2008 Spring

Marketing

Events

Male Hair

Salon of the Year

News Makers

Hair Science HairDX

Meet Daniel Fahid

Extensions

Congratulations PAI Medical Ontario, Canada

Pioneers in the hair replacement industry

Genetic test for analyzing male pattern baldness.

pg. 18

pg. 13

pg. 14

Founder and President, Follea International

pg. 6

Hair Journal International VOLUME 12 NO. 45

THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF HAIR FITNESS , REPLACEMENT AND RESTORATION

™

SPRING 2008

Genetic Test for Male Baldness

P&G FOCUSES ON HI-PROFIT MARKETS

Irvine, CA. 02/08 - HairDX, LLC, a biotech start-up, has announced the commercial release of HairDX.com, a simple consumer-friendly test that provides an accurate and understandable genetic analysis of a man’s likelihood of developing male pattern baldness (Androgenetic Alopecia). It costs $149 and is easy to follow. The customer orders a test kit on the Internet, and it is shipped to his home. He swabs his mouth (inside cheek) for several seconds and

Good-bye coffee, hello hair care

returns the swab to the HairDX lab. HairDX performs a confidential and anonymous genetic analysis of his genetic variations related to pattern baldness. The results are delivered via a secure and private Web site at www.hairdx.com.

Using results supported by several peerreviewed scientific studies associating variations in the X -chromosome to pattern baldness, the test enables users to learn

Hall of Shame Test Shows Revivogen Reduces DHT

about their genetic predisposition to balding before the age of 40. People who have certain variations in their X-chromosome are likely (95.1% to 98.1%) to develop pattern baldness before age 40. The information provided by HairDX enables consumers to make informed decisions about what approach, if any, they should take, including discussing hair loss with a qualified physician. HairDX.com also provides a support center with access to a registered nurse.

I Love Paris in the Springtime…

Beverly Hills. CA. 02/08 - Revivogen, a hair care solution for men and women with thinning hair, has completed a study to determine its effectiveness in reducing the production of DHT, a by product of testosterone that contributes to the miniaturization and eventual disappearance of the hair shaft.

Designer Genes?

Discovery may lead to new baldness drugs

The results indicated that the all-natural product matched or exceeded FDA approved drugs, Minoxidil and Finasteride.

More information in Medical Section.

Security software maker, bitdefender isn’t going to build a business by ridiculing its clients. Perhaps the pubescents of Silicon Valley think this is funny, but 50 million men with hairloss may not share their sense of humor.

Don’t Tell the Marines Army reservist gets subsidies after stress causes hair loss

Farrell Hair Replacement Opens in India Los Angeles. 02/08 - Farrell Hair Replacement plans to open its biggest overseas center in Thiruvananthapuram, India at the end of February. The city is one of the primary commercial and industrial areas in the state of Kerala.

Farrell Hair Replacement India is a joint venture with Tranzent, a beauty care solutions provider with offices in India and the US. The new studio will offer Ultra Custom hair replacement systems, the same designs that Farrell offers at its New York, London and Los Angeles hair replacement centers.

Seoul, S Korea. 02/08 - A 26-year-old South Korean man is entitled to government subsidies after he went bald during his “stressful” army service, according to AFB, a local newswire service. The reservist signed up in December 2002 and his hair began falling out in July 2004. He blamed his training for the alopecia and demanded compensation from the government. A local court sided with him and awarded him special “person-of-nationalmerit” status, entitling him to a monthly state subsidy for livelihood and a number of other social benefits.

You’ve Never Seen

Anybody else would be thrilled to own household name brands like Folgers Coffee, Duracell or Pringles potato chips.

But not Procter & Gamble. That’s not where the profits are. Since 2000, the company has sold most of its food assets like Crisco and Jif peanut butter in order to concentrate on the fast-growing, highmargin health and beauty market. Earlier this year, P&G hired Blackstone Group to advise it on divesting itself of brands that are not likely to meet the company’s 4-6% sales targets. That means many of its food and household products. Hair care however, is one place the company likes to be.

P&G owns leading hair care brands, Wella, Clairol, Head & Shoulders, Pantene and Clairol to name just a few.

Long Beach, CA. 02/08 – Paris Hilton turned heads at the Professional Beauty Association’s annual International Salon & Spa Expo (ISSE) which played host to over 30,000 licensed beauty professionals, January 26-28, 2008, at the Long Beach Convention Center. Paris was there to promote her DreamCatchers hair extensions (and her new movie, “The Hottie and the Nottie.” Over 465 exhibitors packed the sold-out expo floor. Leading companies such as RUSK, Scruples, Vidal Sassoon, Clairol Professional, Wella/Sebastian/Graham Webb (P&G Professional) Nioxin, Sexy Hair, OPI, TIGI, CND (Creative Nail) and Farouk entertained and educated attendees with floor to ceiling booths and continuous demonstrations and productions.

Bonn, Germany. 02/08 - An international research team headed by scientists at the University of Bonn has succeeded in identifying a gene that is responsible for a rare hereditary form of hair loss known as Hypotrichosis simplex. The scientists are the first to identify a receptor that plays a role in hair growth.

They hope their findings will lead to new therapies that will work with various forms of hair loss. The study is due to appear in the March edition of “Nature Genetics.”

As Professor Dr. Markus Nöthen, who holds the Chair of Genetic Medicine at Bonn University’s Life & Brain Centre, explains, “The defective receptor structure falls into the category of what are known as G-protein-coupled receptors.”

This is good news, because, “they are particularly well suited as points of impact for drug treatments.” Looking to the future, Professor Dr. Ivar von Kügelgen from Bonn’s Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology says “We can now search selectively for related substances that may be used in therapies for hair loss.”

Hair Like This Before...

3 Hair Journal International Spring 2008

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Conference participants deserve recognition - I attend every hair conference I can.

Over the years, I have participated in workshops and seminars hosted by every major hair supplier and distributor. In my travels, I make many new friends, but the most striking thing is the number of familiar faces I find at each venue. In fact, there is a small contingent of highly committed professionals who attend every event and it seems to me that their commitment deserves recognition. I don’t have to tell you that traveling across the country to a manufacturer’s conference is not cheap.

And a quick glance at the pages of this edition of The Journal will show you that there are several important new conferences coming up in the next few months.

Since the focus of these events is continuing education, it is only logical that the people who invest in building their professional skills receive the recognition they deserve. With this in mind, I will be talking with the heads of the major hair companies to establish a system by which attendees receive training credits leading to some kind of official accreditation.

We will recognize these professionals in The Journal and publish them on the Internet. If you invest the time and money to build your skills, we want the world to know about it.

the FDA, the 40 million women suffering from thinning hair finally got recognition, cosmetic surgery became glamorous, and laser light therapy went from sciencefiction into homes and clinics nationwide. Now we are entering the cellular era. In this issue, we interview the president of Hair DX, a company that has just announced the first genetic test to predict future hair loss. A man or woman today can receive diagnostic hairloss forecasts, choose an instant, nonsurgical solution, halt thinning by taking drugs, start a photo-bio-stimulation regimen, undergo restoration surgery, or wait for cell multiplication. Or all of the above!

And research shows that men and women are now combining these therapies and seeing improved results. So it is not surprising that the pages of The Journal reflect these shifts in patient behavior. If you specialize in just one of these modalities, I hope we are not neglecting your specialty. Because our editorial board believes that the future belongs to multidisciplinary hairloss solutions, we track all the new technologies to show the business opportunities they open up. Please feel free to write to us with your comments and suggestions so we do this in the manner that is most helpful to you.

Why not a Hair Journal tradeshow? I am frequently asked why The Hair Journal does not host a cooperative tradeshow featuring all the manufacturers and distributors of hairloss products.

The answer is simple. Our role is to support your suppliers and tell you about their products and services, not to get between them and their customers.

Our “Seen and Heard” section tries to capture the spirit and content of these conferences so even if you missed an event, you can catch up on what took place. Similarly, we feature a “Flash Reports” section where we announce new products when manufacturers bring them to our attention. Because we are such a small industry, it is in everyone’s interest to support and cultivate our manufacturers. By doing so we stimulate competition and bring innovation and diversity to grow the market.

Support The Journal - While I was waiting in the Press Room at the ISSE show, I had the opportunity to talk with the editors and publishers of many of the other hair and fashion magazines.

We have a common problem. Our readers don’t have the time to check their mail or renew their subscriptions. The Journal suffers more than most since we are distributed to such a specialist audience. The cost of putting together a publication of this quality and depth is huge. Advertising alone cannot cover the overhead. So I am personally appealing to you to support our efforts by renewing your subscription and showing that you value the work of our writers, researchers and contributors. Use the coupon in this issue and mail it in today while it’s fresh in your mind.

Where the Hair Society fits in - The role of Hair Journal International is to promote the hair industry and it works hard to be objective in its reporting.

While we are happy to share our information and connections, there is a fine line where we cross over from news reporting to opinions and recommendations. That is where The National Hair Society steps in. The Society is a commercial unit that encourages members to network among themselves and creates marketing relationships with companies that can help each other. Its goal is to help you make more money. The Society has separate management, separate bylaws, and a separate bank account. Think of it like this, The Journal gives you the facts; The Society tells you what to do with them.

Editorial content - As we enter our 12th year, I am aware that our content has changed significantly since our first issue. Early articles related to traditional men’s hair replacement. Then the pace of change accelerated as medical hair regrowth drugs were approved by

In this issue - No one knows where the economy is headed, but Steve DiManni tells us that a soft economy is a time of opportunity. See his recommendations on page 4. In response to readers’ questions, we tracked down Daniel Hafid, president of Follea International, the premium women’s wig supplier that caught us looking the other way, and spent a day playing catch up. You will find this interview on page 6. Andy Goren, president of Hair DX, took time off from television appearances and interviews to talk to us about the significance of the genetic testing his company has pioneered. You’ll find this report on page 14. Readers will also welcome back Jimmy “The General” Toscano.

Today, he writes about the special needs of an aging clientele. As always, his advice is witty, essential and practical.

You’ll find the General on page 11.

Chris Webb

Editor in Chief Christopher L. Webb

4 Hair Journal International Spring 2008

How tough economic times make it easier for some businesses

By Steven DiManni As I write this at the onset of the New Year, economic predictions for 2008 range from fair to glum. The fact is, no one really knows how the economy will turn out this year, but there are many people who predict that a recession cannot be far off.

Of course, a recession is rarely good news.

And if the economy indeed goes into recession this year, many businesses will be hurt, including hair replacement studios. But for many businesses in general, and for hair replacement salons in particular, there are ways to minimize the negative effects of a recession. And in some ways, to profit from the economic downturn once the economy begins growing again.

Now you might be saying to yourself that the hair replacement business is the most vulnerable of all when times are tough.

After all, it’s logical to make the supposition that when money is tight, luxuries like hair are among the first to go. Not that anyone believes that people who are your current clients are going to opt out for the au natural look. But it is reasonable to believe that new clients will be extremely hard to come by. Putting off the decision (and expense) to have more hair just makes sense when money is hard to come by…or does it?

The fact is that people who are out searching for new employment are going to look for every edge they can get in a tight job market. Looking younger is one such edge.

And hair makes people look younger.

Now, while this might be a pretty good hypothetical argument, there’s another problem or should I say, challenge: How are you going to attract these new clients?

Well, naturally, the best way is through advertising. But advertising costs money.

And the fact is that in tough times when businesses need to scale back their expenses, the advertising budget usually is the first to go.

However, study after study has demonstrated that cutting advertising actually has a more deleterious effect on a business during recessionary times than almost any other action an owner or manager can take.

Over 170 businesses were studied….

A major study was conducted during and immediately after the recession of 19901992 that involved over 170 companies in dozens of business categories; in every business category, a minimum of three companies were studied. Here’s how it worked: Each of the companies’ market share and sales before the recession began was noted, as were there pre-recession advertising expenditures. Their market share, sales and advertising expenditures were tracked during the recession and then, again one year after the recession was officially over.

The findings were astounding. Close to 90% of the businesses that continued to advertise during the recession actually saw their sales and market share rise, despite the fact that the economy was in disarray.

What’s more, after the recession, when these companies’ competitors began advertising again, the firms that had advertised during the recession saw their sales and market share grow even more.

To put it simply, this study proved that companies that scale back or cease advertising during a recession not only perform more poorly than companies that continue to advertise, but perform at a lower level after the recession when they resume advertising. How can this be?

Out of sight, out of mind-Sure, during a recession times may be bad,

and everyone feels it. But consumers don’t walk around thinking, “gee, I wonder what ever happened to ‘Company X’, I don’t seem to see their advertising Steven DiManni anymore. Oh, those poor people, they must be struggling through the recession like everyone else. Ok, I’ll still buy their products or services. Poor Company X.” Whether the economy is soaring or slumping, consumers continue to behave, like, well, consumers. They have the same needs, likes and wants in a recession as they do during a “boom”. They process information in the same way. They buy in the same way, even if their buying is scaled back.

So if a company chooses to weather the recession by scaling back or altogether cutting its marketing efforts, and if it’s competitor hangs in there and continues to communicate with its target audience, the competitor will win the mind of the consumer because the competitor has the eyes and ears of the consumer.

Why it’s more effective to advertise during a recession In a recession, advertising becomes more efficient than it ever could during times of economic growth. There are several reasons for that.

The first reason, as outlined above, is that there is less competition in the marketplace. Many businesses cut advertising budgets, or give them up all together during a down economy. That means there’s less competition on the airwaves or on the printed page. The less your competition advertises, the more your own advertising stands out. And as the case study that I cited earlier proves, this occurs even with well-known companies who cut or eliminate advertising. Again, back to the study, companies that were number three in their category but continued to advertise frequently overtook their competitors who stopped or cut back in their advertising.

The second reason that advertising’s effectiveness grows during tough economic times is that media becomes cheaper. With many firms cutting back, the media naturally sees its income drop.

So they become more amenable to pricing off their rate card.

You can also try to negotiate “value added” deals. For example, say you normally run TV commercials in early or late fringe time slots. You can bargain with the station by saying, “OK, I’ll run the same schedule, but I’d like you to throw in fifty additional Run of Schedule spots for free. I know you have the inventory because advertising is down in general.” If the station doesn’t want to make such a deal, or won’t discount the schedule you generally run accordingly, tell them the truth: you’ll have to go to their competitors to see what they’re offering.

It’s all in having the right “bait” Whether the economy is booming or dragging its heels, it’s always important to have the right message in your advertising. If what your potential customer is hearing and seeing has little appeal, they won’t be buying.

But in recessionary times, the element of “newness” in your commercials or print ads is especially important. Why? Because nothing stimulate consumer interest or involvement better than that which is new and heretofore unseen or unknown. And in a recession, stimulating interest becomes more paramount than ever, for obvious reasons.

It bears repeating I’ve said this many times in this column before, but it certainly bears repeating in light of this article’s subject matter. The worn out techniques of the typical 1980s hair commercial that will not work in 2007’s booming economy has even less of a chance of success in a possible recessionary economy in 2008.You need to do something new and different. By now, many of you heard of

5 Hair Journal International Spring 2008

On Rite’s new men’s program, code named CHI. Whether you like this program or not, you have to admit that it is certainly different than anything that has come before it.

What with its unorthodox TV commercials, its web component that takes the place of a brochure, and its circular messaging vis a vis email, it’s anything but what consumers are used to seeing. Even the language is different to further distant it from the old hair system advertising of days gone by. By the way, to to back up the validity of what I’m saying, it‘s worth noting that the initial test of this program is yielding remarkable results.

I just use CHI as an example of what to look for that’s different in a marketing program. One of the points of difference is that it is using today’s media, namely the internet, to reach the target audience where they happen to be: in front of their computer monitors. You don’t have to spend money on television advertising to necessarily garner results. There’s search engine marketing, for example: buying key words on search engines that allow your banner to pop up when someone is looking for a hair loss alternative. They then, if interested in what it has to say, click on your banner and that takes them to your website. If you’ve got a good banner, and a good website, you have a new source of lead generation.

Easier said than done, but certainly worth investigating.

Women are not men This segment of the article could also be filed under the, “It bears repeating” subheadline. Marketing programs that are just derivatives of men’s TV commercials or ads will not work. Nor will just dropping a few women’s before and after photos into a men’s commercial. The same goes for ads, brochures, et. al.

Women have different needs than men, as well as different psyches and cultural experiences. Men are far more impulsive and have less need for information. Women tend to be more thorough in investigating new products and services. The differences between the sexes from a marketing perspective are far too numerous, and complex, than can be delved into in this limited space.

Having said this, let me stress again that for the purposes of this article, efficiency in ad spending is paramount in a recessionary economy. Great prices on TV time are meaningless when the message that the spot delivers is off-target. So if you really want to appeal to women, run a TV commercial or a print ad or a banner ad that they find appealing.

New profit centers Another successful strategy for dealing with the rigors of a down economy is to devise new profit centers from your existing resources. Many studios are already doing this. For example, many studios that once only sought male hair replacement clients are actively pursuing women as well. That’s great. But are you pursuing this market in its entirety or just partially?

For example, if you’re doing women’s hair augmentations but not hair extensions as well, you’re missing out. The two markets do intersect at times, and not offering both services raises your marketing costs.

I’ve heard from many studio owners that some women who come in with a hair loss problem don’t have enough hair loss to justify any type of augmentation…or, that there are women who probably could benefit from augmentation but are reluctant to go ahead with it. In some such cases, hair extensions make sense. But unless you offer them, and naturally, have someone on staff with the skill to apply them, you’ll lose out on the sale.

Then there’s the somewhat new phenomenon of laser therapy. Some studios have invested in large lasers, others utilize small hand-held models. There are even a few studios that combine laser therapy with topical solutions, such as those containing minoxidil. In fact, if you’re offering one of these services, lasers or topical solutions, you’d be well advised to offer both, since

the two go hand-in-hand, so to speak. This practice would allow incremental income from the same marketing investment.

Of course, marketing either lasers and/or topical growth solutions requires great skill. First off, you need a good ad or commercial to drive traffic. Secondly, you need to invest enough money in media to see decent results. But just as important is what you do with the prospective client once he or she walks in the door.

In my opinion, you have to look at the marketing of lasers/growth solutions in the broader sense; they are a way to drive traffic into your establishment. Once the prospective client is in the door, it’s up to you to sell them what’s best, both for them and for you. Most laser/growth solution clients will resist hair replacement, at least at first. However, why not offer as part of the laser/growth solution program, a “credit” that can be used against hair replacement if the therapy does not work as well as the client would like? Even if that means putting a man or woman into hair at very little or no profit at all, you have the prospect of a long-term client who can add to your revenue stream.

Flexibility is the key If there’s a common thread to all the suggestions and solutions that I’ve offered here, it’s “flexibility”. First off, you have to be fairly flexible in the way you view your marketing efforts in a down economy. If you just want to “ride it out”, which is most people’s typical first reaction, you’re not really seeing the opportunity that decreased competition and lower media prices can mean. So the flexibility to “go against the grain” is essential.

Of course, as I’ve stated previously, there is plenty of empirical evidence to suggest that going against the grain is the smart move.

In fact, it may be the only move when you consider the alternatives, particularly if you are not the number one player in your market. Because if a larger studio starts advertising aggressively when business is down, you’ll find it very difficult to recover even when times become good again.

Secondly, flexibility is needed when deciding what type of advertising you should run, particularly when times are tough. You have to be open to trying new approaches.

Remember, “new” has meaning to consumers, particularly in the hair replacement business. The advertising doesn’t have to say the word “new” literally, but it should “say” new figuratively, meaning the look, the language that is used, the presentation, etc.

In a nutshell, a person who has never responded to a dated approach in good times is highly unlike to suddenly respond to the same old, same old, in bad times.

And then of course, there’s the subject of new profit centers within your existing business, and then, to further bolster these profit centers by offering a full range of services within this segment. For women, this means augmentation as well as hair extensions. For both sexes, why offer laser alone when you can also reap incremental sales from growth solutions?

To the aggressive go the spoils Sitting back and waiting for things to get better may seem to make sense to some.

But I can’t personally think of a riskier strategy. Just hoping for better times is a nice sentiment. And certainly the easiest one to take. But if ever there was a time to be aggressive, it’s when all your competitors around you aren’t.

In times of easy money, it’s fine to sit back and wait for the business to come to you.

But when there’s no business coming to you, do you really have any choice other than to go out and get it?

Steven DiManni is a 26-year veteran of Madison Avenue, serving as Creative Director of many of New York’s top agencies for clients ranging from Coca-Cola to Hitachi, and having won almost every major creative award the industry has to offer. He is also a 25-year veteran of the hair replacement industry and a long-time consultant to the On Rite Company.

6 Hair Journal International Spring 2008

Meet Daniel Hafid I n te r n a t i o n a l Fa s h i o n C o m e s to H a ir Additions The Hair Journal prides itself on knowing most of the shakers and movers in the hair industry, but we have to admit that we knew nothing about Follea until they called our offices and announced that they wished to buy the center-spread to announce their new collection. Learning that Follea president, Daniel Hafid would be passing through New York on his way to Paris; we cancelled appointments for the next two days and bought an airline ticket.

We met at the Sofitel hotel in Manhattan and our interview continued late into the evening. We learned that Daniel is the son of distinguished French hair stylist, Mr. René Hafid who founded Rene of Paris.

The company grew to become one of the nation’s leading alternative hair wholesale business providers and was acquired

by Aderans in March of 1989. Daniel branched out on his own, with a passion to create the world’s premium hair company, bringing new standards of luxury, glamour and high fashion to the market. It was no coincidence that we intercepted him on his way to Paris for a photo-shoot with a top international creative team. The following is extracted from our conversation.

HJI: Daniel, you are passionate about bringing high quality and high fashion to the hair marketplace. Where did this personal mission begin?

DH: My father was the president and founder of Rene of Paris. I learned my craft alongside him, but I always wanted to use those skills to create something truly exceptional. I’ve been nurturing this vision ever since.

HJI: Journal readers might say, “There are so many hair products out there; who needs another one?” What makes Follea different?

DH: We are the only company in the world that can achieve a true match of a client’s color, texture and length using Russian hair.

HJI: Everybody talks about ‘Remy’ hair, ‘unprocessed’ hair, ‘European’ hair and, of course, ‘Russian’ hair. How are they different?

DH: First, you have ‘processed’ hair, which is hair been swept off the floor in beauty salons in China or India, then decuticalised in an acid bath and bleached and dyed. ‘Remy’ hair comes from the temples in India and is usually better in quality.

Finally, there is the virgin, unprocessed hair from Russia. This hair comes in all colors and textures and is typically cut from the ponytails of Russian girls and women. Importantly, it still has its cuticle intact and the hair is aligned in one direction. Cuticle hair like this has not been exposed to an acid bath or harsh chemicals

and will retain its healthy shine for years and years. If you can afford it, this is as good as it gets.

HJI: If you cannot afford premium hair, what is the downside? Will anyone notice the difference?

DH: Absolutely, if not immediately, then certainly within a week or so or after the first few washings when all the silicone is removed. High quality natural Russian

“After a couple of minutes, she’ll not think about it as a wig at all. It feels natural and light. It moves in the wind, and it has that natural sheen.” hair has a shine that looks exactly like the hair of most Western people. Indian, Chinese and dark-pigmented hairs from other counties do not have this luster. It also tends to be very straight or very wavy.

That means the factory has to perm the hair or use other straightening techniques.

As for Chinese hair, it has a thicker denier and is typically acid bathed to remove most of the cuticle. That makes the hair shiny like a Christmas tree. If you go outside, you’ll notice that it’s not a true shine, not like Western people’s natural hair. In some cases, the hair will be stick-straight or have an un-natural curl, so they will have to perm the hair to match the texture of their overseas customers. That’s a lot of chemicals and a lot of abuse for something that is trying to look natural.

HJI: Let’s take the market segment-bysegment, starting with the men’s hair replacement market. If somebody is buying a standard hair replacement system, what kind of hair is commonly going into that product?

DH: Chinese processed hair, or mixed, inverted hair (hair from the floor). Any man’s or woman’s hairpiece selling for around $50-$150 is hair from the floor.

HJI: What is an entry-level woman’s wig made from?

DH: Chinese hair.

HJI: Going up the quality scale now, what comes next?

DH: Actually, the most common entrylevel would probably be a synthetic. Then you would go to a wig made from Chinese

hair that has been acid bathed. Then you would go up to Indian, or hair from another country that offers Remy hair. After that, you would move up to Russian or former Soviet Block hair.

HJI: What happens to the price as you go up that ladder? Are there big price differentials?

DH: The difference is huge. The best hair costs at least 17 times more than the hair used in everyday wigs and hairpieces. But the cost differences don’t stop there. When you buy Chinese hair, you buy the same item over and over, which is black, straight hair. When you work with virgin European hair, you have 15 to 20 different base shades. In addition, you have all the different textures and colors that come with it. It’s a different ball game altogether.

This is a real challenge for any factory.

HJI: Let’s pretend I’m holding a Follea woman’s wig; what are the things I’m going to notice immediately?

DH: I hope you are standing outside in natural daylight because you’ll really notice that the shine is completely different from any other products you may have seen in the salon. The hair will look very natural; in fact, it will exactly resemble your own hair. The second thing you will notice is the softness. It will feel soft, like your own growing hair. There’s a third thing also, but it’s invisible; even if you look closely, you will not see any knots at all.

HJI: What about the woman who wears this wig? Will it feel different? Does it move differently?

DH: The most important thing is that, after a couple of minutes, she’ll not think about it as a wig at all. It feels natural and light. It moves in the wind, and it has that natural sheen.

HJI: Everybody says they have great hair.

What allows Follea to make claims of product excellence?

DH: It’s the difference between words and products. Our product speaks for itself. I have 25 years of experience finding, processing and producing quality hair products. If somebody just sees and touches Follea’s hair, they will notice the difference, immediately.

HJI: Your production center is located in a totally different part of China to most other manufacturers. Did this allow you to institute different operating methods?

DH: We did not recruit anybody from any other wig factory. We started from the ground-up. Since our ventilation, our densities, our bleaching and dying, and the preparation of the hair is completely different, there was nobody to copy. We started from scratch with only one person.

Now we have over 650 workers. We’re

working hard to keep up with demand. We turn down many potential customers since I feel they are not the right match for Follea. We’re looking for customers who truly want to make women beautiful… and the only way to make this happen is by buying the best hair and demanding superior workmanship.

HJI: What products does Follea offer?

DH: We have just launched an introductory collection of 4 styles of wigs. In the next eight weeks, we will add another collection of 21 styles. There are other collections in the pipeline that you will learn about shortly. We can make anything you want us to produce, whether it is a threequarter wig, integration, hairpiece, or a ponytail. We are a flexible company. The only thing that does not change is our commitment to quality.

HJI: We knew very little about Follea until recently. How come you flew under the radar for so long?

DH: I wanted to keep Follea quiet. That’s why we didn’t have a website until recently. Many people contacted us, wanting us to produce a special line, but I didn’t want to lose my focus. I wanted to launch Follea America and sell directly to the top salons and hair addition centers. Having a superior product requires superior service, and that means special education and training.

We are still building our distributor network, so it wasn’t until recently that we felt ready to come out into the open. We now believe the time is right. Hair extensions have become a very big fashion trend and people are looking for higher quality products.

HJI: What about advertising and marketing support?

DH: Within 90 days you will see a completely new Follea marketing campaign. It will change the industry. We are also introducing the most sophisticated tracking system in the world; it is used by airports to control the planes on the ground.

By going online, Follea customers will be able to accurately track their orders through production to the final delivery date.

HJI: You are passionate about your work.

Some people in the beauty and fashion business go to art school, some are attracted by the glamour and others just stumble into it. How did you get started?

DH: I guess it started when I was a little boy. My father was selling wigs out of the house and this ultimately developed into Rene of Paris. Rene became a very successful company, but it was my dream to create a new level of luxury hair products and bring fashion and excitement to the market. I didn’t see why wigs and hair additions could not (continued on page 11)

7 Hair Journal International Spring 2008

THE RENAISSANCE HAIR STYLIST! The men’s hair replacement market we know today was largely created by a group of talented immigrants from Italy who brought their styling skills to the new world and turned the industry upside down to found a new, fashion-forward industry. In the next few issues, we are going to profile some of these entrepreneurs and let you share their journey from the villages of southern Europe to the most dynamic cities in America. Today, we are talking with Anthony Provenzano from Anthony’s Hair Clinic in New York.

Anthony learned his craft the hard way, serving as a barber’s apprentice from the age of 14 years. Even then, he knew he was going to do things his way.

Always anxious to learn new techniques and bring more flair to a traditional business, he was constantly experimenting and looking for new experiences. A few years later, he left his homeland and came to the United States. He spoke no English, but he was good with his hands. And he was very good with hair. The rest, as they say, is history, but we’ll let Antony tell his own story in this poignant interview.

HJI: Antony, take us back to your childhood. You started working with hair at a very early age.

AP: I began as an apprentice barber in Italy at the age of 14 when I got out of grammar school. I learned how to do the basic things that barbers used to do; shave, give shampoos, and little by little began to be a haircutter. I began to be involved with hair replacement at an early age of 17-18 years old.

HJI: In those days, an apprenticeship was a very

results, especially with people who have really thick hair. The last half-an-inch of the ends of the hair gets thinned, while the rest of the hair remains as it is. This is great when I need that last half an inch to have movement. Many times when I give demonstrations people say, “Where do you buy that tool?” Then, when I slide the two shears off my fingers, they are amazed.

HJI: You like to innovate?

AP: I love to do things other people don’t do. I’m a right-handed guy, but there was a time when I said, “I’ve got to see if I can train myself to cut hair with the left hand.” Isn’t that crazy? I mean, I’m busy all the time, so why do I think of these things? But I did it and I succeeded. Now there are days when I just switch the shears to the other hand and clients say, “Anthony, you’ve been cutting my hair for 30 years and I never knew you were left-handed.” Then I switch back to the other side just for fun.

HJI: After all these years, do you still enjoy what you do?

AP: I never get bored. When I start working with a client, I like to vary my routine. People say, “I thought you started from the front,” but sometimes I’ll I start from the back or from the left side or from the middle. I tell everyone, “I don’t do any mechanical work.

My work is always creative.” A creative person never does things the same way all the time. He keeps on changing ways and changing the angles.

HJI: What’s next?

AP: Sometimes my wife says, “When you retire…”

wanted to have my hair like this…” and that’s the beginning of a long term relationship.

HJI: So it’s about relationships as much as it is about hair?

AP: I try to know the real needs my clients. If a person is losing their hair and says, “I can’t find a job because I’m going bald,” or “I can’t find a girlfriend because I’m going bald,” I don’t laugh at the guy and say, “Get real, you jerk! That’s not the reason.” What the guy is telling me is real in his mind. In his heart, it’s real. I have to empathize with him and try to help him.

HJI: You stress the importance of working at an intimate level with your clients. What troubles them most about their hair loss?

AP: For a young person, it’s not that they’re losing their hair; they’re losing their confidence. And because of that, they’re losing points on many other things in life.

We might argue that it’s not about the hair, but it is for that person. Hair loss is a big thing. The most important thing we as hair replacement specialists can do is step back and let the person talk. If the person is married, find out what his wife thinks. If he’s looking for a girlfriend or trying to please his mother, find out who’s the second major person in his life?

HJI: Looking healthy and young in the workplace is a key factor in an image-driven society isn’t it?

Especially perhaps in a slowing and more competitive economy.

AP: That’s true in virtually every job situation, but nowhere more so than the fashion or entertainment industry. If the guy is an actor, you know that the hair is not just part of his ego; it’s a professional necessity.

He has to look a certain way in order to get cast in specific roles. The public gets its styling cues from movies and TV. I had a case where a guy brought a picture of Paul Newman and said, “If you can make my hair look like this guy here my wife is going to be the happiest woman in the world… and I’ll be the happiest man in the world.” I looked at the lines of his face, the shape of his face, the texture of the remaining hair that he had – and everything told me that he couldn’t look like Paul Newman. So I asked him, “Who is it that wants you to look like Paul Newman?

Is it your wife or you?” He replied, “I don’t give a damn, I’m okay the way I am! It’s my wife who’s driving me crazy!” “Then can you do me a favor?” I said. “Bring your wife the next time you come in. I want to see your wife.” So he did. Then he brought out

“My name is Anthony. Were you recommended here by someone or did you find me on the Internet?” Then I look at their hair, and say, “I want you to tell about your relationship with your hair. Do you have a good relationship with your hair or a bad relationship? Does your hair give you a hard time?” serious thing.

AP: It was how you built your skills. You started at the bottom and worked your way up. If you didn’t learn the basics, you didn’t move forward. It was a methodical process. There were no shortcuts.

HJI: Do stylists still need this kind of intensive education?

AP: It’s a must. And not just for the haircutting business; for everything. Doctors, lawyers; everybody has to be updated about what goes on in their world. I love what I do, but I can never know enough. I’ve been teaching for the American Cosmetology Association and different hairpiece companies, but I’m still learning. When you’re a professional, you are hungry for new knowledge.

HJI: Are you trying to pass on a lifetime of acquired skills through your platform work?

AP: I’ve discovered you learn by teaching; sometimes from people who don’t know much; or don’t know anything at all about the topic. They ask really basic questions and all of a sudden a switch turns on in your mind and you say, “Gee, this guy thinks he’s asking a stupid question, but I never looked at things this way; this deserves serious thought.”

HJI: Has your search for new experiences led to any innovations in the way you do business?

AP: I try to improve everything I touch. Even tools.

I’ve had tools in my hands that I look at and say, “This is a good tool, but if I add this or that it’s going be much better. I do this all the time.”

HJI: Any examples?

AP: I’ve devised a tool that’s still at a rudimentary stage, but needs some cosmetic touches if it is to be sold to others. For me, the tool is finished. It dries hair units after they’ve been washed, but from the base up, rather than drying them with a hair dryer or putting them under a hood. A regular hair dryer only dries and the underneath remains humid, so it’s not ready for tape or bonding.

HJI: I’m sure you didn’t stop there…

AP: I also devised two shears that I use all the time.

Actually, it’s a combination of thinning shears and regular shears that I use in one hand and get fabulous

and I say, “What do you mean when I retire? Why would I retire? I won’t be able to the things I enjoy anymore.”

HJI: Is hairdressing or hair replacement a good career choice for someone entering the beauty world today?

AP: It absolutely is, but the basic and important question the person has to ask himself or herself is, “Do I really like this profession? Would I really enjoy dealing with different people every hour, every halfhour? Am I a creative person?” These are things to ask yourself before you go to beauty school because, let’s not forget, we’re not just barbers or cosmetologists, we’re artists.

HJI: Hairdressers and stylists are also their clients’ friend and confidant aren’t they?

AP: We’re not just mechanics who perform a routine job and go home. We’re also psychologists. Maybe the barber of 30 or 50 years ago could only talk about the weather or the racetrack, but things are different today. You need social skills to enter the beauty world.

HJI: Do you see a different kind of person entering this field?

AP: There are a lot of people I know who go to college for two years or four years and then enter the beauty world. Good hair stylists can make a lot of money.

HJI: How does a college education help in client relationships?

AP: It’s all about dealing with people. When I have a new client in my chair, the first thing I do is say, “My name is Anthony. Were you recommended here by someone or did you find me on the Internet?” Then I look at their hair, and say, “I want you to tell about your relationship with your hair. Do you have a good relationship with your hair or a bad relationship?

Does your hair give you a hard time?” The guy turns around in the chair and tries to look at my face and says, “You know, nobody ever asked me that question before. I thought you were asking me about my relationship with my wife or my mother-in-law.” Then we laugh and start talking, and he tells me, “All my life I

the same picture, and I explained to the lady, “Ma’am, I’m sure you married your husband because you loved him. You’ve been together for so many years. Now, I want you to understand a few things. The texture of the remaining hair that your husband has just does not suggest he could have hair like Paul Newman. Also, the shape of his nose, the geometry of the chin and eyebrows are different.” “You might like Paul Newman.” I said, “My wife likes him, too, but your husband can never look like Paul Newman.” Then I tell her “But he could look better than he looks now,” and she lighten up. “How?” she asks, and then I give my suggestions. The guy became a client of mine for about 20 years until they moved down to Florida.

NHJ: Anthony, take us into your salon on 57th Street. Walk us through the door and tell us what we’re going to see and experience.

AP: 445 Park Avenue is a building between 56th and 57th Streets in Manhattan. It is a prestigious location, but I tell people who call for an appointment that they’re going to find a humble Anthony who will feel privileged to work with them. I have pictures on the wall of famous clients and that makes me feel good; but what makes me feel better is having a new client in the chair and askinag myself, “How am I going to make a difference in this person’s life.”

HJI: What about the décor? You are Italian, so I’m thinking marble and stone and statues.

AP: There’s some of that. The entrance of the building is all granite and marble, but my salon is not intimidating. It’s relaxing. I have pictures of opera scenes. I’m an opera lover. I love poetry and literature. I like to write too. Some of my poetry has been published.

HJI: Anthony, your career has truly gone full circle; from your apprenticeship in the hills of Italy to your salon in the heart of the world’s most dynamic city. Because you have kept your zest, culture and creativity alive, we’d like to christen you “The first Renaissance Hair Stylist!”

HJI

8 Hair Journal International Spring 2008

On Rite Seminar Tampa, Florida.

Keynote speaker “Coach Joe” Gilliam opening remarks were right on target, “You’re in an industry that’s selling something that nobody wants to buy… and if they bought it... they don’t want to tell anybody they have it!” In other words, welcome to the world of hair loss solutions. Coach Joe’s opening comments brought nervous laughs and nodding heads from the over 300 attendees at the opening day session of On

One of many continuous multi-stage presentations

Atendees flock to the “marketplace”

On Rite introduces it’s RIO line of ethnic hair

Rite’s two day intensive industry seminar held in Tampa, Florida.

From the first 8 a.m. cup of coffee, it was evident that On Rite was putting on an inspired show - adventure on the high seas; a landCaptain Hook? Nah, On Rite locked treasure hunt for ideas and networking. The pirate-themed President Andy Wright! conference invited guests to, “Discover the riches in their own backyard.” In full pirate regalia, On Rite CEO Andy Wright explained that in an industry where clients are less apt to brag and more likely to deny why they have great hair, there are still ample opportunities to grow a hair replacement studio. “We’re giving you the map,” he said “We want to help you succeed.”

Rhonda McCarthy, On Rite’s Business Development Manager then introduced two new service programs for business owners. The first, On Rite’s Upgrading Seminars, was created to increase sales overnight! The second program was a new Sales/Business Development Training & Workshop. The class will take place in Ft. Lauderdale at On Rite’s International Hair Bobi Russell leads a women class Academy. The educational sessions included: Sales 101: Back to the Basics - Leo Benjamin; Brand Yourself in the Medical Market - Terri Johnston; Power of Publicity - Terri Lynn; Business Development - Jay Benjamin. There were also other workshops and seminars on Synthetics; European human hair; Full head applications; Combining extensions and grafting; Multiple braiding attachment methods; Styling/Coloring/Cutting; Full and Perimeter bonding; and Essence of Ethnic Hair, and much, much more. Additional highlights from the event included introductions to new Gemtress hair designs including RIO Collection - a line of 5 designs created with the ethnic woman in mind. On Rite also introduced 3 new men’s designs - Elan LT, Elan EZT and Patrick Elite. Also introduced were new solvents and adhesives such as Jorgen Elite and Permarite 15.

Guest speaker Joe Gilliam unveils the “Secret” Stage presentations were plentiful with industry leaders sharing valuable tips and guidance. Baha Alwardi, Ashton Boger, Kim Truitt and Judy Principato, Caryn Deri, Gilberto Febles, Mario Mazza,Terry Johnston and others. Attendees also enjoyed a wonderful Las Vegas evening and gaming that included blackjack, craps, and roulette tables with each player receiving $2,500 in chips that could be converted to coupons to win products. The odds were, of course, in the player’s favor, with one very lucky raffle winner, Carol Jenkins from Pikesville, Maryland, taking home the grand prize: a one week cruise on the high seas.

9 Hair Journal International Spring 2008

10 Hair Journal International Spring 2008

Hair Journal International PROMOTING

Medical Section

COOPERATION BETWEEN THE ARTISTRY OF HAIR REPLACEMENT AND THE SCIENCE OF HAIR RESTORATION

Hot Times for Cold Lasers Washington, DC. 02/08 - The Food and Drug Administration is being scrutinized by a House Energy & Commerce committee for its supervision of the quality and safety of medical devices sold and imported into the United States. A medical device is defined by the FDA as “An instrument, apparatus, implement, machine, contrivance, implant, in vitro reagent, or other similar or related article, including a component part, or accessory which is: • recognized in the official National Formulary, or the United States Pharmacopoeia, or any supplement to them, • intended for use in the diagnosis of disease or other conditions, or in the cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease, in man or other animals, or • intended to affect the structure or any function of the body of man or other animals, and which does not achieve any of its primary intended purposes through chemical action within or on the body of man or other animals and which is not dependent upon being metabolized for the achievement of any of its primary intended purposes.

Medical devices range from simple

tongue depressors to complex programmable pacemakers with microchip technology and laser surgical devices. Certain electronic radiation emitting products with medical application and claims meet the definition of medical device. Examples include diagnostic ultrasound products, x-ray machines and medical lasers. If a product is labeled, promoted or used in a manner that meets the definition in section 201(h) of the Federal Food Drug & Cosmetic (FD&C) Act (above) it will be regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a medical device and is subject to premarketing and post marketing regulatory controls.” The FDA cautions, “Please realize that selling lasers for human use is a serious matter, especially irradiating someone’s scalp or face.”

The FDA admits that it does not have the resources to keep up with the flood of new technologies. In fact, its outside “Science Board” recently told reporters that the FDA “Cannot even keep up with the advances in science.” The General Accountability Office (GAO) reported that while US manufacturers of high-risk medical devises get inspected on average every three years, makers of moderate risk devices get inspected only every five years.

Lexington International, manufacturer of the only laser device to receive FDA clearance for hair growth, has received three visits from FDA officials – and satisfied their procedural and quality control standards on each occasion.

Hair clinics and salons contemplating a laser purchase would be advised to check that their manufacturer observes the highest production standards and marketing controls since FDA scrutiny is going to increase.

Revivogen Excels at Reducing DHT Beverly Hills. CA. 02/08 – A study commissioned by Advanced Skin and Hair, distributors of Revivogen, suggests that the all-natural product matched or exceeded FDA approved drugs, Minoxidil and Finasteride in reducing the production of DHT, a by product of testosterone that contributes to the miniaturization and eventual disappearance of the hair shaft.

The research was conducted by BIOalternatives, an independent laboratory that specializes in efficacy testing for pharmaceutical, nutraceutical and cosmeceutical products. BIOalternatives developed a test designed to measure the effects of any compound on Testosterone metabolism in living human skin tissue (reconstructed human epidermis). Living skin tissues were given equal doses of Testosterone, which under normal metabolism is converted to DHT and other androgens. The amount of DHT produced by the test tissue was measured to estab-

lish a control and other compounds were then tested against it for comparison. Each compound was tested on three separate tissue samples to confirm the validity of the results. The results indicated that Revivogen was more effective than FDA approved drugs, Minoxidil and Finasteride in reducing DHT. The control, which was allowed to metabolize Testosterone without any interference, produced DHT at the maximum rate (100%). Topically applied Finasteride, a known inhibitor of 5AR, reduced DHT production by 67% compared to control.

Topical application of Dutasteride, which is also a known inhibitor of 5AR, was tested at two concentrations and shown to reduce DHT production by 80% compared to control at the lower concentration (the same concentration as Finasteride), and 86% compared to control at the higher concentration. The topical application of an equivalent amount of Revivogen Scalp Therapy however, reduced DHT production by 90% compared to control.

This result is higher than Finasteride and Dutasteride (both concentrations).

Revivogen scalp therapy also reduced the production of other Testosterone metabolites significantly.

Revivogen was developed by a medical team led by board-certified dermatologist, Alex Kadhafi, M.D., a physician who began his career as a cancer researcher, before specializing in dermatology. He is a clinical instructor of dermatology at the University of Southern California (USC) and has a private practice in Los Angeles.

11 Hair Journal International Spring 2008

DANIEL HAFID

(cont. from pg. 6)

become as exciting as jewelry and clothing. I wanted hair to join the international world of fashion!

HJI: Is the company growing?

DH: We’ve been growing about 60% a year. Hair extensions are the big thing today, but I believe hairpieces are going to be the biggest new thing to hit salons. More and more customers are looking for highquality women’s wigs. Salons need new revenue opportunities and the profit margin is far greater with wigs than hair extensions! The potential is huge!

HJI: I’d like to go into some of the technical details that separate high quality hair from mediocre hair. Let’s talk about ‘strength’ first.

Decuticlized hair, is it stronger?

DH: No surprises here; non-decuticlized hair is much stronger.

HJI: What about the way it reflects light? You talked about ‘shine’ earlier, but isn’t there also more complexity in virgin hair?

DH: Correct. When you use Chinese or Indian hair, all the pigment is black, so to create beautiful browns or shiny blondes, brunettes or auburns you have to bleach and recolor the hair. It never has same tone and reflective qualities as Caucasian hair.

HJI: How many colors are there in a typical sample of Caucasian hair?

DH: More than most people imagine. One of our blends might consist of 12 different shades. That’s how we create the depth.

HJI: When you remove the cuticle from Asian hair, does it retain moisture and color the same way?

DH: When you remove the cuticle, the hair becomes very brittle and dry after 30 to 40 washings. It has no luster. That is why people apply silicones to try and keep the hair supple as long as they can.

HJI: What about oxidation?

DH: Hair that has cuticle will last longer. Human hair, whatever type of hair it is, is going to oxidize.

I believe our processes are the best in the industry, but if you take a blonde out in the sun, sooner or later that hair will oxidize and change color, HJI: What about ventilating? Are all knots the same?

DH: No. All knots are different. Some take four or five times longer to do than others. As you can imagine, this has a big impact on pricing. Some of our pieces take almost two weeks to ventilate. In other factories, they may be able to create a hairpiece in two or three days. You get what you pay for.

HJI: What is the difference between a good and a less good knot?

DH: Two things. The hair doesn’t come out and you cannot see the knots. Sounds simple I know, but these skills are hard to acquire.

HJI: How do you achieve a great knot?

DH: By going very slowly… and having a motivated ventilation team working in modern, well-lit, comfortable conditions.

HJI: A happy ventilator is a good ventilator. Are your ventilators happy?

DH: In our city, Weihai, with a population of 5 million, we were voted one of the top factories to work for by China government. We ranked 75 out of 7,000 companies, which you’ll agree is pretty impressive. We are in the same league as Samsung, General Motors and China Bank. Employee satisfaction is a fundamental part of our business philosophy. If you want excellent quality, your workers must stay with you for a long time. This allows you to develop great teachers to pass on their skills and build a quality control system. This is the only way to achieve consistency.

HJI: How do you educate and reward your ventilators?

DH: We have a whole bunch of programs; some related to business skills, some strictly personal. For example, we have company outings to places and events that many of our workers, who often come from humble backgrounds, never dreamt of visiting.

We also conduct training on self-confidence building and team management. We make a big commitment to developing the skills and lives of our staff.

HJI: Daniel; you travel a lot. You are on a plane half of your professional life. Where do you go?

What do you? What is it like being a jet setter in the hair business?

DH: We do a lot of hair for celebrities. A lot of famous people. Much of the time, I’m meeting with people and developing products for their special needs or lifestyle.

HJI: Is it as glamorous as readers might think? Do you go from one celebrity reception to another? Are you on the Victoria Secrets circuit?

DH: I am more on the quiet side… more in the technical background. I normally go in and go out. I meet with a stylist or the customer, get the information, then as soon as I understand what the requirements are, I’ll go back and design the pieces they want.

HJI: Your home used to be in Beverly Hills, which remains the design heart of the Follea empire. Now you are spending extended periods in China. Is that so you can oversee the technical end of the business?

DH: Yes. Being a hands-on person, I like to stay close to production. We are constantly developing things; we have about 50 people just in research and development, so I love to spend lots of time in the factory.

HJI: What brings you to New York today?

DH: We are getting ready to launch our second line.

I don’t want go into details, but this will be a fashion line. It will present added-hair as a fashion accessory in high quality hair.

HJI: Thank you for introducing Hair Journal readers to your world. We’ll be keeping a close watch on the fashion segment of our industry.

Safe travels to Paris…

HJI

THE INVITATION …sent to the Presidents and VP’s of thirty top hair companies

2008 HAIR HOROSCOPE

I am writing to invite you to join 15-20 other industry leaders and peer into your crystal ball to predict important changes or events in the hair market in 2008! I’ll publish everyone’s predictions in the upcoming Spring edition of The National Hair Journal.

The theme is, “What to Expect in 2008 — and What to Do about It.” I am inviting you to contribute a brief paragraph about a technology, a product, a trend… anything you choose and expect to see in 2008… plus a few words about why it will be significant and what people should do about it.

If you spend more than five minutes on this it will be too much. I know some people will submit thoughtful paragraphs and others will be tongue-in-cheek. Both are welcome!

THE RESPONSE Printed below are the responses we received…

John R. Ohanesian, President and CEO, Bosley, Inc. About Consumer Confidence - 2008 is likely to be a challenging year economically. Consumer confidence is shaken by the housing market crisis and volatile stock market. That said, I think experience has shown us that men and women will still seek to improve their personal appearance, health, and sense of wellbeing, perhaps to counter the impact of this financial uncertainty. Cosmetic surgery, health club memberships, and weight loss programs all seem to trend positive during unsettled financial times.

Bosley intends to exercise our market leadership position and continue to fully promote and market

selves as a point of reference for cool, edgy, highperformance technologies and therapies that deliver adrenaline-rush solutions in sync with our market’s pain. In the new marketing, it’s all about ideas that spread with passion through a like community of users. We need to utilize avatars, e-mail newsletters, mobile phone ads, podcasts, blogs, search engine optimization and social networking.

We must stay fresh and reinvent ourselves as an industry. Why? Those who do not apply new remedies must accept new evils.

Tom Dawson – Principal Scientist, P&G Beauty -

our services and the hair restoration market in general, throughout 2008.

Pulling back marketing efforts, in anticipation of possible slowing demand would eventually become self-fulfilling prophecy. The hair restoration industry should continue to aggressively market all its products and services with confidence, and class. The consumer will respond accordingly, as always.

Lance Centofanti, VP American Hairlines/Virtual Reality Group On Leadership -Thinking ahead and predicting trends in a new economy is what leadership is all about. Customer expectations have skyrocketed and the ability to grow and extend our influence as an industry is contingent on restoring trust to our marketplace. We need to sharpen our ability to collaborate and synchronize amongst the medical, nonmedical, and artistic leaders, so as to position our-

On Fungi - We are convinced our research into genomes of the two fungi responsible for dandruff may lead to groundbreaking new products in anti-dandruff but also in hair loss and improvement of hair quality. This research has implications for all warm-blooded animals, the impact on the definition of life through gene based organism classification, and even our concepts on evolution.

Mark H. Kress, CEO, Spencer Forrest Inc. About affordable cosmetics 2008 is shaping up to be a particularly challenging year. Consumers are already puling back on spending and becoming more cautious about both surgical and non-surgical expenditures. While such high ticket items suffer, affordable cosmetics for hair loss do better in a recession because they’re effective and in a comfortable price range.

Products like Toppik and Couvre make men and women look and feel better at a nominal price. But they generate meaningful revenue over a long period of repeat purchases. In addition, monthly reorders help maintain long-term relationships which will be valuable when the consumer’s pocketbook opens up again. Our company is introducing Xfusion, a keratin fiber concealer like Toppik that is only sold

through professionals.

HJI

12 Hair Journal International Spring 2008

14 Hair Journal International Spring 2008

THE MAN BEHIND HAIRDX He Knows If You’re Going to Lose Your Hair Irvine, CA. 02/08 - HairDx, LLC a startup biotech company, has announced the commercial release of HairDX.com, an affordable and consumer-friendly genetic test that analyzes the likelihood of male pattern baldness.

The test only costs $149 and consumers can order test kits online to be shipped to the privacy of their own homes. Male consumers simply swab the inside of their cheeks and mail the sample back to HairDX where it undergoes genetic analysis. Results are securely posted at www.hairdx.com and consumers can learn if they are genetically predisposed to balding before the age of 40 years.

The HairDX test allows men to find out their likelihood of hair loss years before they start to notice they are thinning. It gives them time to explore hair loss solutions and make informed decisions before it is too late. We sat down with HairDx CEO, Andy Goran to discuss the importance of this groundbreaking research.

HJI: Mr. Goren, why are your telephones ringing off the hook?

AG: People have just learned there’s a scientific way to find out whether they’re going to go bald or not. Most men believe that baldness is some sort of

Andy Goran, CEO HairDx

genetic predisposition. You hear people say things like, “My dad is not bald, so I’m not going to be bald,” but that’s often just wishful thinking. Now they are hearing there’s some sort of new genetic test that can tell them what their likelihood of going bald really is.

HJI: Why HairDX? Do you have better answers

than anyone else?

AG: Nobody else has developed a genetics platform that will enable them to predict the likelihood of male pattern baldness for individual customers.

HairDx uses the latest scientific discoveries backed by several peer reviewed studies. We test your DNA and the results tell you whether you’re more likely or

less likely to go bald. It is not a marketing gimmick, it’s science.

HJI: Analyzing the human genome cost millions of dollars. Does it cost millions to get a personal hair loss prediction?

AG: No, but we can charge millions if you want to!

But seriously, we do not have to analyze your entire DNA to find out about hair loss. We only look at one little segment. It has been shown in scientific studies that if you have a certain variation, you are at a high risk for hair loss. Since we concentrate on a specific segment of the DNA the analysis is not that expensive. This allows us to sell the tests for an affordable price of $149.

HJI: What is the procedure?

AG: It is simple. The customer goes online and orders a test kit. If they are in a physician’s office, the physician can order the test for them. Once the customer receives the kit they swab the inside of their cheek, place the sample in a small return tube, and ship it back to us. Our lab examines the DNA and a computer software system takes the analysis and reports the results on our secure website.

HJI: Is there a clinical definition or clever phrase to describe DNA sequence that indicates the likelihood of male pattern hair loss?

AG: It’s not actually a sequence but a variation.

Everybody has the same gene, all men and women.

Women happen to have two copies of the same gene, but it’s the variation of the gene that differs among people, except in cases of severe diseases where a particular gene may get deleted. It’s the variation of the genes that are different between people. What differentiates your eye color from mine or somebody else’s would be a variation of the same gene. So that’s what we look at; the variations of a gene.

That’s what determines your baldness risk.

HJI: What degree of accuracy can a patient anticipate?

AG: The word ‘accuracy’ in genetics is misleading.

We find that between 95% and 98% of people who have gone bald have one specific variation of the gene we look for. But we find that if you particularly have this variation, you’re at a 60% risk for going bald, even though 95% of people have it.

Furthermore, if you have the other variations we test for, you’re 85% likely NOT to go bald.

HJI: That’s a little bit more encouraging.

AG: That’s a brief synopsis of how the test works in genetics. The bottom line is - if you have a certain variation that we test for, you are very likely to go bald. If you don’t have that variation, you’re probably not going to go bald.

HJI: Can you apply a timeline to this prediction?

AG: Yes. The test is fairly strong in detecting the early onset of pattern baldness; which means hair loss under the age of 40 years. The severity we look at is high on the Norwood scale. If a customer has that, they’re pretty much going to be completely bald by the age of 40 years or very close to it. The test still works for men after the age of 40 years, but it was developed for people under 40 years.

HJI: When should somebody first be tested?

AG: Anytime in your life. We believe that early diagnosis is the key to being able to minimize or even reverse your condition. Hairloss is just like any other field. We provide an analysis that’s going to help you understand your situation and allow the doctor come up with a treatment. People who are concerned about their hair should get tested as soon as possible.

HJI: You have been involved in other IT and medical research projects. How did you stumble into hair?

AG: It has been a long journey, but HairDX, LLC has a parent company, also in the genetics field, called myGenopedia, and our goal simply stated, is to provide consumers, doctors, and the whole world with simple to understand, relevant and scientifically proven genetic information about themselves.

Hair loss is just one area of inquiry. You can think of hundreds of other applications. Quite a few of them are being developed in our labs. That’s how we stumbled on hair.

HJI: What else should consumers know about the insights provided by genetics?

AG: Genetics is an evolving field. It’s an interesting technique. As opposed to tests you find in a medical doctor office, like getting your blood tested, genetics requires a constantly updated pipeline of products because the science is evolving very quickly.

Scientists are developing great tests and studies at such a high pace that non specialists cannot keep up.

Every time you open a scientific magazine, you see the announcement of a new discovery. Nobody has the time and capacity to read all that information.

Our role is to stay on top of this stream of information for you and pass on what is relevant to you and your lifestyle.

HJI: Are we going to see HairDX in the newspaper headlines again soon? Is there anything else on the horizon?

AG: Yes, we have several things in our pipeline so you will see us again soon… and keep reading Hair Journal International to learn all about it! More information is available at www.hairdx.com or www.mygenopedia.com Andy Goren, CEO - Andy Goren’s background includes serving as Chief Executive Officer for various medical, semiconductor, and wireless companies. Most recently, Mr. Goren was CEO of BioQ, Inc., a medical device company pioneering the treatment of gait and balance disorders due to peripheral neuropathy. Mr. Goren obtained his B.S. degree in Mathematics from the University of California at Berkeley while performing graduate research in Neuroscience at Stanford.

15 Hair Journal International Spring 2008

Bonding with the Boomers

By James (The General) Toscano As we age, not only does our skin and muscle tone change, the denier of our hair also changes. If you aren’t familiar with the term “denier” of the hair, it is the diameter or circumference of each hair. On 60 70% of the population, the denier will increase in size. On the remaining 30% of the population, the denier will decrease in size. It is very important to consider this fact when fitting someone with 40% grey or higher in their hair system. What I have found works best for me - if the denier increases, a mixture of yak and human hair need to be blended together. If the denier decreases, use only human grey hair and stay away from the yak.

Keep in mind when bonding your older clients that skin tends to get thinner as they age. Be very careful not to use any bonding agents or cleaning agents with chemicals, harsh detergents or citric acid in them.

Because some of your older clients may now be less active, they may become less oily. That fact makes them great candidates for using co-polymers when doing fullhead bonding. Since most of the new copolymers are water-soluble, using skin bases instead of lace bases may be a better option. My wife and I travel all over the United States, educating hair replacement studios about bonding and cutting procedures. Everywhere we’ve been - from Florida to Washington - skin bases, especially the thin bases, seem to be growing in popularity. Heat and humidity don’t seem to be a factor with these types of bases.

Even in the warmest part of the United States, skin bases seem to work. In our salon, we find that the thin skins will stay down on most men about 2 - 4 weeks. On our ladies, we find that most of them, when bonded correctly, will have the bond last 30 - 120 days. Keep in mind, not one co-polymer will work on every client or every skin type. You need to keep several in your salon.

We have found that you need to be very careful when choosing a solvent for cleaning the client’s scalp and removing the copolymer. At first, we used to think that the adhesives we were using on our client’s scalps were causing skin irritations. Since then, we have found that is has been the cleaners, not the adhesives, that have caused the problems. Out of all of the clients in our salon, not one of them has any kind of irritations or breakouts on their scalps. Do your homework!! Research the various cleaners that are available to you and try to use one that is all natural. With the technology that is in the hair industry today, you shouldn’t have any clients in your salon who have any scalp irritations from cleaners or bonding adhesives.

Do you do a patch test on your clients?

This should be done on all your clients, not just your older ones.

After all the bonding articles that I’ve written in the past, I’m unfortunately still seeing some of the older bonding adhesives in some of the salons I visit. Some of these adhesives have a lot of chemicals in them that are not only dangerous for the client; they are also dangerous to the technician applying them. Yes, they may help your client’s bond last longer. But how can we, as an industry, subject our clients and our technicians to these dangers? If you have any questions about the adhesives or cleaners you are using, look on your MSD Sheet. If the ingredients are still not listed to your satisfaction, contact your supplier or the manufacturer of the adhesive or cleaner. If you still have questions about the ingredients in your product, look them up on the Internet.

Remember, the main key to success in your salon is: education, education, education.

All the major manufacturers have excellent educators. So make a point this year to Jim Toscano attend at least 2 -3 seminars or bring an educator in to your salon. If you are a member of the National Hair Society, contact them for any educational information you may need.

Remember: Perfect isn’t perfect unless it’s perfect.

James Toscano (“The General”), a Pennsylvania native, is an eighth-generation hair stylist and one of the nation’s top authorities in non-surgical hair replacement systems.

He provides consulting services in the research and development of surgical-grade adhesives for the hair replacement industry.

Hair Loss Solutions from Men’s Health “Everything you need to know to keep your mane from going down the drain” says Men’s Health; but is it what hairloss professional want their patients to read?

From time to time, leading men’s health and fitness publication, Men’s Health runs a feature article on hair loss, the one their January/February 2008 issue. While the information is generally helpful, the hip editorial style can end up re-enforcing the very prejudices and misperceptions it should be trying to dispel.

In a description of one man’s hair loss dilemma, one frustrated client is described as resisting having his “Follicles rearranged in a $20,000 shell game.” Not so flattering for hair restoration surgery and the ISHRS that has been recognized by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education for the specialist education it provides cosmetic surgeons.

Hair regrowth drugs fare no better, being described as either a “Blood pressure pill called Minoxidil” or a “Prostate drug called Finasteride.” So much for the hair loss research conducted by Upjohn/Pfizer and Merck and approved by the FDA that formally defined them as hairloss medications. Both drug companies also get a knife in the back when a contributing M.D. recommends men to “Save Money” and split 5mg tablets of Proscar instead of Propecia and Men’s Health gives readers the option to “Amp it Up” with Avodart, described as a “more selective” DHT blocker.

Laser light therapy fares better, but not by much. In a backhanded compliment, Men’s Health observes, “The FDA has confirmed that the handheld Hairmax LaserComb… actually works… and here come the backhand… “It should be noted however, that the FDA approval process is less stringent with devices than with drugs.”

Time for the hairloss community to forge better connections with the editors and researchers in ivory towers…

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16 Hair Journal International Spring 2008

Hair Society News

I N T E RV I E W S W I T H SOCIETY MEMBERS AC RO S S T H E S TAT E S

www.nationalhairsociety.org

Hello from your Society Director – Welcome to Society 2008. It has definitely been a busy year so far.

I have had the chance to meet several of you at the recent On Rite Heather Simon conference in Tampa, FL and made several new contacts at the recent International Salon and Spa Conference in Long Beach, CA in January.

Society Members Seen at the Recent On Rite Conference in Tampa, FL.

I chatted briefly with Society member Michael Diebold from Alberta, Canada who was working at the Rene of Paris booth at the Long Beach show.

Andy Wright, Rob Hoffman and Chris Webb

Over the past several months, I have had the opportunity of speaking with several Society members over the phone and asking them about their successes and the changes that have occurred within the hair replacement industry. I want to make sure every member has the opportunity to be interviewed so please contact me so I can feature your story in Hair Journal International. If you are not a member, please visit the Society website at www.nationalhairsociety.org to sign up online or please contact me so you can take advantage of the great benefits of being a member. Support your industry.

Sign up today!

International Hair Systems is located in Tustin, CA and is owned by Society member Cathy Walker. Chris and I had the chance to visit with Cathy and her salon

ment. The laser treatment was very successful for him and his hair grew back. He showed us the before and after photos.

Cathy’s salon has a stand in laser and she also offers the HairMax LaserComb for sale to her clients. She also uses Cyberhair Micropoint links. Cathy has a full-time hairpiece and wig repairer on

Boutique within International Hair Systems

site. Her name is Alma and she receives hairpieces and wigs from all over the United States to fix. She also makes wigs.

Cathy not only offers hair replacement services but she also has a small boutique located within the salon. You can buy everything from purses, jeans, jewelry and evening wear. I would like to thank Cathy, Ed and the rest of her staff for allowing us to visit. For more information please visit Cathy’s website at www.internationalhairsystems.com.

Anthony Provenzano

Jan and Michael Diebold at Rene of Paris Booth at ISSE in Long Beach, CA

The Society website will be changing daily. We are adding new features and there will be more products available at a discounted price to Society members through the Online Store. Please visit the website at www.nationalhairsociety.org. I have mailed out pass codes and usernames in the January newsletter. The website will evolve into an invaluable tool. I would like to thank those members that have renewed their membership this year already. Please make sure you are up to date so you can take advantage of the website and what it offers members.

You can renew your membership through the website. Support your industry by renewing your membership. Belonging to different groups within the industry is a good way to gain exposure and be recognized. I look forward to meeting more of you in person this year. Please contact me if you would like to be featured in the Society pages.

Our Latest Wholesale Society Member is Follea located in Weihai City, China and Keeroyal Hair Products Co, Ltd located in Qingdao, China

Ozzy Vera

Cathy Walker and Ed Anderson

Chris Webb and Luigi Caruso

Transition Group Members: Arnold Hilde, JoAnn Passeggio Barone, Loretta Paulus, Ron Hebner, Jonalee Schmidt, Harold Duckett and Gene Pletzer

staff in December 2007. Cathy gave up everything to start in the hair replacement business. She started as a colorist in 1965 and in 1989 decided to go into hair replacement. Cathy first opened her hair replacement services in a medical facility not far from where she is currently located. She had to expand and moved to the location she is now. Her clientele covers a wide area and many loyal customers have been coming to her for years. Cathy receives a lot of leads from Virtual Reality and also through her website. 50 percent of her business is extensions and she is signed up with Great Lengths. Most of her clients are women and they are the ones using the extensions, but more hair replacement is used for the men. Ed

Say Hello to Our Latest Retail Society Members Agnes Perellie

Myron Baas

Laser Treatment Room

Anderson, Operations Manager for International Hair Systems, handles inventory control and Virtual Reality sales for the men. Ed is a strong advocate of Lance Centofanti and his Virtual Reality men’s line. Cathy’s salon also carries the Virtuesse line as well. Ed and Cathy are strong advocates of laser hair therapy and Ed has his own testimonial of laser treat-

JoAnn Passeggio Barone

Hair For Life is located in Wo o d b r i d g e Township, NJ and Joe Aguiar is one of the foremost Trichologists that offers a Joe Aguiar customized hair loss treatment program at Hair For Life.

While serving in the U.S. Navy, Joe was a dental and hospital corpsman. He has studied at the Kessler Institute and the Kessler Association of West Orange and subsequently became an Orthopedic and Prosthetic technician. He acquired a basic

Front entrance to Hair For Life

knowledge of hygiene and human physiology while working with both the State of New Jersey and the Federal Government under their hygiene programs in the late 50’s. Joe distinguished himself that when a European company with subsidiaries in over fourteen European countries, specializing in hair and scalp problems, wanted to expand, they called upon Joe. In this position, Joe worked with the world renowned discoverer of biostimulization (a method of extracting the embryo from the fertile egg and capturing the surge of life), Dr. Ivan Popov.

Joe completed training as a Trichologist from Acre’s hair and scalp treatment center of London, England and operated a clinic in

Carmine Pisacreta

Waiting Room at Hair For Life

Ron Hebner

Harold Duckett

New Members Not Pictured: Robert Hayes, Violet Demao, Eugene Lawrence

Larry Zeller after a Keratin Complex Therapy Treatment

Alma repairing hairpieces at International Hair Systems

Queens, New York. In the late 1960’s, Joe began to lose his hair. He began to relate his hair loss to diet and nutrition and resulting bio-chemical imbalances. After years of through and intensive nutritional research, he began treating his clients through nutritional advice and natural treatment

SALON OF THE YEAR

18 Hair Journal International Spring 2008

Congratulations PAI Medical Group Salon of the Year 2008

E

very year, Hair Journal International combs through files and photos of hair-management salons and clinics in search of one unique center that stands out from the rest and merits the distinction of being chosen, Salon of the Year.

Candidates are drawn from referrals from within the industry and in the final months of each year, the e-mail

make it in a government city, you can make it anywhere. So if I could make it work in Ottawa, I could make it work anywhere.” And, that he did with great success!

The entrepreneur A few years later, Pierre decided to venture on his own as Pierre Amelotte International. It was also a bold move for the young Pierre in an industry riddled with many seasoned characters. But, he was firmly convinced that his commitment was an all or nothing move and he has never looked back since then.

The Ottawa clinic, located at 344 Bank Street in the heart of Canada’s capital, has undergone many renovations since he purchased it in 1989. With a strong European influence on the outside and continuing throughout the interior, it is impressive both to new clients and patients who return repeatedly for the special touch that the team of PAI specialists provide to them. Pierre believes passionately that today, good design coupled with the latest in service, technology and processes are the keys to success in business.

Always responding to the Pierre’s creative challenges is the award-winning interior design company In Tempo which has been with PAI for many years.

traffic intensifies as the recommendations pile in. The shortlist is based on the salons successful integration of new technologies, the physical design and furnishing of the facility, and management’s desire to give back to the community and share its skills and good fortune with people in need. This year was particularly tough, but when you read about PAI International, you will understand that this is a company in a league of its own.

The design The functional design of a non-medical and medical hair restoration center is one critical requirement for success. From the moment clients or patients arrive in the waiting room; they immediately have the feeling that this is where they can trust the specialists to solve their hair loss problems. What sets PAI apart is the multitude of treatment options ranging from hair systems, Ross treatments, laser hair therapy and medical hair transplantation. With the growing trend to provide more options and solutions in the female market, the future is definitely bright for this market. “We provide everything that is available right now in hair loss, as far as options,” he explains. “We are one of the few companies that provide a multitude of treatments from medical to non-

those for whom the biggest struggle is not the cancer but the fact that they’ve lost their hair, dignity, normalcy and acceptance in society.”

Giving Back PAI also works with burn victims. Amelotte recalls one particular case. “This woman literally lost her fingers, her ears, part of her nose, and one side of her head. I had the privilege to design the hair pros-

thesis after all the plastic surgery work was done on her.” Amelotte says that to be able to specialize and have the opportunity to help in such cases is a blessing in disguise. Another case involved Pierre working with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to provide a hair system so that the face of a brutal murder victim could have some semblance of human recognition. This helped the family find a final

peaceful closure instead of living with the haunting image of the severely mangled head and face.

The man Pierre Amelotte, well known internationally in the hair restoration industry, has dedicated his life to improving the lives of thousands of men, women and children suffering from hair loss.

In 1975 after a brief stint as a trained hair stylist, Pierre began to conceptualize the merging of the traditional hair restoration

medical to lasaer therapy.” PAI also offers Multi–Unit Hair Grafting™, a process that maximizes hair transplant efficiency often with one single procedure.

Away from the office In many ways Pierre is a very private man. Pierre has been VicePresident of the Jamie Gosse Memorial Foundation for the past 17 years. It is dedicated to provide enrichment in the lives of disabled children. One of Pierre’s true joys in life is to travela to new and foreign locations and provide a small delight for a less fortunate person.

“When I have an extra day, I will arrange something, like a helicopter trip, for a child of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Starlight Foundation or Ronald McDonald House”, says Pierre. “You cannot believe the joy and happiness it brings to a child and a parent in such a terrible time of their lives.” Away from work, some of Pierre’s greatest loves are reading non-fiction books and listening to positive motivational CDs daily. Says Pierre, “Over the years I have come to understand that we are who we are and what we are by what we put into our

The people Each member of the PAI team has been carefully selected and trained in the latest technology. They attend workshops and conferences throughout the year to acquire knowledge and education of the latest advancements in hair restoration.

Pierre believes that first and foremost, you need to have the right people on the team doing what they truly love best.

People are not the most important asset. The right people are!

A definite testimony of the loyalty, respect and love that has been garnered over the years is some of the staff that has been on the team for more than 25 years. business with that of the high-growth hair transplant industry.

He took his first step by training in hair restoration, along with his brother Claude, with the company, New Man in 1977 and obtained distribution rights for the province of Ontario in Canada. In 1983 he joined forces with three partners and founded Hairfax, to distribute hair pieces across Canada. He later struck agreements with manufacturers in the Orient to secure direct distribution rights.

At that time, Amelotte set his sights on opening in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada after reading the biography of Bill Marriott, who founded the Marriott hotel chain in Washington, D.C. “I’ll always remember what he said. He said that if you can

Sensitivity is vitally important in this industry. Over the years, Amelotte has heard countless mortifying stories from patients who have experienced hair loss. “The stories I hear, guys who haven’t gone to a wedding in 10 years because they knew they’d have to take their ball cap off,’ says Amelotte. “Hair loss bothered them so much that they lived in seclusion.”

Then there are those clients who suffer from illnesses that result in hair loss. PAI works to provide non-medical hair loss procedures to people living with alopecia totalis and universalis, a skin disease that can cause a sudden and complete loss of hair – even eyebrows. “Cancer patients are also helped”, says Amelotte. “Some people can live with it, but there are

minds on a daily basis. That and associating with positive people is what will truly help any person to achieve success.”

Looking Ahead PAI plans to continue expanding into key untapped markets in North America. “If you’re going to have a business that’s growing continuously, it has to be based on relationships, the people you build relationships with over the years, and how you’ve treated them. The other thing is, in business today, it’s absolutely got to be win-win, no question.”

19 Hair Journal International Spring 2008

advertising, you’re wasting your dollar if you’re counting on your ‘business card’ website to get people to pick up the phone. It rarely happens in this industry.

Your Website …

Business Card or Money Machine?

Get their attention You can add code to your website’s Index (the front page) and interior pages that will cause a Pop Up window to open saying in big, red letters, “Wait!”

This code can be programmed to appear once per day as the visitor browses your website and is unblockable! No matter what sort of pop up blocker technology is on your visitors’ computer, the Pop Up will come up and get their attention.

Michael Garcia

By Michael Garcia If your website is already benefitting from traffic due to high search engine rankings or business steered to your website through advertising, it is imperative that your visitors don’t encounter a glorified business card.

With simple tweaks, you can turn your website into a fine-tuned money-making machine! Let me show you how.

Find out who’s visiting If people are “hitting” your website, you must find a way to discover who they are.

And I’m not talking about looking at your website’s statistics. Within the first three clicks, you should be “capturing” information from your visitors before they click out of your website and into your competitor’s. You need their name, email address and phone number. But how do you get them to leave such valuable information?

Simple; follow these steps and you’ll increase your website-generated leads immediately. If you’re spending money on

Make them “An offer they can’t refuse” Now that you have their attention, how do you keep it? Simple again. Offer them something for free. You must be smart here and you can’t be stingy. The more you offer, the greater the chance they will give you something valuable back … their information. Offer them a “book” called “The Do’s and Don’ts of Choosing Hair Replacement in Chicago” as a free online download. That “book” will be a fancy PDF promoting your business. If you’re more daring, offer a Free Scope Analysis valued at $200. Or better: hold a quarterly drawing for free hair systems or transplants. Ask your visitors to write an essay on how hair loss has affected them. By doing so, they’ve effectively told you how to sell to them when you do finally get them in your chair. Even if you give away something that costs you $2,000, it’s a drop in the bucket if your offer nets you 100 leads

you wouldn’t have had otherwise. If you sell 20% of those leads at the regular price … do the math. Cha-Ching! Make the rules stipulate that the “winner” must take before and after photos for your website. The “losers”?

Make them a second offer they can’t refuse.

If you treat them right, you’ll make your money back (and then some) on services, products and second sales.

Now your Pop Up says, “Wait! Did you know you could win FREE hair systems by filling out our Evaluation form? Click HERE”. Now watch the leads come in. And when they do, you may decide to further invest in advertising in order to gain more leads, now that your website is a moneymaking tool rather than a glorified business card.

Forms are the key to gaining leads Remember … you’re working in hair replacement. People are sensitive, scared and often distrustful so rarely are they going to pick up the phone and begin sharing their torment.

Each website page should contain forms to fill out, not email links or even phone numbers. If someone calls you, they can get their answer without sharing any information. A form yields you a name, email address and possibly a phone number. People feel more comfortable filling out forms.

On your contact page, have only a form. On every other page, create custom forms relating to the content of the page, such as “Contact Me about Hair Replacement for Women” or “Contact me about Hair Extensions”.

When it comes to collecting website-generated leads, you mostly get what you ask for. You want personal information, not only to contact the lead, but to have opportunities to continue to market to them by way of newsletters and special offers later.

Perform these simple website tweaks and you’ll soon find that the axiom, “Ask and ye shall receive” is not only true, but extremely valuable.

Michael Garcia, of MG&A Consulting, is an Internet Marketing Specialist with special knowledge of the hair-management industry.

He is a regular contributor to Hair Journal International and provides support to members of The National Hair Society. Michael will be speaking on “How to Make a Million in Hair Replacement” at the AHLC’s Vision 20/20 Conference in Ft. Lauderdale in April.

He can be contacted at (888)420-4606.

ABOUT US Hair Journal International is part of The National Hair Group, a business consortium committed to the development of the hair-management industry. The National Hair Group provides information services via Hair Journal International, a business newspaper. The National Hair Society is an educational, marketing and networking, professional support organization. The Group also provides consumer education via National Hair Broadcasting, a weekly broadcast show.

HAIR JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL Mission - To provide hair-management professionals from all disciplines with accurate information that will help them make better business decisions and provide superior service to their patients and clients.

Editor In Chief Christopher Webb cwebb@nationalhairjournal.com

Managing Editor Penny Moss pmoss@nationalhairjournal.com

Creative Director Avi Roth aroth@nationalhairjournal.com

Contributing Correspondents Educational & Technical Isaac Brakha James Britt Bobbi Russell James Toscano Steven Dimanni Women & Fashion Marilyn Dodds Medical Alan Bauman MD Shelly Friedman DO

NATIONAL HAIR BROADCASTING Mission - To deliver reliable, objective information to men and women who are concerned about their hair loss and want an unbiased perspective on the choices available to them.

Division Director Penny Moss pmoss@nationalhairjournal.com

Production Director Mike Ferreri mike@mfaudio.net

Sound Engineer Dan Feely dan@danfeely.com

NATIONAL HAIR SOCIETY Mission - The Hair Society was created at the request of forward-looking hair-management specialists seeking educational and marketing support to grow their business. It connects manufacturers, distributors, retail salons and medical clinics and provides an ongoing network for crossmarketing and dialogue.

Membership Director Heather Simon hsimon@nationalhairjournal.com

NE Regional Director Catherine Ingoglia

CA Regional Director Edmarie Masters

European Director Hans Diks SUBSCRIPTIONS To subscribe to Hair Journal International call 1-951-2564385 or send an Email to subscriptions@nationalhairjournal.com. You can also write to us at the address at the bottom of this column.

Hair Journal International subscription billing and renewals are managed by: Receivables Management Corporation PO Box 50650 Indianopolis, IN46250 Tel: 1-800-894-9031 Email: rwarren023@aol.com ADVERTISING To place an advertisement or request a Media Kit, contact us at advertising@nationalhairjournal.com or call 1-951256-4385 LEGAL NOTICE Notice: Hair Journal International, Issue number 44 Copyright ©2007. All rights reserved.

Hair Journal Feels the Heat San Diego, 11/07 - The forest fires that swept through 1,463,239 acres in California at the end of last year, came right up to the hills ringing Hair Journal International’s corporate offices in Temecula. These photographs, taken from the Journal’s windows, show the flames cresting the hills only ten miles away.

Journal staff had become accustomed to ash and cinders in the air and the eerie red skies, but seeing flames coming over the skyline was something else. In nearby San Diego 515,000 people were evacuated from the region, the largest evacuation in U.S. history for any natural disaster, larger even than those caused by hurricanes along the Gulf Coast. Fortunately, the Temecula fires were beaten back from the hilltops and never made it into the valley, but Journal staffers feel a new kinship with their hair-management friends in Florida who face hurricane threats every year without missing a beat.

While great care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the information in Hair Journal International, the publisher does not assume liability for decisions based upon it. Readers are advised to seek further independent advice. All statements, including product claims, are those of the person or persons making the statements or claims. The publisher does not adopt any such statement or claim as its own, and any such statement or claim does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the publisher. Hair Journal International accepts no responsibility for unsolicited materials. All materials in this issue are the property of this publication and nothing shown may be reproduced in any form without obtaining the permission of the publisher and/or any other persons or company who may have copyright ownership. Requests should be addressed to: Publisher, Hair Journal International, 39252 Winchester Rd., # 107-383, Murrieta, CA 92563.

HOW TO CONTACT US National Hair Group 39252 Winchester Rd., # 107-383 Murrieta, CA 92563. Telephone: 951-541-2809 news@nationalhairjournal.com subscriptions@nationalhairjournal.com advertising@nationalhairjournal.com events@nationalhairjournal.com Hair Journal International is published Quarterly.

Copyright © 2008. Single copies of most past issues of The National Hair Journal are available prepaid at $10.00 per copy. Special issues are more. Hair Journal International serves primarily the hair replacement , hair restoration and personal enhancement industries.

It sponsors conferences and trade events and produces analysis & marketing research on the hair replacement and restoration industries. Postmaster: Please send address changes to: Hair Journal International, LLC 39252 Winchester Rd., #107-383, Murrieta, CA 92563

20 Hair Journal International Spring 2008