble launches pioneering virtual reality salon tour.

As one of the original members of Schwarzkopf Professional’s digital influencer program, the #SKPCollective, Ashley Gamble is an expert in using tech to keep his salon business ahead of the competition. Ashley has launched an interactive virtual reality tour of his salon – with clickable details to allow clients to book and find out more about services.

The virtual walking tour – created by Virtual 360 Tour – allows clients to explore the entire Ashley Gamble salon in Shifnal. As well as allowing guests to look around Ashley’s luxurious two-storey space using their own VR headset – or in 3D for those without – the tour features integrated clickable hotspots, to encourage clients to discover products, book in for services and learn more about the beauty treatments available when they pay a virtual visit to the beauty room.

“We are very proud to give the hairdressing community and our clients a virtual, 3D footprint of our salon in Shifnal,” says Ashley. “We’ve designed it to make clients feel at home before they even arrive and truly believe that virtual reality tours will soon become a mainstream reality. We love to experiment with technology and explore innovative developments that will help both our business and our clients.”

The winners of the NHBF 2019 Business Awards have now been announced.

These prestigious Awards celebrate the best hair, beauty and barbering businesses in the industry and attract high-calibre entries from across the UK. The Awards, covering 12 different categories, were presented at a glittering presentation ceremony held at the St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel in London.

“We were so impressed by the extraordinarily high quality of the entries we received this year,” says NHF/NBF president Ian Egerton. “The judges had a difficult task choosing the overall winners and all the finalists should be extremely proud of their achievements.”

The winners were: Best Independent Hair Salon or Barbershop (small) Sponsored by Premier Software Antonacci Hair & Beauty Best Independent Hair Salon or Barbershop (large) Sponsored by Loop HR Law Salons Highly commended: Energy Hair Best Independent Beauty Salon Sponsored by Shedul Tranquillity Beauty Studio Best Innovation Sponsored by Global Payments Chair Salons Best Client Experience Sponsored by Shedul Melissa Timperley Salons Best Apprentice Sponsored by VTCT Owen Davies, Saks Chester Best New Business Sponsored by Coversure Law Salons Highly commended: Studio 88 Best Community Support In association with Hair & Beauty Charity Barrie Stephen

Best Front of House Sponsored by Ellis Whittam Burghley Hair-Beauty-Academy Best Social Media Sponsored by City & Guilds Hxhair Best Salon Design Sponsored by Shedul Harris & Fox Outstanding Contribution to the Hair or Beauty Industry Sponsored by Phorest Tina Parsons, Burghley Hair-Beauty-Academy NHF/NBF Photographic Image of the Year winners The results of the 15th NHF/NBF Photographic Image of the Year competition were also announced at the Business Awards presentation evening. Entrants submit a show-stopping image or collection of images that showcase their hair or beauty skills. Winners were announced across four categories: Female Fashion Look – Single Image Andrew Smith, Andrew Smith Salon, Fareham Female Fashion Look – Collection Karen Thomson & KAM Hair and Body Spa Creative Team, Lossiemouth Male Fashion Look – Single Image Yucel Olmezkaya, MR. Barbers, Cambridge Male Fashion Look – Collection Jim Shaw, Essensuals and Essensuals Men, Billericay The NHF/NBF offers a range of business support services for hair and beauty salons, from legal, employment and financial guidance to discounted insurance and expert advice for managing people and boosting your business. www.nhf.info

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A N N E I V H O Global zoom welcomed 3,000 hairdressers from around the WORLD. From Schnitzel to Strauss, Vienna is one of Europe’s most cultural capitals and was the stunning setting for this year’s Goldwell Global Zoom international final. The biggest ever UK & Ireland contingent of over 330 descended on the city to support our UK finalists and we were there to report back.

Stylists’ favourite award The United Kingdom had a clean sweep in this year’s Stylists’ Favourite Award with Richard Munslow from TONI&GUY Hemel Hempstead (Partner category), Lauren Roma Hanlon from Slunks (Creative category), together with Courtney Cairns from Headromance (New Talent category) all winning the award in each category. The Goldwell Stylists’ Favourite Awards are linked to the Color Zoom Challenge. The unique feature about these awards is that anyone, anywhere in the world can participate via an online platform and is able to choose their favourite entry in each category, from all of the national gold winners. A fantastic achievement by Team UK.

UK Judges

Academy sessions Sunday & community area – On the Sunday, John Moroney – Vice President Global Creative and Communication Kao Salon Division – opened the 2019 Global Zoom event. The Welcome Session started with the announcement of Goldwell’s annual Style Statement for 2020: HAIR I COLOUR I STYLE, which was then followed by the impressive Academy Sessions open to all guests. The Color Zoom Challenge ran alongside this with hairdressers participating from all over the world in three different categories - Partner, Creative and New Talent. It was here that they demonstrated their creativity and interpretation of the current Goldwell Color Zoom Collection - REMIX. All 91 national finalists from 38 different countries competed live and simultaneously.

NEWS EXTRA

The Gala Show was one of the highlights of the Global Zoom event in Vienna. Over 3,000 hairdressers were excited to discover the new Goldwell Couture Collection 2020: INTREPID – a unique collection, which is fearless, bold and daring. The creative team introduced the collection which has pure lines, round shapes and disconnections where color becomes gender-neutral. INTREPID goes beyond conventions and expectations. It was also here at the Gala Show where the three global winners were announced. All three demonstrated astounding hairdressing skills in the Color Zoom competition:

Gold winners J Lim from Singapore in the New Talent category.

Irakli Sardalishvili from Russia in the Creative category.

Yuujin Ho from Singapore in the Partner category.

Congratulations go to the UK’s Courtney Cairns also took home bronze for her New Talent entry.

UK support

UK’s Courtney Cairns

Artist sessions – Monday The inspiring Artist Sessions gave guests from all over the world the opportunity to experience excellent mastery of their craft.

These included: Hare & Bone is a multi-award-winning salon collective based in London’s West End. Founded by Sam Burnett and best known within the industry for their instinctive fashion-focused and trend-conscious style.

During the Artist Sessions, Sam Burnett and Jamie Benny presented the world premiere of their latest collection – Tainted Quartz.

On stage M&P presented their new collection Reversible, combing a touch of late 70’s Studio 54 extravaganza, gold and sequin sparkle, alongside the shine of Goldwell colours to complete the looks.

Farewell party Hofburg Palace

Hare & Bone Team

The Farewell Party on Monday evening took place in the incredible Hofburg Palace in the heart of Vienna. Of course this was the crowning finale of Global Zoom 2019. John Moroney, Vice President Global Creative and Communication Kao Salon Division commented: “This year we had two days full of creativity, inspiration and great artist sessions. Our three new gold winners have shown outstanding hairdressing skills. We are looking forward to next year – in 2020 we will inspire our stylists with a new event, a new challenge and a new Goldwell Couture Collection in a new city. We are excited to invite our stylists to the all-new Kao Salon Global Experience in Amsterdam.”

PROFESSIONAL HAIRDRESSER 9

IN SESSION UNITE’S GLOBAL SESSION VI TAKES PLACE IN SAN DIEGO.

Set in sunny San Diego in the city’s urban playground the Gaslamp Quarter, the Westin Hotel was host to this year’s UNITE Global Session. The sixth assembly of the UNITE family, this year in its hometown of Southern California, also celebrated the brands’ 16th birthday. Guests flew in from all over the world, some from as far as Australia, to attend the event and be inspired by all the techniques, tools and creations we were destined to see.

On arrival UNITE held a Welcome Reception, a chance to mix and mingle with UNITE and the Global Artistic Team.

Sweet Sixteen-themed (tiaras and everything!), the party was set under the stars and the fairy lights on the Westin’s rooftop terrace. As the kick-starter for the Global Session the nibbles, drinks, dancing and of course photobooth did not disappoint.

The following morning, Global Session VI began! Guests arrived at the historic Balboa Theatre for a jam-packed itinerary of cutting and styling inspiration and education. CEO and founder of UNITE Andrew Dale (known as Dale) opened proceedings, welcoming guests and commenting on the special UNITE milestone. “What makes this Global Session so special is that it’s our 16th birthday! 16 years! Isn’t that crazy! People thought I was crazy for starting a product company, said it would never work, but look at us now!”

First up on stage was Karine Jackson, UNITE Global Creative Director Gary Baker and Diego Miranda, beginning the conference with an Editorial Styling Session creating red carpet glamour looks and giving the audience hair up tips. The rest of the day was filled with a Cutting

session from Paul Stafford, Melissa Timperley and Jesse Gaines and another Editorial Styling session with Brendan O’Sullivan, Shaun McGrath and Matthew Curtis. There was also a Men’s seminar, another Cutting and another Editorial Styling seminar.

Then it was time for the evening bash; a huge Halloween party at Parq Nightclub!

Guests dressed to the nines in fierce and frightening costumes. CEO Dale came as Captain Hook! With drinks flowing and the music pumping the UNITE family partied into the early hours.

With a few sore heads in the audience, the second day of the UNITE Global Session VI kicked off with a panel of tastemakers; Dominick Serna, Graham Nation, Marissa Marino and Michelle Zeller Porumb, who talked about everything from work and home life to using social media to market your work.

The rest of the final day featured more Editorial Styling and Cutting seminars from UNITE Ambassadors and culminated in a stunning Avant Garde session with Shaun McGrath, Gary Baker, Renee Africa. Shaun created an absolutely awe-inspiring ocean themed look, fixing coral pieces to his model’s hair before bringing out a ladder to add fish. The result? An almost three foot tall underwater masterpiece.

Bringing Global Session VI to a close, all the ambassadors piled onto the stage in an eruption of cheers and applause from the audience for what was a truly an educational, thought-provoking and inspiring insight into the world of the UNITE family. For even more insight, check out the recap video on our website...until next time San Diego!

NEWS EXTRA

PROFESSIONAL HAIRDRESSER 13

NEWS EXTRA

Going for Gold Wella Professionals announces the winners of the UK & Ireland TrendVision Award 2019 Final at London’s The Roundhouse.

We hit The Roundhouse in Camden recently for an epic evening in honour of the Wella Professionals UK and Ireland TrendVision Award 2019 Final. The event was hosted by TV favourite Vernon Kay and hairdressing legend Patrick Cameron and showcased some of our nation’s most impressive hairdressing talent. More than 800 guests gathered for a drinks reception followed by a sit down dinner and three stunning hair shows by some of the world’s greatest hair artists.

This began with a show by the legendary Sassoon Academy team. Celebrating 65 years of Sassoon, ‘Monoflouro’ was curated especially for the event and focused on mono tones infused with pure pigmentations – all inspired by the work of Bauhaus master Josef Albers. Looks celebrated the enduring legacy of the Sassoon geometric method – fused with incredible styling.

Guests were also wowed by an incredible show named Collaborate that celebrated the diversity of beauty and the colour spectrum, using the iconic Wella portfolio of colour. This once-in-a-lifetime show pulled together some of the greatest artists in British hairdressing today. Akin Konizi, HOB Academy; Charlie Taylor, from Charlie Taylor; Darren Ambrose, D&J Ambrose; Darren Lacken, Crow Street Collective; Dom Capel, Lara Johnson Lifestyle; Josh Goldsworthy, Goldsworthys and Leonardo Rizzo and Sharon Cox from Sanrizz all showcased models, which together created an electrifying rainbow finish.

The final show, ‘Celestial’, was delivered by Wella’s Technical Director, Robert Eaton. This show included strong and powerful silhouettes with incredible colour innovation. Futuristic hair, textures and shapes featured heavily, with embellishment that wowed the audience. The result was a mesmerising, eclectic show that demonstrated Robert Eaton’s hairdressing talent at its finest.

Next it was time for the winners to be announced.

As well as the Creative Artist of the Year and Color Artist of the Year winners, the two exclusive UK & Ireland categories, Male Grooming and Runway, also crowned its worthy winners at the Roundhouse. The UK and Ireland Gold winners from Creative Artist of the Year and Color Artist of the Year will head off to Seville in Spain for the International TrendVision Award Creative Retreat – a mentoring retreat that will take their hairdressing career to the next level. The winners from Male Grooming and Runway will win bespoke education packages.

THE UK WINNERS: COLOR ARTIST OF THE YEAR: GOLD – HEATHER MACKENZIE, THE STYLE BAR SILVER – THOMAS FREAR, SPIRIT HAIR DESIGN BRONZE – JOANNE ROE, KH HAIR LEICESTER CREATIVE ARTIST OF THE YEAR: GOLD – SOPHIE KINLOCH, MCINTYRES SALONS SILVER – BRANDON MESSINGER, THE HAIR MOVEMENT BRONZE – ELAINE SNEDDON, JOSEPH FERRARO HAIR THE IRELAND WINNERS: COLOR ARTIST OF THE YEAR: GOLD – CLARE KENNY, FLATIRON SILVER – NIAMH COLEMAN, NIALL COLGAN HAIRDRESSING BRONZE – OLIVIA O’KEEFFE, PELO HAIRDRESSING CREATIVE ARTIST OF THE YEAR: GOLD – LEANDRO SANTOS SANTANA, DECODE HAIR SILVER – ZARA MCINTYRE, HOUSE OF COLOUR BRONZE – DENISE PHILLIPS, PELO HAIRDRESSING UK & IRELAND WINNERS: MALE GROOMING GOLD – DEXTER DAPPER JOHNSON TONI&GUY BEDFORD STREET RUNWAY GOLD – STEPHANIE DARBYSHIRE, TONI&GUY DEANSGATE PEOPLE’S CHOICE UK AWARD WINNER: GJORGI SOKOLOV, HEADMASTERS RICHMOND PEOPLE’S CHOICE IRELAND AWARD WINNER: VITOR PESSOA, MAVEN HAIR STUDIO HEATHER MACKENZIE FROM THE STYLE BAR AND SOPHIE KINLOCH FROM MCINTYRES SALONS WILL NOW REPRESENT THE UK. THEY WILL BE JOINED BY CLARE KENNY FROM FLATIRON AND LEANDRO SANTOS SANTANA FROM DECODE HAIR, WHO WILL REPRESENT IRELAND. THE FOUR WINNERS WILL HEAD TO THE INTERNATIONAL TRENDVISION AWARD CREATIVE RETREAT IN SEVILLE, SPAIN, IN MARCH 2020 – AN EVENT WHICH PROMISES TO BE A TRULY SENSATIONAL GLOBAL GATHERING.

Congratulations to all of this year’s winners!

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SAVE THE DATE

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PEOPLE

HOOKER AND YOUNG

Zoë Irwin Zoë Irwin is not only a great friend of ours, but hairdressing’s leading female fashionista! With a career that has gone from strength to strength spanning across four decades, she definitely has an eye to spot a trend. Her love of fashion has landed her some amazing ambassador roles and embedded her into hairdressing history. Let’s find out all there is to know about the gorgeous Zoë Irwin.

Michael: So, let’s start at the beginning; how and why did you get into hairdressing?

Zoe: My family is very academic and would have loved me to go to university, so that was really my focus. I wanted to be a teacher and was working towards that – I loved reading, writing and just studying English in general. Hairdressing wasn’t on the agenda at all.

Zoe: I really don’t know how it happened, given how strict it was and how many marks I had on my hands from the comb, but after three weeks I decided I wanted to work in the salon full-time. It felt like a magical place where all these characters came in every week and it quickly became very comfortable.

Gary: When it becomes like that, it doesn’t feel like work does it? Hairdressing never felt like work to me.

Gary: So how did you make the move into the industry?

Zoe: A friend of mine’s mother had a salon called Capelli, near to where we lived in Tunbridge Wells. My parents wouldn’t allow me to have highlights, but this friend’s mum said that if I worked in the salon before I went to college, I could have highlights as payment. I thought that was a genius idea, so I took the job for summer and almost as soon as I started at the salon, I thought it was the most magical place in the world. It was extremely traditional – every Friday was the same, with everyone booked in for a shampoo and set, just like they’d been doing for 25 years. It was incredibly strict too; they used to hit me on the back of the hand with a comb if I didn’t pass the right roller.

Gary: That sounds like exactly what happened when I first started! If I did my stylist’s lunch wrong, she would throw a tin of beans at me or whack me with a brush on the back of my legs! Can you imagine that now?

Zoe: I’d also been studying art at school and always had a creative side, so hairdressing appealed for that reason too. More importantly, it was the time when I was starting to get into trends and fashion. There was another salon nearby that was the cool place to go and attracted a certain set. It was called Hair Workshop and it had incredible music and super-cool staff. I really wanted to be a part of it and was lucky enough to get a job there. It was a time when there were apprenticeships and we were paid £29 a month on the Youth Training Scheme. Every single stylist had their own apprentice and that’s where I feel I learnt how to do hair properly, which I still really believe in. You held the sections, there were no clips – you would just stand and hold the sections and observe, and that was part of the customer experience.

Gary: That’s exactly how it was when I started as well. There were so many assistants! We had 36 and about 30 stylists.

The assistants even had their own staffroom!

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Michael: It was really a different time which feels strange to talk about now, but that’s really the way it was back then. So how did you progress from there?

Zoe: Well, I used to save up my whole month’s wages, and I cleaned in a pub as well, so I could afford to go to Antenna in London to get an extension look inspired by eighties bands Haysi Fantayze and Bow Wow Wow. Gary: Simon Forbes!

Zoe: Yes, that’s right. I’d go up to ‘town’ which is what we called London, and I’d go to Antenna and I just thought it was incredible. From there, I learnt about Salon International and I decided to visit. I’d been there about 10 minutes, when someone asked if I’d be a model for Trevor Sorbie. Shows were crazy back then, I was dressed up in all this amazing Vivienne Westwood outfit and I got to spend the day with Trevor’s team and see them at work, which was incredible. They cut all my hair off though and I was traumatised, I cried on stage because I just wanted to be pretty so boys would like me. In retrospect, it was probably the best haircut of my life, but I just wasn’t ready for it! Getting to see Trevor and his team working backstage was amazing though, and it made me realise I wanted to work in London.

Michael: Was there a masterplan when you got to London?

Zoe: I moved up to London with some girls from home and went to work in a

little salon, where I was basically doing extensions and chopstick perms for hours. When I was 22, I went to a salon called Stage Door and the owner was also a photographer, so he was very creative and flexible. I stayed there for 14 years and when I was about 30, I started working with Guido. My manager was fantastic because he’d let me go off and work with Guido three or four days a week, which no salon at the time would have ever accepted.

Now I’m in a position in a salon, I do see the other side. I see people go off and then they come back tired and don’t want to come into the salon to do their hours and that doesn’t work. I used to work seven days a week, go off to Milan on a Saturday, come back on Tuesday and do my clients for the rest of the week. With the right mindset and dedication, you can do it.

Gary: How did you manage to assist Guido?

Zoe: It’s all about putting yourself in the right place I feel. Guido was working in collaboration with Nicky Clarke at the time, and Nicky’s PR Andrew Clark, was working for the F.A.M.E. Team, which I was a part of at the time. I’d also been doing an exchange with a French hairdresser, so when I met Guido and told him I’d been out in France studying French hair and learning how to execute perfect chignons, he asked if I would like to join his team of assistants in Paris with Alexander McQueen. Which was quite amazing!

Gary: Was it an amazing time and experience?

Zoe: Yes, I was with him for 10 years and it was amazing – sometimes stressful but always incredible. I miss it though, so next week I’m going to assist on James Pecis’ team. I do my own shows at Fashion Week but not on the same level as these guys.

So, I’m going back! I’m excitedly nervous about it though; I’m 52 and the other assistants on that team will be 25 years younger but I’m cool with that.

Michael: The fact you want to do it again for yourself is amazing! So many people hold themselves back because of other people’s perceptions, but you do what excites you and don’t worry about what other people think.

Zoe: There are a lot of things I do that aren’t to do with hairdressing. I have a rule that 10% of my salary goes back into my education. Last year I went to Paris to do Balayage with the reowned Jacques Dessange. It doesn’t have to be hair though, I also go to Central St Martin’s and enrol on courses like fashion journalism or developing creativity…… great topics like that.

Michael: It feeds your creativity, I guess?

Zoe: Yes absolutely, being around people that I would only meet at St Martin’s on a graphics course is so inspiring.

Michael: I love that.

Zoe: At times I felt a bit like a failure with my family because everyone else has degrees. I come from a very academic family and I was the one that went into hairdressing, so I felt a bit as if my parents were waiting for me to come to my senses.

Michael: Did you feel you had let them down in a way by choosing hair?

Zoe: Yes, definitely. I’m the only daughter and I chose hair.

Michael: What do they think now, though?

Zoe: They watched me on an Instagram livestream the other day, which I find remarkable. It was a bit difficult in my early 30s when I was in New York or Milan and my mum just wanted me to live around the corner and be a ‘normal’ grandparent like her friends. But now they’re very proud, and they always love my Pro Hair column in the magazine. I think part of why I go on all of these courses is still to prove that I’m academic in some way though.

Michael: Maybe that will never leave you?

Zoe: If I’m being really honest, the reason I went back to studying is that I couldn’t see a single woman in her fifties working in our industry, with the career that I wanted. And because there wasn’t that role model ahead of me, I wrongly thought by 50 I would be doing something outside of hairdressing perhaps in academia.

PEOPLE

Gary: It sounds like you had given yourself a shelf life?

Zoe: Yes absolutely, but my husband, Julio, said let the market decide what they want. I took that and I now have five awesome contracts, so I feel in a stronger place than ever before.

Michael: Did you never want your own salon?

Zoe: Not really. I’d have wanted to do it with someone, like you two, but that didn’t happen. I’ve always loved the challenge of a big role, though. I was Creative Director of Headmasters at 36 and was challenged with creatively turning around 40 salons. Now I’m Creative Director at John Frieda’s salon group and this feels like my ultimate role. The fact I’ve made it here, to work with John Frieda, is more than I could have ever wished for my life as a hairdresser.

Gary: What is your new role at John Frieda?

Zoe: They wanted someone to look at the brand as a whole and continue to bring freshness to it and design new services. I think if someone writes about a trend, there should be somewhere you can go to get it. My latest launch is an accessory masterclass. It’s a lovely service where we guide people to what accessories suit them and how to wear them. I’m also the ambassador for Manta.

Then another big role is that I’m the trend expert for Wella. I also invested money into Blow Ltd, and I still train the team.

It’s an amazing blend of jobs.

Michael: How do you sleep at night??

Zoe: At the moment, I’m obsessed with CBD oil, I have a white noise machine and the Calm app. But you guys have so many different hats and do lots of different roles too.

Gary: I’ll wake up at 2am and tell Michael I’m stressed, and we’ll have this middle of the night therapy session.

Zoe: I think often people don’t see the hard stuff that goes into getting these roles. I’d go to French classes before work so I could study hair in France and really understood that beautiful French aesthetic, and I think that all fed into my becoming the Kerastase ambassador –

the only female one they’d had. I think learning the language helped with that, as well as sheer determination.

Michael: People only see what’s happening on the surface. That’s the bit you want people to see, but perhaps we don’t share enough about how tough it is to get there and all the work that goes into it.

Zoe: It never ends. A couple of years ago I had a bit of a crisis. I saw all these powerful characters like my friend Sophia Hilton coming up through the ranks; massive characters, huge Instagram followings and I panicked.

Social media scared me and it felt at odds with my character, but it made me ask myself lots of questions about my values and where my skill-base is.

Gary: It’s amazing that you did that, and you recognised it as well. I think anyone who has been in any career, hairdressing or otherwise, for a long time reaches a point where you start thinking oh god, I’m going to be pushed off my perch soon.

Zoe: Totally, but the thing I am eternally grateful for is that hairdressing has never let me down. The more I’ve put into it, the more it rewards me. I took six months off a few years ago and that was my final chance to try and have a baby after eight years of IVF. ghd totally supported me and gave me the time off, but when I turned 50 my fertility treatment was cut off, and that’s when I fully immersed myself in hairdressing again. It’s been very healing. In my 30s, I thought if I took my foot off the peddle and slowed down, I’d lose everything. If I had my time again, it’s definitely something I’d reconsider.

Zoe: When you look at a lot of hairdressers of my generation, very few of us have children. At the time it was a career that you didn’t feel you could stop and step away from the treadmill.

The lovely thing that comes with age is that I’ve got to a place of peace and I stop worrying about what I can’t do and am happy with what I can do. When I look at your images, I admire the hair art feel of your work, but what I know about my strengths is that I am all about campaigns, PR campaigns, trend campaigns that will be in Harpers or Vogue but putting together a British Hairdressing collection is not playing to my strengths. Admitting the bits you can’t do is very freeing and you know what, I’m happy with who I am now.

Michael: It’s been incredible sitting with you Zoe, you are one incredible woman and you deserve every bit of success that you have earned.

We first met Zoë back in the mid 90s at a time when we were all embarking on exciting new journeys of discovery and ambition. In simple terms Zoë is now and always has been one of the warmest most genuine people you could wish to meet. Unaffected by her successes she continues to embrace the industry that she loves taking any opportunity to grow as an artist and as a person. Zoë feels a huge responsibility to nurture and shape the futures of young aspiring hairdressers which in today’s world is a pretty amazing thing, ensuring that our industry is in good hands.

We salute you Zoë Irwin!

Michael: Do you regret that? Do you wish you’d had the confidence to take some time out?

Zoe: Totally. I mentor lots of young hairdressers now instead. I have adopted sons and daughters this way, they are like my hair children and I look after them and help to guide their careers. I’m always telling people that if they want kids, they have to take time out and do it, because you can always come back to hair.

Michael: It’s really sad that now you realise you could have taken that time out.

PROFESSIONAL HAIRDRESSER 21

PEOPLE

Wez Jones Southend-on-Sea

TREND SPOTTING

WITH BABYLISS PRO

“Cultures pass through generations and are still alive among common trends and fashions,” says barber expert Wez Jones. “Mods and rockers were notorious in the 50s and 60s around Essex, especially Southend. A local meeting place was Kursaal Bowling Alley where Rockabillys, Teddy Boys and Mods would meet for a right show.”

Barbering has never been bigger, and Wez Jones is the one to watch. His shop, The Heartbreak Club, prides itself on award winning cuts, and is a self-described place for rockers and misfits in Southend. “Trends are so varied nowadays,” says Wez, “skin fades and crops are very common, but the longer smart ‘Prince Charming’ looks are slowly creeping their way back in, very 70s pop.”

“For my mod look, I used a mixture of clipper over comb with scissor work, making sure the top layers had a level of disconnection with the back and side for a stronger shape. Blow-dry it loosely, and use the irons to straighten out. Texturising is important - I chipped in with scissors and a feather razor, and then finished with a styling powder for a bed head kind of look.”

“The classic pomp was created with all clipper over comb. Traditional barbering takes it toll on your kit - I use the Super Motor Clipper and Trimmer which are robust and will never let you down. The key thing is removing bulk, refining shapes and giving strong finishes to both long and short hair. Blowdrying is important for this look, so make sure you’re armed with a powerful dryer.”

Hair: Darren Ambrose, Clayde Baumann and Michael Francos at D&J Ambrose Styling: Jackie Ambrose at D&J Ambrose

Follower of fashion JACKIE AMBROSE

Concluding her series of features for Professional Hairdresser, dedicated fashionista Jackie Ambrose reflects back on their current collection and how it’s a culmination of everything they’ve worked towards this year.

ECLECTIC CHIC

Dress Westwood

When you work on all kinds of shows and collections throughout the year, as we do at D&J Ambrose, you find that you evolve a particular look or theme which influences your creative approach for a period of time – sometimes up to a year. It’s like catching the zeitgeist and making a statement about hair and fashion and even global trends – the things that feel current and relevant to us, and which will define our ‘look’ for that moment in time. It’s ever evolving, but when we look back it always sums up where we were with our brand and our identity in any given phase.

This year it’s been all about a collection which we called ‘Eclectic Chic’. It sums up our approach to the relationship between hair and fashion. They’re imperceptibly linked, but we never like to do things in an expected or ordinary way. Here we focused on English Eccentricity. This was our opportunity to throw couture, sports luxe, punk, a variety of eras, different fabrics, colours and prints into a huge melting pot and really push the boundaries of hair and fashion.

The story behind it is a group of young, privileged kids, who may have travelled the globe, picking up fashion and accessories from all kinds of cultures. Here we’ve mashed up eras and fabrics and prints in the

garments. Our aim is not co-ordination, it’s a deliberate clash of ideas and concepts.

There’s a gender fluidity that runs throughout too – who’s to say what should be male and female. Who’s to say you should follow a conventional route.

The whole point is not for the end result to be perfectly co-ordinated, and that doesn’t happen by accident. There’s a massive amount of consideration that goes into creating the outfits. Tiny connections make this work. For instance, a cool Gucci suit mixed with a second hand 70s shirt is our unique way of expressing our look.

Equally a modern, feminine skirt paired with a vintage Victorian blouse blends eras and genres in an entirely original way. In another look, we attached ornate gemstones to our model’s hair to mimic the fine detail in her patterned blouse. I’m always exploring ways to interpret the hair that Darren creates, and vice versa. There are no set rules about which element dictates the other.

I can’t imagine ever getting bored of exploring detail and the intrinsic relationship between hair and fashion. And the only thing I know for sure now about our next collection is that it will be a tribute to the world of couture I adore – for me that always provides the spark of imagination for a truly memorable hair collection.

PROFESSIONAL HAIRDRESSER 23

GIFTS GALORE

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Find all you need to deck your salon shelves with this festive season under our CHRISTMAS TREE...

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1. GREAT LENGTHS. The cutest stocking filler, Great Lengths has worked with Popband London to bring you a pack of three colourful bands that work perfectly with Great Lengths aftercare range. 2. MOO HAIR. Give the gift of eco-friendly hair with Elementals, Stars or Heroes Gift Boxes, all containing two full sized products and a brush or candle.

3. SCHWARZKOPF PROFESSIONNAL. Offering in abundance, Schwarzkopf has a gift set for every range, including Blonde, BC in all families, Oil Ultime, OSiS+ Styling, OSiS+ Session label and Men’s. 4. WELLA PROFESSIONALS. The Invigo Color Brilliance Duo is the ultimate in colour vibrancy infused with lime caviar. It contains Color Brilliance Shampoo and Conditioner.

5. AMERICAN CREW. Equip the boys with all the essentials. These handy wash bags contain everything they need in Essential Grooming and Beard & Skincare. 6. GHD. Gifts fit for queens, the Royal Dynasty collection features the platinum + styler, gold styler and air hairdryer dusted in majestic rose gold with a luxury carry case.

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XMAS RETAIL

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í˘š 1. NIOXIN. The System 2 Trial Kit for progressed thinning natural hair contains the Step 1 Cleanser Shampoo, Step 2 Scalp Therapy Revitalising Conditioner, Step 3 Scalp & Hair Repair Treatment and the Instant Fullness Dry Cleanser. 2. CORIOLISS. This year’s limited edition iron offers all the benefits of the standard C1, plus a metallic finish with an ethic design inlay. Also includes a matching paddle brush. 3. IDHAIR. Elements Xclusive Care Christmas gift bags feature products from the Moisture, Colour and Repair ranges. As an added bonus, all products are vegan, gluten free and sulphate free. 4. TEA TREE. Appeal to ingredient enthusiasts and eco-concious guests with the tingle-tastic Tea Tree sets in five different variations. 5. R+CO. Four awesome kits from R+Co contain everything a girl could possibly want for a good hair day. The largest, Cosmic Dancer, contains 12 products! 6. THE BLUEBEARDS REVENGE. These kits offer customers the chance to take home barber-grade styling products. Each it has a different use, for example, shaving, beard care, old school shine, and tame and texture. 7. REUZEL. The Groom and Grow set contains Reuzel’s finest beard care products – Beard Foam, Beard Balm and Cologne Balm all in a Wood & Spice scent. 8. NEURO. Party ready protection – boxed. The Treat & Protect Kit contains Repair HeatCTRL Treatment, Protect HeatCTRL Iron Spray and Prime HeatCTRL Blowout Primer. 9. SACHAJUAN. Perfect for some winter TLC, these three beautiful giftsets contain full sized products of the most popular regimes, Moisturising, Normal Hair and Ocean Mist.

PROFESSIONAL HAIRDRESSER 27

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1. MATRIX. Each of Matrix’s festive sets include a shampoo, conditioner and Total Results Miracle Creator 20. Sets are available for coloured hair, volume, brunettes and blondes.

2. NEAL & WOLF. This year’s offering includes the Harmony Collection for damage repair, the Blonde Collection, for banishing brassiness, the Ritual Collection for everyday moisture and the Alpha Collection for men. 3. JOICO. Spread Christmas joy with the Stars of JOI giftsets. Each pack contains two products for specific hair concerns. 4. JUST CUTS. Good things come in small packages and Justice Professional gift sets contain three mini products all wrapped in a hessian toiletry bag. 5. PUREOLOGY. Each Pureology x Melanie Johnson Limited Edition Gift Set incorporates one of the hero ranges, Hydrate, Best for Blondes and Strength Cure, alongside a Color Fanatic Treatment in a sustainable tube that can be recycled or reused.

6. ORGANIC COLOUR SYSTEMS. Sweet seasonal boxes contain combinations of three PowerBuild, AquaBoost, or Status Quo care and styling products. 7. OSMO. The Blinding Shine giftset makes glossy hair dreams come true. With extracts of Moringa Oil and and Silk Protein to boost natural vibrancy, the set includes shampoo, conditioner and serum. 8. REDKEN. Make someone feel mega with Redken’s ‘Compliments of the Season’ Collections. Five assortments include an iconic Redken haircare hero range alongside cult treatment One United.

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XMAS RETAIL

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1. GOLDWELL. This season’s Kerasilk Color Christmas bag contains Kerasilk Color Shampoo and Conditioner and the Kerasilk Style Fixing Effect Hairspray. 2. PAUL MITCHELL. The story of giving is what Christmas is all about, and Paul Mitchell has a ‘The Book of…’ gift set to suit every hair story. 3. KMS. The MOISTREPAIR gift set contains MOISTREPAIR Shampoo and Conditioner, plus HAIRSTAY Sea Salt Spray and HAIRSTAY Working Hairspray for extra styling needs. 4. A.S.P. This gorgeous gold cosmetic bag comes free with purchase of the Kitoko Oil Treatment. 5. SYSTEM PROFESSIONAL. Formulated to reconstruct damaged and fragile hair finished with and instant high gloss shine, the Repair Gift Set contains Repair Shampoo and Conditioner plus the Luxe Oil Reconstrutive Elixir. 6. KENT SALON. Ultimate Kit Bag includes a selection of top Kent Salon brushes (KS04, KS07, KS10, KS11 and KS12), plus 4 sectioning clips and a water spray bottle all in a portable travel case, making it the perfect capsule kit for any stylist on the move. 7. BALMAIN PARIS HAIR COUTURE. Luxury and limited edition, the 10 Days of Balmain Paris Hair Couture Festive Favourites is a gift calendar for grown up girls. It contains 10 glamorous products to spoil yourself or a loved one. 8. MILK_SHAKE. Duo sets from milk_shake include two incredible products in a cute star studded box from either the Silver Shine, Moisture Plus, Colour Maintainer or Integrity families. 9. MVRCK. Meet the needs of men this season with MVRCK Duos. Offering the stuff they need for a great shave or hair or beard experience ready wrapped for gift giving.

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PARTY HAIR

QUEEN OF THE NIGHT EACH SEASON, GHD LAUNCHES ITS TREND REVEAL; A DISTILLED EDIT OF LOOKS, DESIGNED TO INSPIRE AND EDUCATE YOU AND YOUR CLIENTS. THE TREND REVEAL TAKES TRENDING IDEAS AND INTERPRETS THEM THROUGH THE EYES OF FOUR KEY CHARACTERS – FOUR CLIENT TYPES, THAT EVERY SALON WILL KNOW AND RECOGNISE. BY IDENTIFYING WHICH OF THE FOUR CHARACTERS THEIR CLIENT IS, STYLISTS ARE EQUIPPED WITH THE KNOWLEDGE AND CONFIDENCE REQUIRED TO INTERPRET NEW SEASON TRENDS THROUGH A RELEVANT, REAL-WORLD LENS – AND GIVE CLIENTS THE LOOKS THEY LOVE.

with ghd

THIS SEASON, THE OVERARCHING MOOD OF THE TREND REVEAL FOR AUTUMN/WINTER 19 IS MYSTIC QUEENS; INSPIRED BY DARK, ETHEREAL FANTASY AND FUSING ROMANCE AND MYSTICISM WITH A SOFTLY GOTHIC MOOD. HAIR IS BEAUTIFUL BUT WITH AN AERATED, FAIRYTALE FEEL, DELICATE DETAILING AND OTHERWORLDLY TEXTURES. THIS PARTY SEASON, THE GHD QUEENS RECLAIM THE NIGHT, MAKING IT A DOMAIN FOR SELF EXPLORATION, AWARENESS AND A SPACE TO CENTRE WITH THEIR SPIRITUAL SELF.

meet queen striver She’s the client that’s always in Zara and happily transforms her entire look each season to reflect the trends – Queen Striver loves the high street and embraces the challenge of taking on a new aesthetic every few weeks, making her the salon’s dream client. This season, she’s taking on the Effortlessly Ethereal trend; a loose wave with soft texture that kicks out for a youthful, relaxed feel. Worn up, the Back Knot is a loose take on an updo with a soft knot and a relaxed silhouette – ideal for shorter hair, too.

STEP 1 – Prep hair using a global application of ghd total volume foam, ensuring a heavy and even saturation from root to tip.

STEP 2 – Place a centre parting in the hair, then starting at the back, place ghd creative curl wand vertically in the hair and twist wrap a 2cm square section.

STEP 6 – Continue globally, wrapping the last two sections away from the face.

STEP 3 – Keeping tension on the section, glide the ghd creative curve wand towards the head.

STEP 4 – Then glide down towards the ends.

STEP 5 – Repeat four times.

STEP 7 – Dress using a ghd paddle brush.

STEP 8 – Spray ghd final fix into hands.

STEP 9 – Massage through to soften the texture.

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The In his latest series for Professional Hairdresser, Andrew Barton, Headmasters’ Creative Director and Headmasters’ Mayfair salon owner is championing the salon hairdresser and their place on the high street. This month he looks at the busiest time of the year in the salon – Christmas – and just how we can maximise the opportunity.

For many years the work of the session hairdresser has been celebrated as the pinnacle of a career in the industry and this series I want to focus on the salon stylist. These are the true heroes of our industry and they really deserve their moment in the spotlight too. I want to showcase the wonderful careers and lifestyles salon based hairdressers can achieve and Christmas is that one time of year when energy levels are high and the opportunity is yours for the taking – achieve targets, increase your take – home and build great client relationships for the next year.

With full and busy columns it’s the perfect time to reward clients for their loyalty, up sell other services and re-book their next appointments for the quieter time at the start of the year. Speak to them about what you want to do with their hair in the following year whether it’s focusing on hair health, length, or perhaps a style change. Sell it in now so they can look forward to it. At Headmasters we have a range of health-focused cuts and treatments that work really well for those new year’s hair resolutions.

Have a think about what you can offer in your salon and pre-sell in December for January and February.

Salon

The choices we make at this busy commercial period go way beyond whether you send a Christmas card to your clients or the colour of your Christmas lights. Christmas 2019 at Headmasters means a menu of party hair looks to excite clients in November and get them booking extra blow-dries and hair ups in December. Our concept is one girl shot in a party dress with four different hair looks, one with her hair down wearing our signature Headmasters blow out and three hair up looks, showcasing that you can change your whole look with your hair, you don’t need a ton of wasteful party outfits.

It will appear on our Christmas card, salons windows and posters as well as across our social media. To maximise the story, training has been created to ensure the teams are engaged with the message and skilled and ready to deliver the service. Essentially the activity markets a blow dry/hair up service at a time of year when clients want to pamper themselves for the office party. It’s a simple call to action to excite clients with service.

The take home for your salon/clients is: Agree your Christmas strategy now so you are ready for December. Keep it simple and focused on the following drivers which will improve your bottom line in December and the start of the new year.

Reward loyal clients.

Boost return and repeat business by talking new year hair plans and re-booking Maximise sales – find out what clients are up to and give them solutions that will help them, eg sell retail! It’s the season for dry shampoo sales, add a shine treatment to their service to give their hair an extra boost, explain if they have a blow-dry for their big event it will see them through the next few days with a couple of easy tweaks…

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It’s these busy December weeks that can boost the start of the year with return bookings so think about how you will incentive clients to return and

bring their friends. At Headmasters we use our ‘introduce a friend’ scheme and our VIP club to reward loyalty throughout the year and boost return visits.

We know that weekends can generate over 20% of the total week so consider extended opening time. Make the most of your busy time by planning for success: Pre-plan the opening hours of the salon to maximise on the busier lead up weeks, consider seven day opening, and longer shifts to accommodate clients.

Through the holiday week the salons demand will be lower so it makes sense to be open for the weeks of high demand. Involve the team with the shift planning rewarding them with time off during the holiday week when there is less client traffic and when they can enjoy extended time with their friends and family.

We know that Sunday opening can really help clients plan their appointments and have time to pamper when they are not at work.

The weeks through to Christmas can enjoy 50% more transactions and in particular the weeks from 15th to 25th December can be the busiest of the year so build the salon diary to maximise on demand.

Adjust targets with the team based on the previous year’s performance at this peak time and the key is monitor the success daily, setting achievable targets to smash. Consider the incentive for stylists to achieve and personalise this what works for one stylist doesn’t always work for all.

As it is time of giving think about the retail display all of the manufacturers drive gifting at Christmas, make the gifting part of the salon Christmas display, it’s an easy gift for clients. Stock up plan ahead and ensure you have the stock levels clients need particularly around the salons best sellers.

Be prepared for the business boost, at Headmasters Christmas begins like the high street from the first week of December. Hold a staff meeting in the weeks before to ensure you are all know the Christmas plans and of course together decide on the Christmas party where you’ll celebrate great team work together.

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PARTY HAIR

Hair Tim Scott-Wright Art TEAM Make-up Stacey Ellen Styling TSW Art TEAM Photography James Nicklin

“WITH MAJOR FASHION HOUSES LIKE MOSCHINO AND TV PRODUCTIONS LIKE POSE, GLOW AND AMERICAN HORROR SHOW GIVING A NOD BACK TO THE GLAMOUR ERA OF LATE 80S AND EARLY 90S , SOAP IS OUR OWN SALUTE TO THE HIGH SHOULDER PADS , BIG HAIR AND UBER GLAMOUR OF THE LIKES OF DYNASTY AND DALLAS MAKING A COME-BACK TO OUR HIGH STREETS AND INDEED CHRISTMAS PARTY HAIR” – Tim Scott-Wright

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Party Time

HAIR ACCESSORIES are big news right now, so it would be wrong to let your clients dance their way into party season without adding some sparkles to their looks.

Here are our five favourite accessory trends to inspire your occasion styling.

CLIP CLUSTER Turn up the glitz with an array of matching accessories.

HairFlair’s new Moon and Star pins are perfect for an evening look: simply arrange in a group on one side of a loose wavy look. Experiment with different sized jewels for more drama.

S C AT T E R E D S PA R K L E S

All about an understated look, a scattering of hair beads or jewels through the hair add a subtle glam feel to any party hair look. Kela Hair Charms come in a range of beautiful gold and silver tones and clip easily onto the hair wherever they are placed throughout a style.

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BOLD BARRETTES Keep it cool with a single statement barrette or double it up with schoolgirl-sweet slides.

Balmain Paris’s Limited Edition Crystal Logo Barrette is the ultimate in red-carpet worthy glamour, or ‘cutesy’ it down with pins from the Kitsch x Justine Marjan collection. The more rhinestones the better.

WITH THE BAND

Kela

A LITTLE SOMETHING EXTRA

Kela

Kela

2019 has truly been the year of the headband. Whether it’s a studded alice band from Kela or a knotted turban from Violet and Wren, adding one of these to a look is a fool proof way of staying bang on trend.

Achieve instant glamour by adding hairpieces to your look. Crown Couture’s ¾ wigs, ½ head hair pieces or clip in pony tails are perfect for that extra oomph and volume. Plus they come ready styled, spot on for clients in a hurry.

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Mark Leeson

Hair Mark Leeson for Revlon Professional Make-up Lan Nyugen-Grealis Styling Bernard Connolly Photography Richard Miles

PROFESSIONAL HAIRDRESSER 43

Hair & Photography Desmond Murray Make-up Jo Sugar

Errol Douglas

Hair Errol Douglas MBE for Salon Service’s Make-up Clare Read Styling Desiree Lederer Photography Richard Miles

KAM Hair

Hair Karen Thomson and the KAM Hair and Body Spa Creative Team Make-up Megumi Matsuno Styling Desiree Lederer Photography Jack Eames

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PROFESSIONAL HAIRDRESSER 57

Patrick Cameron Hair Patrick Cameron Make-up Alison Chesterton Couture & Photography Marco Erbi Products EIMI by Wella Professionals

WHAT’S NEW THE LATEST PRODUCT LINE UP

Saving time is a big deal and JOICO Weekend Hair Dry Shampoo contains oil absorbing ingredients and volume boosters that deliver fullness to cut out the washing time and leave velvety-soft fresh and clean hair any day of the week.

The latest additions to SCHWARZKOPF PROFESSIONAL’s Mad About Curls range it’s the Superfood Mask and Leave-In Treatment.

The specialist blend of Superfood Oils and the exisiting Mad About Aquarine Complex work together to deeply nourish and moisturize extremely dry curls, tame frizz, strengthen the hair structure, minimise hair breakage and improve definition and shine.

ANDIS COMPANY’s iconic Master Clipper has gone cordless. The Master Cordless Li gives barbers and stylists the same high-speed cutting performance and precision of the original tool, but now with more power and the added flexibility of a cordless design.

MILK_SHAKE Curl Passion has a new and improved formula for fabulous curls. The shampoo, conditioner and leave-in treatment spray are all infused with Amazon Rainforest oils to give each curl softness and bouncy elasticity and banish frizz without weighing the hair down.

MALIBU C De-Ox is a new hair wellness remedy to stop oxidation of peroxide after colour and lightening services. It also normalises the PH and balances the porosity of the hair, making a safer service for clients and longer-lasting toning effects on the hair. It’s also 100% vegan, cruelty free and formulated without gluten, parabens, sulfate surfactants, preservatives and fragrances.

GREAT LENGTHS has launched a range of high performance bristle brushes with a slick and sophisticated black shine finish. The large paddle brush, medium oval brush and finishing brush are made with natural rubber cushions and pure boar bristle pins, perfect for brushing hair extensions for a tangle free, soft and shiny finish.

R+CO has introduced three unique, easy-to-use professional Concentrates to protect and preserve colour, thicken and add volume, and hydrate and repair hair. These five minute miracles are the ideal follow-up and add on serviced to perfect your clients look and meet their needs in no time.

OSMO has launched Deep Moisture and Super Silver sachets of their best sellers. The new sachets are the perfect size for customers looking to try before they buy, regular travellers looking to lighten their case, or salons providing complimentary gifts to loyal customers.

Part of MALETTI’s Madam collection, the Twiggy Styling Chair has a rotary styling chair structure in moulded expanded polyurethane with metal insert. It’s been created for today’s contemporary salon and creates the feeling of an informal lounge where clients can relax in a welcoming environment furnishe in style.

YELLOW has hit the UK bringing the sunshine and beauty of Italy with it. Yellow boasts an impressive colour range with 74 permanent shades containing Argan oil to nourish and delivering luminous colour and unbeatable shine.

There is also a bleach range and a full care line up.

The new SECRETS range from HAIRDREAMS is totally invisible, perfect for finer hair clients looking for voluminous and natural looking extensions. SECRETS 100% human hair extensions offer length and density and are ideal for the finest of hair areas, thanks to the way hair is integrated into the tapes, which give the illusion that hair is coming from the scalp.

Make Me Shine Spray Gloss by ELEVEN AUSTRALIA is a lightweight anti-humectant finishing spray to control flyaways and add shine. Simply spray after styling and be amazed at the difference a little shine can make.

OLAPLEX No.7 Bonding Oil is now available at Sally Salon Services.

The latest addition to Olaplex’s haircare range is a highly concentrated, weightless reparative styling oil dramatically increases shine, softness and colour vibrancy while reviving damaged hair.

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SPOTLIGHT

HH SIMONSEN’S elegant electricals hit the UK, distributed exclusively by PASSION 4 HAIR. HH Simonsen was founded in 2003 in the Danish town, Skærbæk by three hairdressers with the same mission: To create top professional hair products and styling tools for the creative, no compromise hairdresser and stylist. They wanted to develop an assortment of professional electrical appliances which follow the trends of the hair industry and for an affordable price.

Demanding functionality, durability and safety of its tools, this was quite the challenge. Yet, the brand has created a line of tools equipped with the newest technology which protects and cares for the hair and unchains your creativity so you can create the most professional results for your client.

HH Simonsen’s elegant designs deliver exceptional performance.

The assortment of tools includes everything you and your client need to create style for every occasion. Wavers, wands, stylers, dryers and more. Each tool has double titanium and Teflon-coated plates with oils and tourmaline seal the cuticle and protect hair from damage, leaving it silky smooth and full of gorgeous healthy shine. Thanks to the sleek economic design and features such as rubber handles and touch slide temperature adjustment. HH Simonsen tools deliver performance you can rely on. The brand knows that you want your tools to live up to your demands, and when your client buys from you, they expect the best quality.

FIND OUT MORE WWW.RDR.LINK/HK001

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S U S T A i N A B L E

GREEN QUEEN

KARINE Our resident environmental campaigner Karine Jackson has been championing her mission to go single use plastic-free and has been really thrilled with the response she’s been getting from you! Here she continues her sustainable columns flying the flag for all things ethical in salons, covering what’s good for the environment (and your profits), and creating a blueprint for salons to go plastic-free… This month she’s asking if you can offer your clients a more sustainable Christmas?

So this is my third column now and I’ve been so happy with the response that it’s getting. At every event I’ve been to recently people have come up and asked questions, so it’s great to feel that it’s connecting with our industry. People seem really excited by it but does this mean they feel confident to take some steps?

I wanted to ask you in this column what changes you’ve made to be more sustainable in your salon?

We’d love to hear from you so please do message me at Professional Hairdresser as we’d love to give you a shout out to acknowledge your great work!

ATOMIC HABITS – TINY CHANGES, REMARKABLE RESULTS I desperately want to make sustainability accessible for everyone – I know from experience that the whole thing looks so daunting and it’s really easy to become overwhelmed and just think nothing you do can make a difference in the grand scheme of things. Please believe me when I say this isn’t true! Every little change you make adds up to a better future for our planet. The book Atomic Habits by James Clear carries the tagline Tiny Changes, Remarkable Results, and it’s a really inspirational read that demonstrates a whole host of examples where just one tiny action builds up over time to effect huge change. Maybe you could ride your bike in one day a week instead of driving? I started riding a bike when I was President of the Fellowship so that I could do a charity bike ride (for which I was not one little bit prepared!). I went from NEVER riding a bike EVER to now hardly ever driving my car unless I really need it – I cycle to work and back most days. I wouldn’t have dreamed that I was somebody who could do that!

SUSTAINABLE CHRISTMAS IDEAS I’m now looking at how I can make Christmas more sustainable in (and out) of the salon. It’s our busiest time of year, but how can we maximise our profits and celebrate the occasion without the habitual pointless waste that the season now seems to bring?

I was cheered to read that M&S have banned glitter from their cards and wrapping paper this year so the message is definitely going mainstream. The big boys wouldn’t be doing it if it wasn’t good for business! We have an added ethical ace up our sleeves because our core business is experiential – the gift of a haircut, colour, massage or facial isn’t going to end up floating in the sea! At home, my housemate and I have been looking at clever ideas to be ethical, so we’re

using the tissue paper that comes back with our dry cleaning to wrap our presents. We’re going to encourage clients to think about their purchase power this year with gifts themed around the reduce, reuse, recycle principle, including: The gift that keeps on giving – buy a product from us and let your recipient know that they can bring it back to be refilled.

Mulled wine refills – we’ll be encouraging clients to drop in with their reusable cups for a little warming mulled wine on our annual local Christmas shopping night along with offering double points on purchases.

Gift vouchers – we’ll be offering beautiful vouchers so clients can gift something that won’t end up in landfill. For extra eco-points, offer to email it.

Our plastic free retail shelf is packed with beautiful but USEFUL items that all make great gifts.

When you really think about it there’s almost ALWAYS a win to being eco-friendly – if you can sell more experiential services to clients who don’t want to gift another crappy novelty item then that’s money in your till and a good deed for the environment! So own it this Christmas – call out the useless gifts and market your much better ones – clients will love the idea that their gift is useful and zero-waste. Keep questioning your product companies – is that gift box recyclable? Are they making good ethical decisions about what comes into your salon?

Let us know all about your ethical swaps on Instagram – tag us @karinemjackson and @prohairmag and we’ll be giving a shout out to you for the changes you’re making. Please do ask me questions about your plastic issues – if I don’t know the answer I know someone who does.

Remember, plastic’s not fantastic!

Resources: www.ecohairandbeauty.com – Get your salon certified sustainable and don’t forget to promote it to your local press and clients.

Turning The Tide On Plastic by Lucy Siegle – Must read book to get you up to speed on all things plastic and recycling.

Atomic Habits by James Clear – this is NOT a book about the environment, but it does demonstrate how tiny but consistent changes in habits develop into quite remarkable results. If you’re a business owner you should read this anyway!

S U S T A i N A B L E

TURN OVER

A NEW LEAF LEAF SCISSORS produces high quality hairdressing tools while constantly looking for ways to make the business, and the industry as a whole, more sustainable.

■ Leaf Scissors is a brand designed for hairdressers, by hairdressers. All of its scissors are made of high quality Japanese steel, and while high quality tools are at the heart of what the brand does, it is constantly striving for sustainability within the scissor production and within the industry as a whole.

■ Every single set of Leaf Scissors arrives in plastic free eco boxes, made from 90% recycled material. Once you unpack your new tool, your packaging is fully recyclable.

■ Leaf Scissors are proud to support One Tree Planted. The brand plants TEN trees for every scissor it sells.

■ The Black Edition is a premium Japanese steel hairdressing scissor designed to suit all hairdressers no matter their level of experience. Its ergonomic design makes this scissor feel like an extension of your hand and lets you explore your creativity with freedom and expression. It is available in 5 inch, 5.5 inch and 6 inch models for both left handed and right handed users.

FIND OUT MORE WWW.RDR.LINK/HK002 68 PROFESSIONAL HAIRDRESSER

S U S T A i N A B L E

a brand new dedicated event to promote true sustainability in hairdressing

MANCHESTER CENTRAL 23 RD -24 TH FEBRUARY 2020 WWW.PROHAIRLIVE.CO.UK

BUSINESS

AWARD-WINNING AND REPUTED BUSINESSMAN PHIL SMITH CONTINUES HIS SERIES WHERE HE BRINGS KNOWLEDGE FROM SUCCESSFUL BRANDS IN OTHER INDUSTRIES AND LOOKS AT WHAT WE CAN LEARN FROM THEM. THIS MONTH HE TALKS TO KYRON KEOGH, MANAGING DIRECTOR OF ROX

Look outside and learn We’re all partial to a watch or too, and the odd diamond, so when I had the opportunity to sit down with the Managing Director and Co-Founder of ROX, I was interested to learn about how his brand was ‘daring to be different’. A strong disruptive philosophy at the heart of his business, Kyron is shaking up the traditional jewellery industry and retail experience.

Phil: ROX could be considered a disruptive brand within your industry. What gave you the inspiration to create such a fresh and exciting concept?

Kyron: We founded ROX in 2002 and are very proud of our status as one of the UK’s most exciting independent jewellery retailers with stores in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Leeds, Newcastle and soon to be Liverpool.

We set out to create a luxury jewellery brand that stood out from our competitors. For us it was about creating stores that were inspirational and ultimately the perfect showcase for our product ranges. After lots of research we worked closely with Graven, our design partner, to develop a luxurious store design format and our exclusive Thrill Room Concept, which features its own Moët & Chandon champagne bar and a luxurious shopping salon.

The ROX magazine is now celebrating its 10th anniversary and is still the jewel in our marketing crown. It allows us to talk to our consumers in a meaningful way and curate really high-end editorial campaigns that we now ensure work across our digital platforms too. We work with amazing creative teams to produce campaign images and digital content twice a year and have just launched our AW19 campaign which is all themed around the Rock Star lifestyle.

Phil: You work with some high profile influencers.

How do you select these and track the benefits they bring to your brand?

Kyron: Our social media manager oversees all of our influencer engagement campaigns and spends a lot of time discovering new talent. For us it’s vital campaign content is brand aligned and that the ROX pieces we gift them will compliment their already established look and feel of their own images and blog content. We track performance by google analytics and Facebook Business Manager to ensure our audience resonates the influencer.

Phil: What’s next for ROX?

Phil: Walking into a ROX showroom it is obvious that you hold the guest experience in high regards. What was your thinking behind the design of your stores?

Kyron: Guest experience is key for ROX. We want each and every customer to feel excited and special when they shop with us. It is important to us that our distinctive store design delivers a luxury retail experience like no other.

As we get ready to launch two new store concepts before Christmas, the designs will mirror the existing look and feel of ROX stores with an emphasis on high specification fixtures and finishes, luxurious fabrics and a chic, contemporary layout. Our Thrill Rooms are open to all customers and also double up as an event space. We built up a reputation for our glamorous events and have played host to some of the UK’s hottest stars including Emeli Sande, The Wanted, Lewis Capaldi and Nina Nesbitt who have all performed intimate sets at ROX. Phil: You have a strong marketing mix – PR, social, digital influencers, in-store events and a seasonal ROX magazine, to name a few. How do you prioritise these and what has the most impact on the brand?

Kyron: Consumer shopping habits have changed dramatically over the last decade and we have invested in our marketing activities to ensure our output and content is reflective of fast moving trends and how consumers want to shop for luxury items. The boom in social media led us to quickly think much more digitally and ensure all content and campaign collateral can sit across all of our channels including web, social and print. Social media allows us to bring product to life in a fun and vibrant way and we love how quickly you can tell a story on socialmedia and in turn affect sales.

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Kyron: In late September we announced we are opening a new concept boutique in the iconic Argyll Arcade in Glasgow, investing in a two phase store development programme to create Scotland’s largest jewellery and watch boutique on one floor.

It will house the ROX signature champagne bar, shop-in-shops, private shopping areas, a whisky and cigar lounge and a ROX café. In addition there will be an exhibition and events space where arts and fashion partnerships and pop-ups will be regularly showcased. We will also unveil a workshop area, to bring customers even closer to the product and reinforce the craftsmanship that goes into every ROX piece.

Buying habits have changed and consumers are shopping in a completely different way to how they did 10 years ago, especially in the luxury sector. The new store will be quintessentially ROX but we also know we must appeal to a new generation of luxury shopper that has grown up in the digital era and live their life at the forefront of fashion.

For us this project is all about redefining the brand-consumer relationship.

From speaking with Kyron it was interesting to hear how the brand is shaping itself for the future and what the new generation expect from their client experience. How often do we change the client journey? Are we doing anything to add to the overall experience? Are we creating the right impression for our brand? It made me realise that great hair is the least a client expects when they visit a salon. It’s the added extra’s that really made the difference. Maybe it’s time to rethink how a client moves through our salons?

CONTINUING HER SERIES, TRISHA BULLER MIT SRSH SENIOR, CONSULTANT TRICHOLOGIST AND OWNER OF THE AWARD-WINNING CIENTE SALON IN BERKHAMSTED GOES BACK TO BASICS AND LOOKS AT WAYS TO HELP YOUR SALON WIN ON THE HIGH STREET – ESPECIALLY AT CHRISTMAS.

Let’s get to the root of the problem CHRISTMAS RETAIL THERAPY With Christmas quietly sneaking up on us, it’s time to get our retail therapy brains in gear and Promote, Promote, Promote!

When Lilly, our Goldwell Account Manager, shared the following statistics with me I was surprised and excited to realise the opportunity we had to increase our retail sales and how we could improve our overall service. ● 34% of UK consumers are planning on spending more on Christmas this year than last year. ● 50% of people spend between £300 – £700 on Christmas presents. ● 72% of UK consumers will make a beauty purchase this Christmas. ● 53% of UK consumers plan to do the majority of their Christmas shopping in November or before.

Well the last quote certainly isn’t me… however with that in mind and with Christmas just around the corner it’s time to think about how we can promote all our wonderful festive haircare goodies. And now is the perfect time to talk to your clients about all the promotions available.

Change the focus from yourself to the clients plans, encourage ‘Christmas talk’, share your knowledge on all the gifts available… talk about the benefits – the more knowledgable you sound the more you create ‘want’ to purchase, explain the savings on gift sets – people buy from people they like and energy and knowledge is infectious.

With so many different brands and options our clients need professional guidance on what would be best suited for that personal gift. Offer personal stories and examples of what you would like to receive or what you have purchased for friends and family – people are influenced by others.

Most brands at Christmas time offer amazing ‘gifts with purchase’, and include a product which works out less than when purchasing separately. Be sure to point this saving out as not every client actually reads the small print – never a stone unturned or an opportunity missed. Make it easy for them. ●

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Why not offer a service where you can make up stocking fillers of travel sizes at really reasonable prices, for example – three for £10 with a saving of £5, and a perfect gift for the children to give their teachers. Chances are the teachers will love the luxury hair care and return to purchase ongoing home care and possibly become a new client to the salon.

Offer a gift wrapping service and have a theme so all your gifts are branded. Keep it simple but make it special and promote your brand where ever possible.

Invite your clients to browse whilst waiting for their colour or chemical service to develop. They can purchase Christmas gifts for all the family and friends all under one roof.

We always assume that most people have such fabulous haircare already, but you would be surprised – to most consumers it’s a special treat and who would not love a fabulous luxury hair care gift?

At Ciente we always explain the long term benefit and investment: professional brands last longer, are more concentrated and you use far less than a cheaper chemist or supermarket brand. We work it out by how much it costs a day – pennies works every time.

When promoting your Christmas retail gifts, ensure you utilise all the promotional cards and banners so you can shout out loud what your salon has on offer. Ask local gyms to put adverts in the changing rooms and on their promotional boards too – working with local businesses to promote offers and Christmas gifts attracts new clients and foot fall through your doors.

You could invite your clients to a Christmas Extravaganza Social Event to sample and experience the different gifts and products available, whilst enjoying some fizz, fun and canapes.

Have a raffle prize for a luxury gift set and talk to your account managers to discuss how you could run this incentive.

Incentives are a great way to encourage your team to talk about retail and promotions. We have found this has increased our retail by 40%. Stylists that would normally not retail are now aiming much higher to achieve prizes such as store vouchers, flight coupons, spa days and restaurant experiences.

Take this extravaganza event opportunity to update your data base and introduce promotions for clients who re-book in January, a great way to build your business in the new year.

Offer ‘new year new you’ makeovers.

We have just introduced a platinum account card for our clients – when they re-book their next colour appointment within six weeks they receive two premium treatments for only £25 which is a saving of 50%.

Always refresh your retail displays especially prior to showcasing your Christmas gifts.

People stop noticing when displays stay the same so try something different, maybe add some sparkly festive decorations to attract attention – even if the attention is “oh my God it’s Christmas already.” Move the displays around, change window images and displays using the gifts themselves.

Pricing your gift sets and retail products is important as not everyone will want to ask for a price. It can be quite intimidating for the client and it makes everyone’s life so much easier and clearer when prices are on products.

People need ideas and inspiration when purchasing gifts, so to create a seasonal mood serve festive refreshments or create the Christmas ambience by the smell of mulled wine and candles to waken the Christmas spirit.

Wishing you all a fab festive, healthy and wealthy Christmas.

PROFESSIONAL HAIRDRESSER 71

BUSINESS

AS A FORMER COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR OF A LONDON ADVERTISING AGENCY, MICHAEL SMITH HAS APPLIED THE PRINCIPLES OF GOOD BUSINESS TO HIS THRIVING SALON, TRISTAN EVES, WITH GREAT SUCCESS. THIS ISSUE HE SHARES HIS THOUGHTS ON AWARDS, AND WHY THEY’RE A WINNING STRATEGY FOR YOUR BUSINESS

Lessons Learnt Do you have what it takes to be a winner? In my experience, hairdressing is one of the most competitive industries there is.

Whether it’s your turnover, your reputation or your skills, it’s about being the best. That’s why we all work so hard. Entering and winning awards is a sure-fire way to cement your credentials, and they have advantages for your staff, your customers and the success of your salon.

Firstly, for staff, awards offer motivation, recognition and team-building. For your customers they’re a sign of reassurance, confidence and trust. For your business they can keep your staff and your customers happy, and be a fast route to peer recognition. So, they have benefits all round.

I define awards into three categories: Social media-influenced awards On the plus side, these can be a good way to benchmark your business against others and really feel the support of your client base. At best they give your salon status. But on the flip side, their main, inherent value could be argued as ‘just’ a popularity contest.

Rather than rating your craft or your ability to create incredible hair, they are mostly about mobilising your clients to vote for you. Nothing wrong with that, everyone likes to be liked.

Industry awards Generally voted for by your peers, it’s always an honour to get recognition from within the industry. When these awards are judged on photography, they’re a way to assert your creativity, define your business in a visual way and establish an invaluable set of images for your salon. Let’s not forget, hairdressing is an exceptionally creative industry. In fact, we’re asked to come up with creative solutions every single day – instantly and to the highest standards. Shooting for these kind of awards is an alternative outlet for this artistry, and a way for our teams to express themselves in a more considered and alternative way. As a fledgling business, awards can help to put you on the map. Ask any PR and they’ll advise you to jump on board.

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Customer service awards Facilitated by companies such as Phorest (who we use, and there are others), these systems offer real reviews from real people on your service. This company captures data from our customers and every year rewards the top six per cent of businesses who achieve over 4.5 satisfaction or above. We’ve achieved this every year for the past three years, something we’re hugely proud of. It’s a genuine, non-subjective reflection of the service we offer day-in, day-out, not just an illusion crafted on an entry form.

While the above all have their value – after all there’s nothing quite as compelling as ‘award-winning’ in front of your name – I do believe there’s another standard we should also be aiming for. The first step towards it is statutory registration of all hair salons, something the Hair & Barber Council has been proposing for some time. And we wholeheartedly support them.

But this is only one step. Moving on from there, it would be great to see a formal accreditation system.

Why? Well, take our small town for instance. We are one of five salons within a small radius. So what makes us the best, and why are our prices significantly higher than the rest? Quality and standards is the answer.

Something that accreditation recognises, so that your customers can make informed decisions.

When was the last time you stayed in a hotel without a star rating? Chances are, you haven’t, and you wouldn’t. If you’re someone who seeks five-star luxury, it’s important to you to know that your chosen establishment has been officially audited as such. I think an unbiased, independent accrediatation would be of the same value to the hairdressing industry. A method of professional auditing gives everyone a good idea of what to expect. And allows your potential clients to benchmark your salon against others in your area.

In essence, entering awards should always be part of your marketing plan. Winning them is even better.

But what truly matters to us is achieving high standards every single day. And I’m sure we’d all like recognition for that!

THOUGHTS FROM DEBBIE DIGBY TO GET YOU MOVING...

MOVE – The Pace of Change The World is experiencing seismic change brought about by technology and our access to information. The Economist estimates that in 2018 data became more valuable than oil. What a great opportunity for salons that collect data from clients through POS/CRM systems. We should be questioning whether we use the data collected in ways that help us to enhance the client’s service and maximise sales opportunities. For example, are we making notes of our clients’ favourite drink? What do we do for their birthday? When they visit the salon are we using information about previous services and retail purchases as a basis for the appointment? “How was that hairspray I recommended on your last visit?” Or are we simply starting the visit with a standard consultation – “what are we doing today, just a cut and blow dry?”

There is no doubt that running a business is hard and some of the challenges we face currently are unprecedented and therefor no easy answer exists. The Oxford English Dictionary tells us the definition of MOVE is ‘to make progress; develop in a particular manner or direction.’

Yes, MOVE we must, it is important to develop and make progress, but what to do and how to do it? – This is the difficulty facing many salons today.

300 hours of YouTube videos are uploaded every minute! We are drowning in information and yet starved of wisdom.

It seems everybody has an opinion about everything!

Choosing the source of information is imperative. With the very tight profit margins we work with today the margin for error is small. Implementing change is no easy feat. It takes investment in time, money and emotion. As we move towards an online society I question whether this is the best way to learn and gather information. Whilst haircutting videos on demand are helpful revision tools, a young hairdresser also needs the real life coaching of an educator/experienced peer to check that they are holding the scissors and the hair correctly and are standing with the correct posture. In the same way business information out of context or not tested in a similar market is not necessarily the help a business needs.

Let’s take the example of recruitment: A great reality is that today we have too many stylists for the amount of clients looking for services. If you understand the principle of supply and demand you will

agree that appointments to get your hair done are available on high streets and Facebook every day.

When a salon owner says they have a recruitment problem – the problem is finding people that want to work in their salon on their terms.

Just last week I heard two interesting instances regarding recruitment. A good friend of mine was looking for a barber and a great guy approached but wanted self-employment. My friend was reluctant – all his team is employed. But understanding that sometimes we have to move with the times, he negotiated with the barber and took him on. After two days the barber came to my friend and revealed he had changed his mind and asked to be employed. At that point my friend was not sure he wanted the responsibility of employing the barber! But as his business model is to employ, and he wants to lean on the legality that the clients belong to the business, he transferred the barber’s status to employee.

The second instance is a business whose model is all self-employed and the majority of their team and services are beauty. They are looking for a hairdresser (self-employed) and have a few applications, but all the applicants have asked to be employed. The salon owner is reluctant, she told me it will cost her more and she is nervous of the legality of employing people.

According to the Office of National Statistics over half of hairdressers are self-employed and whilst for some, this is the best choice for them and their clients, the need for bricks and mortar salons will not diminish.

Nor will the desire for many stylists to work in a salon alongside a team. What is essential is that salon owners make the offering for employees a very special and unique salon experience not easily paralleled.

In my opinion the best recruitment strategy is to make your salon the best place to be by asking – ‘what do people come to work for?’ Of course, primarily people work for money. Our primary need is to be able to live and once this basic need is met, we start to look for other drivers in our work. We want a better lifestyle, so we want the opportunity to be rewarded for exceptional performance. We like recognition, to inspire and to be inspired. We like to be social and we like to develop our careers and ourselves. A carefully balanced strategy that works for the business and the team will have career driven stylists beating a path to your door.

It used to be that the big ate the small, but today, the swift outrun the slow.

PROFESSIONAL HAIRDRESSER 73

BUSINESS

CHRISTMAS IS JUST A FEW WEEKS AWAY – SO ARE YOU READY? NOW IS THE TIME TO START PLANNING TO GUARANTEE YOUR CLIENTS HAVE A FABULOUS FESTIVE SEASON, AND YOUR TEAM IS READY FOR THE BUSIEST TIME OF THE YEAR. JAMIE BROOKS, CO-OWNER OF BROOKS & BROOKS, LONDON, REVEALS HIS COUNTDOWN TO SURVIVING THE BUSY FESTIVE SEASON.

Countdown to Christmas Plan your team attendance Knowing what days you are open and who will be working over the festive month of December should be decided now. We open the diary in August and the team collectively discuss which days they think we should be open and when we will be closed. We go with the majority vote, so this year we are working seven days a week for the two weeks prior to Christmas, which means we finish on the 22nd and reopen on the 27th. All the team will be in the salon throughout December and anyone wanting to take holiday needs to get it approved by the whole team.

Boost your retail You should already know what special retail sets you will be offering, so make sure you have something for all your clients. From gift sets to 3-for-2 offers, make sure they are prominently displayed and stylists talk about what they can treat themselves to.

Keep decorations classy!

Christmas decorations get the atmosphere of the salon ready for the busy season – with mulled wine and bucks fizz – we find keeping the salon’s Christmas decorations to the reception area and the windows allows a busy salon to be busy but giving it the festive feel. Keep the decorations in keeping with your clientele.

Create the right atmosphere December can be a stressful and tiring month for everyone, so you need to make the salon a place where the team are happy to come to work! Clients may run late, or want something extra and we need to be able to accommodate as much as we can, so brief the assistants to ensure the stylists have everything they need, and are on hand to help, with everyone working as a team.

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Plan ahead Stylists will be working long hours, missing breaks and lunch and sometimes working with stressed clients, so your support team need to be on top of their game.

Assistants through to ‘front of the house’ team, they all need to make sure the salon is clean, tidy, everything is in place and clients are fully aware of their appointment times.

Client journey With the salon busy and full of people, it’s important clients feel pampered when they come in. So make sure there are plenty of seats available, refreshments are served and they are well looked after.

Say thank you Mulled wine, Christmas biscuits and Christmas candles are the perfect (thank you) gift for your loyal clients. It’s a small gesture but they’ll appreciate it.

A happy team It’s important you do things as a team during this busy period so they also feel appreciated. Go for a drink or pizza after work, organise Secret Santa and personal presents and don’t forget to say thank you for all their hard work. Those two words can change their mood and give them a boost when it’s busy.

ADVERTORIAL

JANUARY BLUES: CUSTOMER LOYALTY IN THE QUIET PERIOD The good news for salon profits is that Christmas is just around the corner, says NHBF marketing director Tori Priestley, but that also means January is fast approaching, traditionally one of the quietest times of the year.

“However, you can take steps to boost your income even during the quiet new year period,” says Tori. “Firstly, make sure you carefully manage the advance payments for gift vouchers you sell in the run-up to Christmas. It’s great to get that initial cash boost but bear in mind that you’ll get no further payments for delivering the services and products in the coming weeks and months.”

Cash flow forecast Advance payments are just one reason why a cash flow forecast is so important for salon profitability, says Tori. “A cash flow forecast will help you plan for peaks and troughs as you can clearly see how much you will have coming in and going out.

Poor cash flow is a major cause of business failure, even for profitable businesses.” Discover more about the importance of cash flow: nhf.info/cashflow Ban January blues “Try special promotions after Christmas such as a ‘January sale’ or ‘two for one’ offers on products,” says Tori, “but make sure you advertise them well in advance using your social media and website.

“Think carefully about your special offers as you don’t want to undervalue your services or create a ‘discount culture’. For example, don’t offer reduced prices on all your products and services — be selective, and make sure the ‘sale’ appointments are only available on your quietest days in the week. If you have new or junior staff, you could offer discounted January appointments with them to help build their column.

“Give your regular and loyal clients a Christmas card with a 10% discount offer for a January appointment, and offer a

discount to regular clients who bring a new client into the salon.

Arrange a special January event during your quiet time and invite your best clients in to introduce them to new products and services — offer free refreshments and a money-off voucher if they book an appointment within a couple of weeks.

“Contact your product supplier as they may offer samples or free gifts for your clients,” says Tori.

NHBF Members can download a detailed guide on how to provide an outstanding client experience: nhf.info/client-experience-guide Customer loyalty Your long-term loyal customers are key to the success of your business and there’s lots you can be doing throughout the year to ensure they are not tempted to go elsewhere.

“Loyalty schemes are a great way to keep your clients coming back,” says Tori. “Keep it simple, but make sure you tailor rewards. For example, low-spending clients may appreciate money-off appointments, while higher-spending clients might prefer an additional service for free.” Find out how to keep your clients: nhf.info/client-loyalty

The NHBF For less than 75p a day, the NHBF will help you boost your business while keeping you safe, legal and bang up to date with all the latest business laws. You’ll wonder what you did without us! Find out more: www.nhf.info Join the NHBF before the end of December 2019 and quote PHD25 to get £25 off your membership fee.

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