2010 Spring

Technology

Education

Medical

News Makers

The long and winding road securing FDA clearance

Here’s Gilberto!

In the beginning was the follicle

Meet the family behind Jon Renau

pg. 20

pg. 8

pg. 14

pg. 4

The National Hair Journal VOLUME 14 NO. 53

Sold Rite Chinese Group Buys On Rite Company Ft. Lauderdale 02/10 - After two years of discreet negotiations, The Hiking Group completed the acquisition of On Rite and all its divisions on December 1st 2009.

On Rite is the largest distributor of men’s and women’s hand made hair grafts, ladies top of the head augmentations and full prostheses in the world. In a personal letter to his customers, founder and president, Andrew Wright announced, “I have been fortunate over the years to have forged a strong relationship with a company that

HairUWear Honored for Cancer Donations Los Angeles 11/09 - The American Cancer Society awarded HairUWear its Corporate Impact Award at its 96th Annual Meeting in Los Angeles. HairUWear and Raquel Welch have donated approximately $1 million worth of wigs from the Raquel Welch Wig Collection to the American Cancer Society. The wigs are distributed to cancer patients nationwide via regional wig banks operated by the organization. Due to HairUWear contributions, tens of thousands of women facing cancer have been provided with wigs they might not otherwise have been able to afford. “On behalf of HairUWear and the Raquel Welch Wig Collection, I am honored to accept this award,” said HairUWear President Michael Napolitano. “Raquel is passionate about everything she does, including reaching out to those in need. We’re very proud to support women facing cancer.” The Hair U Wear® family of brands includes Hairdo, Put on Pieces, the Raquel Welch Signature Collection of wigs and Great Lengths professional hair extensions.

Beauty Metrics Hairstyles create illusion of perfection Toronto 02/10 - Can you measure beauty?

US and Canadian researchers think so. In a study led by the University of Toronto, scientists claim to have worked out the dimensions of the most attractive female face. It appears that the key to perfection is determined by the distance between the eyes, mouth and ears. The researchers asked students to rate the attractiveness of the same woman by comparing color photographs of her face that had been altered using computer software. Photos were laid out side by side with only the vertical distance between

THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF HAIR FITNESS , HAIR REPLACEMENT AND RESTORATION

is the leading producer of hair grafts, wigs, hair extensions and other supplemental hair products in China, namely, The Hiking Group, Shandong Province, China. Two years ago, The Hiking Group indicated a strong interest in taking total ownership of On Rite. This would allow On Rite to do an even better job than before and exceed your expectations as a retailer.”

On Rite, established in 1975, is located in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. It began a transition to an employee-owned company in 1999, and the process was 100% complet-

Bring On the Clones

ed in 2004. Hiking will continue the exclusive use of all existing brand names including the On Rite brand and will maintain the same sales representative and customer service staff. The Hiking Group is an outgrowth of a government department which formerly managed the purchase and sale of all hair products produced in China. Hiking has asked Wright to remain CEO and President for an indefinite period of time and David Schwartz to stay on as COO. Andrew Wright told The Journal he can’t wait for this vertical marketing to become fully implemented because the benefit will be better quality control of the finished product; more on time delivery of custom orders and better control of costs, essential ingredients for the success in this industry.

Atlanta 02/10 - Hair cloning, more correctly called cell multiplication is not yet ready for prime time. In January 2010, InterCytex, the UK-based company that has been a research leader, announced that it is discontinuing its efforts and winding up the company. That just leaves Aderans Research Institute (ARI) as a major corporate investor in this technology. ARI recently achieved a significant milestone in its Phase II clinical study of cell-based hair regeneration, treating the trial’s 100th subject. With clinical sites expected to double in the coming months, the study will likely add dozens of additional sub-

jects to its environment. “This is leading edge research in our industry” commented Vern Liebmann, VP Operations.

Meanwhile, hair restoration surgeons, Dr. Gary Hitzig and Dr. Jerry Cooley are exploring an alternate technique that multiplies the number of hair follicles in a thinning area using an FDA-cleared wound healing powder. A Cell’s MatriStem MicroMatrix powder was intended for diabetic ulcers, second degree burns and surgical wounds, but researchers say it has the potential to cause site-specific tissue regeneration that could be useful in hair restoration surgery. While the results of preliminary studies prove promising and the technique could be beneficial for those who have run out of traditional hair for transplantation, Dr. Cooley says hair cloning is not the cure for baldness yet.

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

surgery, made headlines after being photographed one day with a full head of hair, only to appear two days later with a signif icant bald patch.

Rome 01/10 - Does he or doesn’t, that’s what the world’s media wants to know.

They are speculating of course about Silvio Berlusconi’s on-again, off-again hair. The Italian prime minister, who has had hair transplants and cosmetic

Adding to the intrigue, on day five when Mr. Berlusconi attended ceremonies in Parliament, his hair was back again. “Three versions in five days,” observed La Repubblica. “A new Berlusconi mystery.”

...but not just yet

the eyes and mouth, and the horizontal distance between the eyes being altered in each image. The results were compared to the original photo. After analyzing responses, the researchers came up with the most attractive length and width ratios between features. On length, the distance between a woman’s eyes and mouth should be just over a third or 36%, of the overall length of her face, from hairline to chin. For width, they calculated that the space between a woman’s pupils should be just under half, or 46%, of the width of her face from ear to ear. So are most women doomed to be less than “ideal?” Not at all. The researchers added that hairstyles could be used to create the optical illusion of perfection.

Unextending Kate Gosselin New York 01/10 - Reality TV star, Kate Gosselin can’t make up her mind. In January, she decided to start the new year with a glamorous new look, courtesy of Great Lengths hair extensions. But it seems Gosselin was not ready for the transformation and, after being seen at fashionable New York nightspots, she had the long blond strands removed. But now it appears the mother of eight is extended again - just in time for her appearance on Dancing with the Stars. Seems when it’s time to turn the sex appeal back on; it’s time to time for those extensions again.

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SPRING 2010

FDA Clears Laser for Female Hairloss Fort Worth 02/10 – On Feb. 24th, 2010, Life Physics International and Midwest RF received notice of the 510k premarket approval of the MEP-90 Hair Growth Stimulation system. It is the second laser to be approved for the promotion of hair growth. It was preceded by the HairMax LaserComb in January 2007, which was cleared for use among males. Unlike HairMax, which is a handheld device for use at home, the MEP-90 is a floor-standing medical unit for use in a clinic or medically supervised facility. The MEP-90 was cleared to promote hair growth by females suffering from androgenetic alopecia (female pattern baldness). The clinical research was conducted at the Koher Center for Hair Restoration, by Dr. Koher and his assistant Natasha Achterburg.

Be Eco-Friendly Get your share of the green Marketing Charts 02/10 - An international study conducted by PR firm Edelman, indicated that despite the recession, 61% of global respondents have purchased a brand that supports a good cause - even if it wasn’t the lowest-priced brand.

64% of those sampled would recommend a brand that supports a good cause, and 63% are looking to brands and companies to make it easier for them to make a difference. Another 57% of consumers say a company or brand has earned their business because it has been doing its part to support good causes. These results, Edelman said, indicate that the tide of conspicuous consumption is turning away from traditional status symbols of the past and moving toward products and brands that support sustainability. Protecting the environment, improving healthcare and reducing poverty are the causes that global consumers care about most. Though the economic downturn has made Americans most likely to give less money to good causes, they too overwhelmingly indicate they are willing to change consumption habits to make the world a better place to live (85%).

The 2009 survey was fielded by Edelman’s research firm, StrategyOne, among 6,026 adults across 10 countries.

CLIENT SERVICE PLAN Hong Kong. 2/10 – Alternative medicine therapist Chan Tung-choi convinced his client that sex therapy would help her hair grow back.

She claims he persuaded her to buy a package of 10 massage treatments for HK$2,000.

During a “hair therapy massage,” Chan told her to strip off and then touched her inappropriately, saying he was trying to “stimulate her locus.” At her the next round of treatments, she was told she needed “more intensive” therapy” to encourage her hair to grow. When she discussed Chan’s unusual hair therapy with friends, they told her they had never heard of such a method. The case is under review by Hong Kong’s Eastern Magistrates’ Court.

3 The National Hair Journal Spring 2010

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It’s Spring in the Hair Industry - I am a city boy. I have lived in London, Paris and New York.

From my New York office high on the 22nd floor of what used to be called the Pan Am building, I could look right down Park Avenue and see the Statue of Liberty. In the evening we would all watch the sunset behind Staten Island as we prepared our To Do lists for the next day. Now, I live in California and have a garden visited by Monarch butterflies migrating back north after spending the winter months in Mexico.

We also have a rose garden, and that’s what prompted this paragraph. A month ago, we drastically pruned the roses, cutting them back to half of their original height. This morning I noticed something startling.

While I wasn’t looking, those stems have sprouted little buds. Some of them are opening to reveal tiny leaves. They are still wrinkled and had a reddish brown tint that is different from the broad green leaves of summer, but the rose bushes are coming alive again. And so it is with our hair industry.

After 18 months of fear and uncertainty, the hair replacement market is reawakening. I had dinner the other night with the director of a group of medical clinics, and he told me that patients were now picking up the phone to reschedule their suspended appointments.

It was never that they didn’t want more hair, just that they needed to wait until the time was right. The time is now right. And so it is right across the industry. Hair is still how we express our personality; how we rebel or flirt. Hair is, and will always be, important.

It’s Spring 2010, and the hair industry is coming alive again!

Return to Quality - There is an interesting paradox in the hair replacement market. I don’t know if you have noticed it. Over the past 24 months, a difficult period by any yardstick, nearly all the new product activity has been at the premium end of the market.

Instead of rampant price-cutting and a rush to the bargain basement, the reverse has happened. There has been a migration to quality. Two years after Follea launched its top of the market high-end collection, the company is still reviewing distributor applicants and business is booming. Aderans has launched a new generation of Cyberhair and Natureal is having great success with an entirely new synthetic.

In this issue, Jimmy “The General” Toscano writes about a premium adhesive he has been testing. Adhesives and bonding agents used to be generic products but not any more. Today’s adhesives are sophisticated, branded products and, once again, people are ready to pay a premium for quality. Indeed, if you look at the companies that have become stronger over the last 24 months, you will find that they all remained committed to high standards. Now that’s something to smile about!

Men Are Sissies - It is the dream of every hair replacement studio to have a celebrity client reveal that they have help with their hair. Plenty of film stars wear hair additions for the Oscars and Emmys, but unlike the designer gowns they readily promote, they remain reluctant to admit how hair enhances their appearance. In a society where it is still considered clever to mock people wearing a wig or hair system, a film idol or model saying a hair addition makes them feel more beautiful or sexier is the holy grail of public relations. Eva Gabor and Jessica Simpson have made HairUWear a market leader. And if you cannot bring all the stars into alignment, you can always turn to their stylists. That’s what a number of companies have done. SOCAP USA works closely with Nicholas French, Follea turned to renowned French stylist, Gregory Kaoula. And in January 2010, world-renowned stylist Trevor Sorbie announced that he is hoping his skills can make a difference to women who have suffered hair loss due to a medical condition.

So far he has trained 200 stylists to cut wigs and recently he told a British newspaper, “I have spent my whole life trying to make people look and feel good but this is an extension of that… it is more satisfying than trimming someone’s hair every six weeks.”

Men, however, are hair sissies. Charlton Heston of Ben Hur fame, once starred in the play, “A Man For All Seasons.” Playing Sir Thomas More on stage required him to wear

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a period wig. However, Heston was bald and already wore a hairpiece. So rather than reveal this to the theatre staff, he put the Thomas More wig over his hairpiece and went on stage every night with two hair systems. John Travolta chose the other extreme.

Rather than risk the embarrassment of being ridiculed for wearing a hair system, he used the movie “From Paris with Love” to relaunch himself without any hair at all. He told press reporters, “People really like it on me. I like it a lot because it allows me freedom to be bald.” Which makes me ask, where’s the Jessica Simpson for men? Where’s the PR campaign for the men’s market? Isn’t there one famous male client among 3500 studios who would tell the world that hair makes him feel better? Are we just going to let this segment of the market slip away?

The Hair Authority - Hair replacement and restoration may dominate our waking thoughts, but it’s a small sliver of the looking good marketplace. Compared to cosmetics, hair, or even shampoo, it’s nothing more than a tiny peninsula in a sea of million-dollar brands. And yet the skills we have are very special. Research has shown that thinning hair can be as devastating as a death in the family or the loss of a job. Just recently, an international survey showed that most women would prefer their boyfriend or husband to be overweight rather than lose his hair. The acute needs of hair loss sufferers demand skills that are unique in the world of beauty. And yet, there is no mechanism for systematic training and accreditation. That’s why The National Hair Society is in discussion with manufacturers and educators to create a program that will recognize professionals who invest in new skills by participating in shows and workshops. If you have superior skills, shouldn’t the public know about you? The Hair Authority will make sure they can. I will keep you posted as this project moves forward.

Chris Webb

Editor-in-Chief

FLASH REPORT Pro Collagen RX - Keratin Treatment Just Got Better There is now a second-generation keratin treatment that has new technology with a special gel formulation that is safer and easier to use. It has no unpleasant fumes or odors! The easy-spreading gel formulation means you use less product and spend less time with the flat iron. It’s called ‘Pro Collagen Rx because it combines a blend of collagen and keratin. The manufacturer claims you can get sexy, smooth, silky, shiny, straight hair about 40 minutes faster with Pro Collagen Rx than with first generation keratin products. Men and women with hair additions or extensions benefit also. Keratin treatments protect the hair, enhance body and shine and prevent tangling. The recommended treatment is once every 3-5 months.

Because it is a clear gel, clients can get their color done and seal it in the same day. The collagen also plumps the hair up so it doesn’t lie flat against the head and become greasy. Each session only takes about an hour and a half. If they do two or three treatments a week, that’s an extra $50,000 a year.

Pro Collagen RX works by penetrating the hair cuticle where it acts as a bonding agent to repair rough and damaged scales. The flat iron seals in the collagen and keratin for lasting protection. The benefits last between 3-5 months. There is also a maintenance shampoo and conditioner containing keratin and collagen that help extend the treatments, plus a Porosity Control Hair Mask and Balancer for extremely damaged hair.

The team behind Pro Collagen RX is Biage Bucario and Sharon Gibson. Biage created the buzzword, “Brazilian” for keratin treatment and was founder and director of education of Keratin Complex Hair Therapy by Coppola. Sharon was director of education of the International Hair Academy has served as technical advisor and product development consultant for a number of prominent companies. For more information, call 561327-7729 or visit www.silkeningtechnologies.com.

From South Africa with Passion 4 The National Hair Journal Spring 2010

Meet the Family Behind Jon Renau In each edition of The National Hair Journal we try to introduce you to people who are shaping the future of the hair management industry. Today, you are going to meet the family behind the Jon Renau Company; John Reynolds, his wife Stella and their son Paul.

Jon Renau is well loved in the industry but not well known.It is special because it is a family owned business that has its second generation already trained and rearing to go. US-based Paul Reynolds is pioneering a new division which we’re going to be learning about during this interview.

Eldest son, Garron, heads a satellite company in South Africa that focuses on the ethnic market. We were also joined by Lisa Minervini, Vice President of Business Development, who rejoined the company after assisting Steve Hudson and Duncan Robinson as they explored new marketing opportunities in the beauty and personal care industry. Jon Renau may have slipped under your radar, but it’s now time to take a closer look.

The Jon Renau story started over 40 years ago in South Africa where John was working as a pharmacist.

The Reynolds family. Clockwise from top: Garron, Samantha , Paul, Cynthia (Stella’s Mom), Stella, John John Reynolds: That’s right; I’m actually a pharmacist by training. I got into wigs back in 1967 via my pharmacy. In fact, I was so fascinated by the product that I called my first business, “Fascination Wigs.”

National Hair Journal: What happened to this first love?

Stella Reynolds: Fascination Wigs still exist today. It has been taken over by our firstborn, Garron who is still in South Africa. However, he renamed the company ‘Frika’ because they’ve taken a more ethnic route with their marketing.

JR: Back in the ‘60s and early ‘70s, wigs were a major fad. Everybody was buying wigs in those days so I set up a direct marketing program. I had about 300 people selling wigs door to door in South Africa. Many of my sales folk - they were all ladies – earned more money than their husbands. We had a wonderful time with special incentives and other party-plan promotions. Travelling abroad I was able to meet people like Mary Kay and other direct-to-consumer marketing experts in America. In addition to this, in 1976 I was fortunate to meet Richard Brill, who was then president of the now defunct American Wig Association.

NHJ: So you were able to connect your overseas sales success with some prominent players on the North American stage?

JR: They turned out to be valuable connections. In 1976, you had 60 to 80 wig manufacturers all occupying suites at the Plaza Hotel where everybody came in to view the wigs that were coming up for that season. Of course, I was there and met all the industry movers and shakers. “Fascinations” became the Eva Gabor representatives in South Africa for a good five to six years we did really well.

Business was great right up until I brought the family to America in 1982.

NHJ: Why did you make this move when business was booming?

JR: I’d always felt that the US was the big arena in the wig business. And I wanted to be part of that arena! Some of the motivation was also political uncertainty about the future of South Africa. It was becoming increasingly hard to plan ahead. Thank goodness it’s turned out well.

NHJ: (Turning to Stella Reynolds). Stella, it’s now 1982 and the family wig business has relocated to the United States. What is your role in the company?

SR: When we first arrived here, I didn’t particularly want to work. I wanted to stay at home with my family. However, I needed to support John in the business and I started on the bottom of the rung of the ladder because we needed somebody in the warehouse to stock and ship the wigs. Then I got onto the phones and found out that I was actually pretty darn good. [Laughs] I’ve always talked a lot, and that went down very well as I got involved in sales. Then we needed someone to inspect the wigs, someone to design the wigs and someone to market the wigs and I became those three people.

NHJ: John, when you were describing the scene at the Plaza Hotel in New York, you told us there were up to eighty competitors jostling to make sales. They’re not around today; but you are. What have you been doing right?

JR: There are probably one or two that are still around, but the wig business has evolved from a popular fad to a ‘need’ market. When things began to change, the fashion side of the market took a dive and many distributors went out of business. We stayed ahead of the curve. My business background helped, and with Stella’s design capabilities, we grew our product range for people in need. We have always cared deeply about our customers’ wellbeing so this was an easy transition. Our customers respect our family values.

NHJ: We are meeting today in a modern office building with a wonderful ocean view.

Clearly Jon Renau is successful. What’s the secret?

SR: (Stella interjects) Can I jump in here? I believe it’s offering excellent customer service and listening; genuinely listening, to each customer’s needs.

JR: I believe our success has been modest, but I’ve always believed it’s the people who work for me who are the key to our progress.

In my career, I’ve had three “sisters;” one was my real sister, one was the woman who helped me build Fascination Wigs, Una Fraser, and the third was Jelene Moore-Reed, who worked with me here in California from 1990 to 2002.

SR: Tragically, she passed away in a motorcar accident.

JR: I’ve been blessed by having good people around me. This is what I believe.

SR: As a matter of fact, we still have people working for our son in South Africa who used to work for John before we moved to

America. We’ve tried to be mindful of the needs of our staff and they’ve stayed with us.

NHJ: What can other people learn from your years of experience?

SR: Have a passion for the business. Listen to your customers… then do something with their suggestions.

Paul Reynolds: And always be fair.

Fairness, whether it’s for your customers or for your employees is the bottom line.

Lisa Minervini: What I’ve loved about working for Jon Renau and easihair over the years is John’s passion for the industry. I have the utmost respect for that. I remember the first time I started working at this company. It was early 2002 and I had sold a large order to a new client. I was nervous because I knew the success of their store opening depended on the wigs I had recommended. It was nighttime and John spent several hours with me going through the order wig by wig to make sure we picked the correct colors.

NHJ: Is this typical of the way you work with customers?

LM: We are a family business. We understand the importance of small details. We can respond to almost any working environment.

We can offer a wig shop owner, a boutique owner, or a hair replacement salon just about everything they need from headwear to accessories, to wigs, hairpieces and extensions to make their store successful. We stand ready to partner with them for success.

NHJ: What does “partner” mean?

LM: Being reactive to their business and being able to change as their needs change.

NHJ: Give me an example of a company that had special needs.

JR: A customer phoned me on a Saturday afternoon back in 1989 who was new to the hair business. She had a store in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. I just happened to be working that Saturday and I picked up the phone. She was running a successful Mastectomy business but wanted to offer wigs and hair replacement products. This customer had no wig, medical or hair replacement marketing experience. She just knew she wanted to help women with special hair needs. We talked for hours and I promised her that Jon Renau would always be there to guide and support her. It has always made sense to focus and suggest what is best for your customer and your customer’s needs.

And that’s what we did. We still have that customer 21 years later.

5 The National Hair Journal Spring 2010 NHJ: We’ve talked a lot about your passion for the business. What are you passionate about today? I know you’ve got some new projects up your sleeve.

JR: For the last year we have been developing a unique range of partial hair replacement items. We are also going into men’s hair systems. And we’re currently launching a premium quality wig line using European hair. In addition, this month Lisa is introducing our new range of “Smart Lace” Lace Front wigs.

So there is lots to be excited about.

NHJ: Let’s take those one by one. Why partials?

JR: We’re responding to our customer’s needs. There is an increasing demand for partial hair replacement products. Many wig shops would embrace the opportunity to widen their horizons with partial hair replacement. It doesn’t matter whether you’re using a temporary hair loss solution such as a synthetic wig on someone’s head, or you’re putting on a partial hair replacement. Both of those could go hand in hand. They’re both part of the same solution.

NHJ: The new premium European hair line; is an entirely new collection or a premium level within one of your existing collections?

JR: It will fulfill an added need to our synthetics. It will be made from top quality Caucasian hair.

NHJ: Are you seeing a demand for premium hair?

JR: Absolutely.

NHJ: Why are people now looking for this reassurance of quality? Is it because they don’t

“People today are demanding higher standards. If they have to wear a wig, they don’t want everybody to know they’re wearing a wig. It must be the most natural thing going.” have confidence that they’re getting a consistent product, or is it simply that people are setting the bar higher and higher?

JR: More and more people simply want the best. Specifically, the segment of the market that is looking for permanent hair loss solutions will find that European human hair is the ultimate.

SR: It’s more natural. It’s easier to wear, especially if it’s a long style. Sometimes when you put on a longer synthetic wig - and I know from experience - the hair can be irritating if it gets into your face and eyes. It’s not the same with human hair. You put on a human hair wig and, because it’s the same denier (thickness) as your own hair, it looks more natural. It also-

moves naturally. People today are constantlydemanding higher standards. If they have to wear a wig, they don’t want everybody to know they’re wearing a wig. It must be the most natural thing going.

NHJ: When will you be introducing your premium line?

JR: We have already launched the line. We did it in what we refer to as a “soft launch.”

What we mean by this is we will be introducing the collection in stages. At first it will be marketed under the Jon Renau Brand, but later

we will market it under the name “Cheveux.”

SR: Then, when we’re satisfied with the technical and marketing programs, we’ll go ahead with Phase II and do a full-scale launch.

NHJ: Let’s talk about style. How do you go about creating a style to go with a premium product?

SR: There are two parts to this; fashion & lifestyle and design & technology. The first part requires sensitivity to social trends - it’s a matter of watching TV, scanning magazines and following celebrities. Fashion today is fickle. Trends can start anywhere. Then you’ve got to be aware of what’s happening overseas. The European Hair market very often sets the style, but Latin America now plays a large part as well.

LM: We also look online to see what customers are searching for on Google.

JR: We are fortunate that Lisa’s has a strong background in product development and marketing. Lisa; give The Hair Journal a quick summary of your experience...

LM: Oh, gosh... this will be my xxrd year in the beauty industry... you’re not going to print that are you…?

NHJ: We’ll hide the number for you (promise kept!)

LM: My first 14 years were in the cosmetics industry with Estee Lauder and L’Oreal. Then Paul Reynolds recruited me in 2002 to come work for Jon Renau and help him start easihair. I stayed with Jon Renau from 2002 through 2006, and then went on to work for a group called Cameron Capital, who previously owned Hair Club for Men and Hair Club for Women.

NHJ: So you worked with Steve Hudson and Duncan Robinson?

LM: Yes, I worked with both of them. After they sold Hair Club, they started a new venture called PureBeauty and Beauty First. It had approximately 150 stores throughout the country, and I was their Director of Growth Initiatives, rolling out their programs for hair

loss and hair extensions in the retail arena and salons. There was also a skincare program called Beauty Metrics. After they sold it to Regis, I decided to move on. I had been with the biggest, and I now wanted to be part of a start-up venture. So I went to work for B2B Web Ventures, which is otherwise known as Wigs.com, Extensions.com and HairPieces.com. I stayed with them for a year and a half before leaving last July to come back to Jon Renau…

SR: …she missed us too much!

LM: I definitely missed Jon Renau and easihair. Now I’m back home again after going full circle - retailing to manufacturing to distribution, then retailing again, on to e-commerce and now back to manufacturing.

NHJ: John, what’s behind your decision to enter the men’s market?

JR: Many of our customers are in men’s hair replacement. It seemed a logical progression to offer men’s hair systems. It’s something I’ve toyed with for years.

NHJ: What is the name of the men’s line?

JR: “Cheveux,” which is obviously “hair” in French.

NHJ: We’ve talked about Jon Renau being a business with a lot of experience and wisdom, and we’ve met Lisa who brings marketing skills to the company, but there’s another important feature of the company that we haven’t talked about yet. It’s a real family business. The second generation of Reynolds is already at work; Paul is here with us today and his brother is working in another division South Africa. How did you pull this off?

JR: We let Paul loose for a number of years to get international business experience. We felt it was important to explore other business environments before choosing a career path.

SR: Paul is actually a CPA by profession.

Today, his accounting knowledge is a great asset in the business. And of course, he shares the family passion for the business.

NHJ: Paul, what part of the business are you passionate about?

PR: Probably the most neglected department in business today is our accounting department; so it’s safe to say it’s not accounting. I spent a number of years working for Ernst & Young and Coopers & Lybrand here in the U.S. and in the U.K. It taught me what “margin” really means and how you actually grow a business. When I came back from the U.K. in January 2001, we really started to brand and differentiate our products. That’s when Easihair was born. My passion has centered on human hair. I’ve spent the last five to six years studying human hair. I went on a search for the holy grail of human hair. I love the possibilities; what you can do with the product, how the product transforms people, and how they react once they are transformed.

The confidence it instills in people is amazing.

NHJ: How do you see the marketplace today?

PR: We’re seeing hair extension companies popping up out of thin hair. I was talking to someone in Europe whose been in the business for 25 years and he told me that he’s seen 20 to 25 new extension companies over the last two years. Many of them will not make it because they do not have a solid grounding in the industry. Jon Renau has years of hardearned experience. Our challenge is to enhance the products we already offer and expand into new areas such as men’s hairpieces and the high-end human hair market.

Jon Renau has a reputation it has built up over the years. It’s a name that people look to fondly.

NHJ: Paul, you’ve inherited a company with a fine reputation. What qualities would you hope to carry forward?

PR: I would like to maintain a reputation within the industry that is synonymous with what my parents have built. If you look at the easihair core values, it’s all built around integrity, fair-mindedness, friendly competi-

tion and dedication to education. I want to build products that I’m proud of, that I can stand behind, and that are respected throughout the industry.

NHJ: How would you like Hair Journal readers to see and understand Jon Renau?

JR: As a family company that focuses on the success of its customers. It’s as simple as that.

Jon Renau, the family you know!

SR: I’d like to see the company grow and keep the growth and the business in America because this is where I’ve always wanted to be. I’m tired of all the business going out of the country.

JR: I think at this point I would like to take the opportunity of thanking America for the opportunity we were given. In 1987, the whole family became Americans…but we still spoke “funny.” The American shop owners were always ready to hear us out and gave us a more than fair chance to prove what we could do. For that we will always be thankful.

PR: What I’m excited about is the potential in this industry, the technological advances easihair has made with our fastest, flattest and healthiest professional-only hair extension system known as “easiLengths”! I believe that extensions are going to be the next growth category within the salon industry and easihair is excited to be able to contribute positively!

JR: One of the things I tell people coming into this business is that somehow when you get involved with hair replacement and wigs, you don’t move out easily. There’s some hook in this industry. Once you get in, you don’t leave.

“I would like to take the opportunity of thanking America for the opportunity we were given. American shop owners gave us a chance to prove what we could do. For that we will always be thankful.”

NHJ: Finally, John, we would be remiss if we didn’t give our readers a glimpse of the man behind the desk who plays squash and rugby...

JR: ...used to play rugby!

NHJ: What do you do out of the office?

JR: Well, first of all, I’m still a rugby fanatic.

I will go to anywhere in the world where there’s a world cup. I’m talking about rugby here, not soccer! Obviously I enjoy golf and squash too.

Strangely enough, cricket has come back into my life. You can’t understand cricket unless you’ve played it and you’re partly English.

NHJ: Do you have a cliffhanger to carry us over till the next Hair Journal... some new technology in the pipeline?

SR: I’d like to, but it’s too early to show my hand. There are exciting plans in the wings, let me put it that way…

NHJ

6 The National Hair Journal Spring 2010

Go Premium!

Why premium human hair creates lasting relationships

By Michael Leigh Women who need hair because their own is significantly impaired or has disappeared completely have mixed opinions about wigs and hairpieces. Some see them as a second chance

to look as beautiful as ever. But there are others who still do not understand how much impact a great wig or hairpiece can have. It’s as though they feel that, since they must wear hair, they have to compromise. The thought process goes something like this; “I might as well get it over with and buy the first thing I see that remotely meets the look I used to have and doesn’t cost an arm and a leg.” Nothing could be further from reality. There are wonderful choices these women – and you, as professional hair resellers – now have.

Historically, the hair replacement industry has done little to kill the stereotype that wigs are detectable and unnatural looking. While there are many extraordinary practitioners of the art of beauty in our industry who are highly ethical, there remain too many studios that sell a cheap product at an unreasonable profit. This hurts the client and casts a shadow on the hair replacement industry as a whole. But thanks to the Internet and the greater transparency it brings, the days of delivering poor value are numbered. It is time that the industry as a whole, not just the smartest minority, starts offering high quality human hair products at fair end-user prices.

The irony of our business is that if you can detect added hair, by definition, it is not one of the better products available. The reverse irony is the fact that if a client has undetectable hair, she isn’t going to want to advertise it. She certainly doesn’t want to provide you with a public testimonial. Her added-hair is her personal secret. But, rest assured, selling a better product will bring you client satisfaction, loyalty and ultimately, those new client referrals.

If you see a woman wearing an unnaturally heavy head of hair with a plastic-looking shine, an artificial color or dull, dead-looking hair, it was probably a so-called “professional” who

sold it to her. We are not just talking about a cheap $200 wig here, though many of them fall into this category. No, we are also talking about products for which women have naively paid two, three or more thousand dollars!

Sooner or later, this naivety turns to frustration, anger, emotional distress and a sense of betrayal toward the added hair industry in general.

Unfortunately, a lot of women feel this way.

They do not realize there is another side of the professional wig industry - professionals who offer wigs and hairpieces made from high quality, natural, human hair. There’s a good reason for this. You do not notice when a woman is

wearing a human hair wig. She looks like every other woman with her own beautiful, natural hair! The best wigs and hairpieces, made from premium quality European hair implanted into soft, natural, breathable Swiss lace caps, are indiscernible from a woman’s own hair growing from her scalp.

Why do most synthetic wigs not measure up?

Something that is synthetic is not necessarily bad. Often, synthetic materials are great because they allow us to acquire things at a reasonable price point; things we might normally not be able to afford. For example, synthetic fibers such as nylon and polyester are often blended with other more expensive fibers to create luxurious clothing without such a high price tag. Unfortunately, the same principle does not apply to hair.

First, human hair wigs can be styled just as you would style your client’s own hair. Synthetic wigs require heat and cannot be styled without extreme care. Most of them cannot be treated with hair color, perms or texturizing treatments.

They simply do not respond like high quality human hair wigs as you wash and style them again and again. Cheaper human hair that has been highly processed, as well as most synthetic wigs, only last a few months if your clients wear them every day. However, a high quality human hair wig with the proper care will last your clients a long time and can be refurbished. This should come as no surprise due to the strength of human hair; one human hair can support 3.5 ounces, or about two full size candy bars! It is also very hardy. It decays at such a slow rate that it has an inherently long life. It cannot be ruined by extreme cold, climate change, water or many acids and chemicals. While this can be a nuisance for your plumbing, you can rest assured that your hairpiece, created using human hair, will withstand a good deal of punishment, from heat styling to re-coloring. Another reason human

7 The National Hair Journal Spring 2010 hair wigs and hairpieces are superior to synthetic products is that human hair wigs are more breathable. One of the primary complaints from women who wear wigs every day is that they can be quite stifling, especially in hot weather. This is at best uncomfortable, and worse, can lead to excess sweating, severe skin lesions and unpleasant odor. Also, it will cause your wig to need to be washed more frequently. If you need to wash a synthetic wig more often, it will not last as long. Washing a high quality human hair wig frequently, if done according to the manufacturer’s instructions, will keep you cooler, fresher and will not materially affect the lifetime of the hair.

Once you educate your clients about the virtues of high quality human hair wigs, they will certainly want to see one. If you choose your vendor well, you will witness love at first sight and they will purchase the most natural, beautiful human added-hair they can afford. It may be priced a little higher than the budget they had in mind originally, but they will be happier than they ever thought possible since they began losing their hair.

quality human hair wigs however, you should consider ultra-premium hair from European and the ex-Soviet block countries. Although significantly more expensive, this hair is the softest, most natural looking and feeling hair.

By adding these ultra-premium added hair products to your repertoire, you can increase your top and bottom line performance while ensuring your clients get the best the industry has to offer. Nothing enhances a woman’s natural beauty as quickly and completely as a premium quality wig or hairpiece produced because of its lightness, breathability, natural luster, texture, color and feel. Less expensive wigs may look beautiful in the beginning, but after you wash them a few times, that salon look is history. The best human hair wigs and hairpieces will continue to look and feel natural even after many shampoo treatments and styling sessions.

Women recognize quality. After you show your clients the difference between synthetic wigs and the finest human hair, the choice will be much easier than you think.

There are various types of human hair wigs on the market today, many of which are created from hair from Asia; usually China, India or Pakistan. If you are looking to sell the highest

Michael Leigh is president of Follea International, based in Beverly Hills, a manufacturer of premium European wigs and hairpieces.

Bald Is Beautiful...

Says Who?

Marilyn Dodds has appeared on TV talk shows, “Hair Loss Newsmakers” a weekly radio broadcast, as well as hair replacement conferences and workshops across the country.

A recent feature article (as seen in photos bellow) that appeared in modernsalon.com featured a Canadian salon that was paying tribute to women who have lost their hair to cancer treatments. The title was, “Bald is Beautiful.” Nothing could be further from the truth.

The following is Marylyn’s advice to anyone suffering from hair loss or expecting to lose their hair as a result of a cancer treatment.

The only glamour a woman experiencing hair loss needs is to look into that mirror and not see the

Ask any woman who’s hair is beginning to thin if she is feeling more beautiful and stand back when

she gives you the answer. Ask any woman who is undergoing chemotherapy if she wishes to advertise the condition, and take another two steps back.

While we admire anyone who supports cancer patients and honors the women who fight this des-

perate disease, it is naive to pretend that glamorizing the situation makes it more bearable. Anyone who works closely with cancer patients knows that all they want is to return to the way things were; no fashion statements, no extremes. All they humbly request is the right to restore their confidence, dignity and yes, sex appeal the way it was before their world was turned upside down.

To give readers a real insight into the hopes and fears of a cancer survivor, we invited a woman who is beautiful inside and out to share her story.

problem that through no fault of her own is diminishing her life. I reach out to all of you as you struggle to hold onto something everyone else takes for granted. The freedom to simply be yourself. I know the challenge because I’ve been there. I created a corner I could hide in and worked hard at pretending I was OKAY. Trivializing or trying to glamorize hair loss shows a lack of understanding. You need understanding and hope, not a hip fashion statement. I embraced my reality a long time ago, when I was asked to share my story and my journey with hundreds of women like you across the country. I feel privileged to play a small part in the plan to reach out to as many women as possible.

There are wonderful solutions to hair loss today that can give you strength to continue the journey this road has led you to. And who’s to say a streak of red or blond in your tresses won’t put an extra skip in your walk. But manufacturers, please present your products with compassion and dignity.

A proud survivor, Marilyn Dodds

8 The National Hair Journal Spring 2010

H e r e ’s . . . .

Gilberto!

If you’ve been to any hair replacement conference recently, you’ve certainly seen (and especially heard!) Gilberto Febles on stage. A talented and popular educator, he specializes in cutting and styling and is famous for his artistry and flamboyant style.

Gilberto has been in the business for 31 years and has worked with most of the big hair replacement distributors and manufacturers including New Concepts, New Image, American Hairlines, OnRite and IHI. When he is not working on stage or managing the Gilberto Hair Center in Miami, Gilberto will be found at beauty shows and workshops in the US and overseas looking for new products and technical inspiration. The Hair Journal has met Gilberto in Paris, France, the Caribbean and more US cities than either of us can remember. This interview took place in Long Beach, California where he was scouting the ISSE show NHJ: What brings one of the top educators in the United States to California?

GF: I’m here to explore the Salon & Spa Expo.

When people come to my classes they expect me to tell them what’s new and what it means to them, so I have to do my homework.

NHJ: You’ve placed two pairs of shears on the table in front of us. What’s so special about these shears?

GF: This is the one of the best innovations I have come across. When I saw this I thought it was just another gadget, another thing with two or three scissors clipped together, but it’s not. It’s actually made up of eight scissors that can be used in different combinations. You are looking at a way of creating a lot of different cuts faster and more accurately than you ever thought possible.

NHJ: Let’s describe what we’re looking at for our readers. I see you holding several pairs of scissors that clip together...

GF: Each scissor has a different shape and is designed to either thin, cut thicker or cut like regular straight scissors. They can be combined to create different effects. They can soften the hair or take a lot of hair off. They can give you a lot of volume or just soften the edge of the hair.

NHJ: Are you now using these shears in your work?

GF: When I saw these shears I didn’t believe they could help me. That was before I started working with them. Since then, I’ve discovered they’re really all I need. I go to many hair shows and there are

always so many people selling scissors. But these are more than scissors. This is a new concept - a way to cut hair faster, better, neater and give volume.

NHJ: What are the scissors called?

GF: VERN intelligent combined scissors.

NHJ: Are they easy to use?

GF: It’s different. I’ve been cutting hair replacements for a long time using 4420s for thinning. I couldn’t believe it when the Vern technician told me you can thin out a hair system with their scissors. I said, no, these are too big. And if you look at the teeth, they’re really big. But when you put three scissors together, it’s unbelievable the softness that you give to the hair. It looks like you’re going to cut a lot of hair off, but you’re not. You just cut what you need to give it that softness so you can brush the hair back and blend it with the client’s own hair.

NHJ: What about extensions?

GF: When I do hair extensions, I do exactly the same thing. Of course there are different types of thinning, but these scissors can be rearranged to give me precisely the effect I am looking for. They can easily be combined or separated. They come with A, B, E sections; it’s all explained on a special DVD. The scissors look complicated when you see first them, but they’re easy to use when you start working with them.

NHJ: Are they heavy in your hand?

GF: The opposite. They’re strong, but very light.

NHJ: What about bulkiness?

GF: The scissors are designed to fit close to each other. They sit comfortably in your hand.

NHJ: Why is it better to work with several shears at once rather than working with one pair and going

through the hair multiple times?

GF: It’s accuracy and precision. It’s time. It’s everything. It’s hard to explain; you have to experience it. It cuts the hair so soft. It doesn’t pull the hair out. The guy who trained me has been using Vern scissors for ten years now. They’ve been using these scissors overseas for a long time, and I didn’t even know they existed.

NHJ: How many combinations of blades have you tried?

GF: Right now I’ve tried five combinations. There are other combinations for Japanese style haircuts that have a lot of fringe. We don’t do much of that here in the United States, so I haven’t used those techniques yet.

NHJ: Will Vern scissors change the way you work?

GF: With these scissors I can do more. Before, I was missing something. When I put on hair extensions for example, I apply them long but the girl probably has short hair. So I have to bring the hair up; I have to slide it; I have to cut it. Then, when you bring the hair down, it’s easy to cut too much and you have thin hair on the bottom. You don’t have those risks with Vern. When you do the combination of A, B, C or C & A, you gather the hair and just cut it at an angle. You get soft hair in the middle that blends in with the short hair and you’ve still got all the hair at the bottom.

NHJ: How difficult is it to learn to use these shears?

GF: You have to be an experienced hairdresser. If you’ve been cutting hair for a while you should find this easy to do. The actual training program takes two days. But take it from me; by the time you get

out, you won’t want to use anything else.

NHJ: So it’s a way of adding precision and speed to an already strong technique; not a brand new technique.

GF: That’s it. You get a lot of speed. You cut hair faster, especially hair replacements.

NHJ: Who needs scissors like this?

GF: People who are constantly working with hair. A set like this costs almost $2,000. You need a strong client base to justify that kind of investment. I used to spend $500 to $700 on a pair of shears and I’ve built up quite a collection, so why would I spend $2,000.00 on another set? In my case it was because I had to have the best. That’s the way I am. It’s like you have two cars and now you want to buy a Rolls Royce for $225,000. And you say why do I need a Rolls Royce, I’ve already got a Mercedes and a Jaguar. Because it’s a Rolls-Royce! These are Rolls-Royce shears to me!

NHJ: Do you like having a Rolls Royce in your driveway?

GF: My clients see me getting better, using new technology. It’s not like the old-fashioned haircutter that’s got the same scissors, giving the same cut. No, they see me changing the blades and they say, “Wait a minute, what’s this?” And I tell them it’s a new technology from Asia and it cuts the hair faster. It leaves your hair softer. You’re going to be able to blow-dry your hair a lot easier. And it’s true.

NHJ: How can people learn more about Vern shears?

GF: There are professional educators who will show people how to work with these scissors. After a two day training course they are given a DVD so they don’t forget anything.

NHJ: Are there different models or just the one kit?

GF: It’s one kit made up of eight shears.

NHJ: Why did it take so long for them to be discovered?

GF: To tell you the truth I didn’t discover them.

Peggy Tom did. She introduced me to Vern scissors at the last New Image show. She called me from California and said, “Gilberto, there’s a friend of mine who’s going to be showing these shears. You’ve gotta see them.”

NHJ: You thought you were hot stuff before you found these shears...

GF: Yes, I did... yeah.

NHJ: So what did you learn from using them?

GF: I learned a totally new technique. That’s why I like to go to as many hair shows as I possible can.

Whether I’m in the audience or training, there’s always something new to learn. When I saw this, I thought beauty is never going to end. There’s always somebody coming out with something. We need more professional, more adventurous people in this business. When people put the right tools in our hands, we become designers. We become creators of NHJ beauty!

9 The National Hair Journal Spring 2010

10 The National Hair Journal Spring 2010

DIGITAL DELUSIONS or…

If the internet is the greatest marketing tool ever invented, how come my website’s not making me more money?

By Steven DiManni Hoo-boy. Am I stepping into it this time. Yes, yours truly has the gall, the brazenness, and the unmitigated chutzpah to say something negative about that most hallowed of 21st century phenomena, the so-called “new media”. You know, the web, email, social networking, mobile messaging, and all those other wonderful marketing “opportunities” that the new age pundits claim will also make us rich beyond our imaginations.

Well, it’s about time somebody put out a caution flag, isn’t it?

So before cursing me for my aversion to not worshipping at the altars of Google, Twitter and Dither, let me plead my case. And allow me to do so on behalf of all in the hair replacement industry who’ve been sold a bill of goods by the blowhards and do-gooders alike who promulgate the myths and half-truths that have swept across the marketing community like brush fires in the canyons of southern California.

First, most of those who advocate digital media do so with the best of intentions. They’re not trying to put anything over anyone. For the most part, they’re sincere in their evangelism. (Aren’t all evangelists?) And not everything they say is wrong, not by a long shot.

But…what gets lost in all the hullabaloo over digital media is that it faces many of the sobering realities of traditional media. It’s not cheap, it’s not easy to master, it’s not simple to implement, and you can underline the following, “it’s not a miracle”.

Second, let me assure you that I am not some pathetic dinosaur stuck in my tar pit, hankering for the days of three network television (in black and white, no less) and afternoon editions of the daily newspaper. I’ve actually won a few awards for my work in digital media, and am a leading advocate of it as part of almost all of my clients’ media mix.

But like everything else in life, judgment and common sense rule the day. And these are two elements that are most sorely missing from the barrage of hype that has swept across the digital landscape for most of the past decade.

able to experiment on a large scale, because the dollars they have are far too small to give an accurate representation of whether or not the experiment will work.

The myth of the free web

Steven DiManni

When the internet first began to take off in the mid-nineties, it was touted as a “free” medium.

It was the “superhighway of information” (remember that moniker?) that anyone with a computer and a modem could gain access to.

And heck, if you had a couple of extra dollars to pay for your own hosting service, you could have your own website, too.

Of course, broadcast television was a free medium, too. The price of entry was just buying a television set. But nothing is ever free. Someone is going to have to pay for the content. In the case of broadcast television, that was TV commercials: some entertaining, some revolting and reviling, but nevertheless, people put up with them because that was the “cost” of watching TV for “free.”

The early web had its own “commercials”: banner ads. Like small billboards, they appeared on or around various websites. But unlike TV commercials, that literally jumped onto the screen and demanded your attention, web banners were static, limited in motion and sound. Web viewers learned to ignore them and tune them out.

There were search engines of course, from Yahoo to AskJeeves, portals that helped you find relevant websites by typing in topics of interest.

But they were fairly primitive. They worked by “searching”- your site for key words relevant to the topic typed in. Back in those days, the secret was “Mehta code”. You had your webmaster add “invisible” words to your website that could be read by search engines, but not necessarily by viewers.

With a clever webmaster, you could rise in search engine ratings just by adjusting and adding to the Mehta code words. So in effect, websites became a “free” or very low cost advertising vehicle.

And to this day, there are many marketers who believe that the internet is an attractive, low cost alternative to other media. But matters have changed greatly.

What does this have to do The realities of today’s web with hair replacement?

Today, more and more hair replacement studios are expending their marketing dollars and efforts in the digital realm. For some, this means something as simple as launching and maintaining a website. Others have gone whole hog, from making forays into social marketing to trying to produce their own “viral” videos.

Web 2.0 refers to the second generation of the internet. When did it happen?

There’s nothing wrong with doing any of the aforementioned. However, resources are always limited, even for large multi-national corporations like Coca-Cola or Sony. So while they are dedicating ever-larger shares of their marketing dollars to new media, the overwhelming majority of their budgets are still funding more traditional media efforts.

For a couple of years thereafter, no one wanted to touch the web. Its weaknesses had been revealed.

For example, it was recently reported that Procter & Gamble had greatly increased its online advertising budget to amounts in the tens of millions of dollars. And of that, millions of dollars were being allocated to social media. What wasn’t said, though, was that P&G’s entire digital budget was around six percent of their total expenditures, and that their social media budget amounted to around 20% of that six percent.

Well, I don’t know about you, but I am unaware of any local individually owned hair replacement studio that spends more than a million dollars a year in advertising. For most studios, tens of thousands of dollars a year is a more accurate measure of advertising spending.

But any percentage of tens of thousands of dollars a year is not a great deal of money, even for a local advertiser. There’s only so much money to go around. How thin can a hair replacement studio spread itself in terms of its marketing? For many studios, it’s an all, or nothing at all proposition, as in, “do I buy TV or optimize my website?”

In short, studios don’t have the luxury of being

Well, you remember the blowout of the dot.com boom back in 2000 and 2001. All those internet stocks that were the darlings of the market went bust, and so did many of our IRA accounts.

But thousands of smart, motivated individuals sought to set things right. The web had to be rethought. It was no longer destined to be a utopia of the free exchange of information and ideas alone; no, now it would have social implications and “bring us all together” as network television had done, in a far different way, generations before.

Two entities fueled Web 2.0. One was the advent, finally, of broadband, which allowed motion and sound to be brought to nearly every computer. The other element was technological advances.

Google emerged as the world’s leading media company, utilizing its advanced search capabilities and forever changing the dynamics of web site optimization. Then there was the advent of social media, such as My Space, and later Facebook; the expression of creativity encouraged by You Tube and other video-posting sites; finally, there was Twitter. And let’s not forget the multitudes of bloggers that social media enabled.

Banner ads, with click through rates of less than one-tenth of one thousandth percent, were practically being given away. Search engines were no longer fooled by Mehta codes.

The developers of search engines, with literally

11 The National Hair Journal Spring 2010 no banner income, turned to a new business model called “pay for word”. Your website’s ranking was largely dependent upon the “key words” that you paid for in order for it to come up to a higher position in search inquiries.

Suddenly, the web was no longer the value proposition it once touted itself to be. Everyone had to pay his or her way. Worse still, there are at this writing no means to accurately measure the value of investments in social media.

But who cares? Everyone says “this is the place to be.”

Use your instincts What this all means for the hair replacement studio is that there is a false perception that permeates almost all business people, from small business owners to large corporate executives, regarding what the web can do and the price attached to that performance.

The “free web” mentality that permeated through the first years of its existence has no relevance today. Digital media is an expensive, and in many cases, an unproven element in marketing expenditures.

Most important, judgment and good sense rule the day, as I said in the beginning of this article.

Consider the product we sell, one that not one of our clients wants to admit that he or she has purchased. Is hair replacement really a good choice for social media? Or will social media result in ridicule of your product and actually result in a negative effect on your investment.

You can’t teach this type of thinking to an MBA. Or a tech geek. But a hair replacement professional knows better.

Same thing with so-called viral videos. Viral is not a medium. It refers to a practice of people sending emails or tweets or other messages to friends to view something that they discovered.

Something that they found funny or interesting or enlightening or just downright outrageous.

I’ve heard about hair replacement studios making their own videos and placing them on YouTube and other video sharing sites. Will these videos ever go viral?

Well, they could…if they were exceptionally provocative or sexy or outrageous. But in most cases, anything that takes non-surgical hair replacement seriously is going to be regarded by others as a joke. And the video will be passed along as such. Again, ridiculing your product is not the best way to gain a positive return on your investment.

Use the web the right way If you believe that digital media can positively affect your business, then for goodness sake, do it the right way. You can’t just cobble together a website and put it up on the internet and expect results. You have to invest in it, continuously, just as you would a television campaign to make it work.

There are four ways for garnering local attention to your website: SEO—This is organic search engine optimization. You’ll need to hire an organic optimization expert to continually “work” your website in order to make it more attractive to search engines. This will involve securing links, getting mentions on other websites through a variety of methods, and constant refining the language of the website itself.

SEM—This is “pay for word” search engine optimization. You’re best advised to find a specialist to do this. He or she will act as a media buyer, directing you to the best search engines and the best negotiating techniques to buy key words on each. When a person types in that word during a local search in your market, such as “hair replacement,” your site will come up high in the ratings. You can also supplement these searches with banner ads that also appear when your site appears.

On Line Advertising—You can purchase banner ads on local sites that you think attract potential candidates for your services. An on line advertising professional can best help you with this.

Be aware that though the prices for the ads are very low, so are “click through” rates, i.e., people who will actually visit your website.

Off Line Advertising—You can use traditional media, such as newspapers, radio, TV, outdoor, et.al,., to drive traffic to your website, just by making the public know that it exists. Think of

it as advertising with an offer for a free brochure, except in this case, your website functions as a traditional brochure.

Don’t forget your website Most of this article has been dedicated to new media, but I would be remiss if I didn’t address the most important element of all: the creativity that goes into your website.

By creativity, I don’t mean necessarily the most artful website, or the most contemporary.

Rather, I’m thinking of creative as in “sell”.

What’s your message on your website? How are you portraying your studio and the services it offers? What’s the allure of your services?

What advantages do you offer versus your competition? What’s the “hook” to entice the viewer to inquire further and contact you?

Finally, is your website consistent with your other media messaging? For example, if you run a print ad for a product called “Hair Process ABC”, does that product appear prominently on your website? Or, if you run ads addressing women’s hair replacement, does your website predominantly feature photos of women who’ve had their hair replaced, rather than men?

You should check with your hair suppliers as to what they provide in the way of websites or web pages that can be added to your website. If you buy an exclusive program, such as Virtual Reality from American Hairlines, or the Cascade Effect from On Rite, a free website is always included in the offering.

But, short of buying an exclusive program, many hair manufacturers also offer web pages for you to use. For example, On Rite has nonexclusive programs that offer free website pages for the cost of buying several hair units. Other manufacturers do the same; look into these because they already supply the photography, language, and layout that is most often more attractive to potential clients than “home made” pages that are cobbled together by a local hair retailer.

Two rules to remember After all is said and done, and I know I’ve said a lot, there are only two things that you have to remember to use digital media effectively.

First, the web is much like an advanced Yellow Pages. It works best when people know what they are looking for and have a definite purpose in mind. Sure, you can use other forms of digital media forms to educate and persuade. But you’re really venturing into untested waters when you do so.

Second, look at what the “big guys” are doing.

Major national advertisers are using digital media to complement their traditional media efforts. But they’re also using traditional media to drive consumers to their digital efforts. Or to build interest in whatever they happen to be doing in the digital sphere.

There’s no free lunch It costs money to promote a business. Even if you decide to hire a person to wear a sandwich sign and walk back and forth on the streets outside your location, you’re still going to have to pay that person something to work for you.

So too, the web. In some cases, it might actually cost you more than traditional media. That’s fine, as long as it gets you more results than traditional media.

It all comes down to the following: first, deciding if you want new business; second, determining which medium is most effective in getting you new business; thirdly, committing yourself to a new business effort or failing this, resigning yourself to the fact that some day you’ll go out of business.

If all this sounds harsh, I’m sorry. But making money today isn’t easy. And it gets even harder when people tell you that you don’t have to spend money to make money.

Steven DiManni is a 28-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 to General Cigar, and having won almost every major creative award the industry has to offer. He is also Executive Vice President/Creative of the John Caples International Awards for whom he creates the advertising that promotes the direct response industry’s preeminent awards show. A 27-year veteran of the hair replacement industry, Steven is a long-time consultant to the On Rite Company and is widely published in industry magazines.

12 The National Hair Journal Spring 2010

SALON OF THE YEAR Congratulations Advanced Hair Technologies Salon of the Year 2009

A

dvanced Hair Technologies; the Salon that Guts Built

Cedar Rapids used to be called, "The City That Will Never Flood" but in 2008 the unthinkable happened. On June 12, the river rose 12 feet higher than the previous record, flooding over 5000 homes and forcing more than 20,000 residents to flee.

Public buildings and even the city jail were all destroyed. City officials predicted that it would take at least 10 years for Cedar Rapids to get back on its feet. But that wasn't good enough for Daryl and Judy Grecian. ‘Daryl’s Hair Design,’ a family-owned hair replacement salon had been their pride and joy, but the floodwaters inflicted over $100,000 in damages and made it unusable. Worse yet, Daryl’s Hair did not have flood insurance because even in the worst rains, Cedar Rapids had never flooded like this before.

But even as the city reeled from the 5th largest natural disaster in U.S. History, Daryl and Judy were making plans to support their hair replacement clients who now, more than ever, needed to maintain their self-respect and optimism. So they researched surrounding neighborhoods and found a new location in Hiawatha about 7 miles away. From this temporary base, they were able to continue to service their clients while they surveyed the damage back home and made plans to rebuild. Today, the Grecians operate both centers and business is slowly returning to normal. “This has been a huge emotional and financial shock” says Daryl, “but our job was to be there for our clients and I am proud that we were able to do that.”

maintain an informal atmosphere. As Daryl says, "We didn't want our salon to look like a business. We wanted our clients to feel they were visiting a friend.” The flooring throughout the shop has a natural slate appearance. When you first come in, the color of the wall is burnt apricot. The rest of the shop is decorated in a soothing green to help people feel relaxed. The countertops are granite throughout and all the cabinetry is custom built oak.

The styling rooms are larger than usual to make clients more comfortable and each one has an independent volume control for background music. Advanced Hair also offers massage therapy. The massage room is located in a tranquil area at the back of the shop and is decorated in muted colors and lit by candlelight.

In the wig room, the storage cabinets are only 15 inches deep. Regular cabinets would have been too deep and wigs could have been lost at the back. Regular 12 inch cabinets wouldn’t have

Advanced Hair has a secret passage, or, more accurately, an interior sliding door. Daryl’s assistant greets and prepares his clients in a room next to his styling room. A special sliding door was installed between the two rooms so that the client can slip from one room to the other without using the corridor or any public area.

Traditionally, the National Hair Journal ‘Salon of the Year’ is chosen for its advanced styling features, use of modern technologies and involvement with the local community. But this year, we are focusing only on the last of these. Advanced Hair Technologies, the 2009 Salon of the Year, rose phoenix-like from the floods of Cedar Rapids, driven by the guts and tenacity of its owners Daryl and Judy Grecian. No, it isn't state-ofthe-art. Nor is it glamorous. But it was built with professionalism and with guts and in our opinion, that deserves to be recognized.

Advanced Hair is located in a suburb away from major thoroughfares. Clients can come and go freely without the risk of being spotted by business colleagues or a neighbor passing by.

When they enter the salon, they immediately see a picture on the wall. It's a Jim Warren print and shows a lady with her hair cascading down the side of the mountain and becoming part of a waterfall. Daryl bought it nine years ago in Hawaii and since

desk. Daryl works closely with the American Cancer Society and goes to their offices in his area once a month to do a class for chemo patients. He understands how important it is to create a friendly, supportive environment for his medical clients.

worked either because many of the manufacturers’ boxes are too big. 15 inch cabinets on the other hand accommodate every standard wig and still allow you to see your entire inventory.

All the corner cabinets are fitted with wide opening doors like a lazy Susan to maximize the use of space. Unlike the rest of

In his own styling area, Daryl installed two stainless steel industrial cabinets that might have been destined to become mechanics’ tool chests. But he had a better idea. They were placed on the floor without the customary wheels and had granite countertops installed on top. This combination gives Daryl high quality industrial drawers that open and close on roller bearings that are not too deep, so he can conveniently lay his shears and styling tools in them without a lot of wasted space. This steel/granite combination creates a high-tech, sophisticated look which is accented by matching venetian blinds in brushed aluminum.

the salon, the wig room is fully carpeted and furnished with a round table and chairs. If a cancer patient brings a friend, they can sit around a table instead of facing a consultant across a

Congratulations Judy and Daryl Grecian!

then it’s has been waiting for the right home. That time has now come.

There's another feature that sets Advanced Hair apart. The waiting room is not in the front like most salons, but in a more private area in the center of the building. This discreet arrangement is preferred by clients entering the salon as well as customers already waiting.

In keeping with the neighborhood, Daryl and Judy have tried to

13 The National Hair Journal Spring 2010

14 The National Hair Journal Spring 2010

The National Hair Journal PROMOTING

Medical Section

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

IN THE BEGINNING WAS THE FOLLICLE Does Hair Genesis Belong on Your Ark? A Google search for “hair loss treatments” delivers 45,100,100 hits. Narrow it down to “hair loss lotions” and you get 1,100,100 with names like Spironolactone, Phytologie PhytocyAne, Doo Gro Mega and Triple Gro Tea Tree Oil. You get the point.

So how can a poor hair loss victim decide what works and what is simply a money pit? The answer is research. Not just anecdotal evidence and friendly testimonials, but serious studies validated by an independent third party. In this interview Geno Marcovici, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer at Advanced Restoration Technologies (ART) describes clinical studies that culminated in Hair Genesis, a botanically based hair care product that he claims is the only non-drug hair loss treatment tested and developed in collaboration with a university-based research team and the only non-drug hair loss treatment with a demonstrable dual mechanism of action. The Hair Genesis “Generation IV” regimen comprises oral softgels, a topical activator serum, and a special revitalizing shampoo.

NHJ: Dr. Marcovici, you recently completed a hair regrowth study. Could you tell readers of The National Hair Journal in layman’s language, what this all-natural product is, and how it can help their clients?

Dr. M: The formal name for the most common form of hair loss is “androgenetic alopecia.” That’s a big word, but in layman’s terms “pattern hair loss” suffices. Let’s put hair loss in context. In the United States, 40 million men are believed to be affected by pattern hair loss, and perhaps the more surprising statistic is that 20 million women in America are also affected. These statistics can be extrapolated out to much larger numbers when you consider the global

population. Hair loss has always been acutely distressing. Until recently, there hasn’t really been much that’s been effective in treating the disorder. Going back to ancient times in Egypt, historians have discovered that they used crocodile dung and all sorts of interesting substances that were purported to thicken the hair. And in the 19th Century, the term snake oil came into widespread use because they actually extracted oil from rattlesnakes and other reptiles as a hair growth accelerant. Today, we have more responsible choices… though a quick surf around the web could easily make you think otherwise.

NHJ: The FDA, has officially approved two hair growth drugs. Is that where the hair regrowth story stops?

Dr. M: There are actually three drugs that are presently indicated for pattern hair loss. The first is Minoxidil, which originally was a blood pressure medication. It is a topical product and is now trade named Rogaine. The second is Finasteride, which is an inhibitor of the Type 2 5-alpha-reductase enzyme, a key enzyme associated with androgen metabolism that in genetically susceptible individuals triggers the disorder. The third drug is a dual inhibitor of both Type 1 and Type 2 5-alpha-reductase and that is called Dutasteride. It is sold under various trade names including Avodart.

NHJ: Dutasteride has not received FDA clearance.

Do you know their status?

Dr. M: I think it’s in Phase 3 trials at this point, but

of a miniature palm, and it it’s used off-label as a hair grows wild from the coast of growth agonist.

North Carolina all the way NHJ: Where does Hair down into Central America. It Genesis fit in? produces dark, pungent berries Dr. M: Hair Genesis was origthat have been used by Native inally developed in the midAmericans for a long time and 1990s and capitalizes on obserpurportedly offer all sorts of vations that we made that were clinical benefits. Saw palmetto serendipitous in that certain came into widespread use in naturally derived substances, Europe as a treatment for including saw palmetto extract Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia and, specifically certain com(BPH). Investigators found that pounds within saw palmetto, certain fatty acids and sterols in beta-sitosterol, stigmasterol, the berries were responsible for campesterol etc. —- other ameliorating the symptoms by things like that had shown benblocking the 5-alpha-reductase efit in ameliorating the sympenzyme. I was attending a contoms of a disease which is ference in late 1993 and saw a strikingly similar in its bioposter discussing the benefit of chemical etiology to pattern using saw palmetto to treat hair loss. That disorder is BPH and in a kind of miniBPH, or Benign Prostatic Geno Marcovici, PhD epiphany I realized that BPH is Hyperplasia. There are some precipitated by the same metabolic chain of events well-controlled European trials that show that saw that causes pattern hair loss. It may be helpful to palmetto in high enough doses has a tendency to prothink about dihydrotestosterone, or DHT, as the gasovide clinical benefits. So we began testing different line that causes the inferno in hair loss that damages compositions and formulations incorporating various hair follicles. In the prostate gland, DHT is triggered strengths of saw palmetto and its glycoside betaby an enzyme called 5-alpha-reductase. 5-alphasitosterol. We came up with a formula that showed reductase is like the match that lights the fuse, okay? striking benefits in our clinic population. We went to In the prostate DHT causes pathological growth that market with that formula in the mid-1990s. results in pain on urination and the potential for NHJ: Why did the market need another hair inflammation, infection, etc. In the hair follicle, the regrowth drug? hormone causes the opposite effect in that the hair Dr. M: Hair Genesis is technically not a drug. It’s a follicle involutes, or becomes miniaturized. So it naturally derived composition. This is significant occurred to me that if this stuff could block 5-alphawhen you consider the pluses and minuses of the reductase in the prostate, why couldn’t we come up pharmaceutically-based hair growth drugs. The benwith a way to reformulate some of the key fatty and efits of the FDA-approved drugs are self-evident; sterols in saw palmetto into a composition that would clinical evidence indicates that you can slow down, have benefit in the hair follicle. arrest, or in some cases reverse pattern hair loss. The downside however, is that both minoxidil and finasNHJ: What happened next? Did you lock yourself teride have been shown to present potentially signifiaway in a laboratory for six months, or form a new cant negative side effects. If you read the side of the research team? bottle, or if you look it up online, you’ll find a lengthy Dr. M: This was in the mid-1990s and we had a list of negative side effects. So these are real caveats small laboratory and also a clinical facility. We also when you consider how badly you want to protect had some nice relationships with collaborative your hair. The nice thing about using naturally researchers, so we had access to the materials and derived substances is that you have a much stronger tools we needed. Because we were a hair clinic, we safety profile. You don’t see the sort of teratogenic had a built in population of highly motivated folks effects, (i.e. feminizing birth defects), pulmonary who were keen to help us find ways to help them stop edema, loss of libido, etc. that you do with the druglosing their hair. From these people, we selected based choices. Another thing we found particularly appropriate individuals - which for us meant relativecompelling was data from several investigators that ly young to middle aged people in generally good suggested that carefully composed extracts of saw health and also in the early stages of hair loss – and palmetto potentially offered between a 3-fold and 15we put them on various test compositions to see what fold greater efficacy in inhibiting the pathogenic five sort of response we would get. From that early work, alpha-reductase enzyme without triggering concomiwe developed a set of formulas that became the prodtant negative side effects. So we thought that this was uct we market advanced versions of today. We origia set of substances worth investigating. After several nally called the line “ProAcTabs,” but then we came years of work we were able to demonstrate clinical up with a little bit better name, “Hair Genesis®.” benefits through two open-label studies before it NHJ: What is involved in setting up a clinical study? went to market. An “open-label” study, as you may Dr. M: To validate the clinical efficacy of Hair know, is a study where the test material is dispensed Genesis we needed to test the product under scientifwith an open label meaning that the investigator and ically rigorous conditions. We enlisted a third-party study subject are aware that the active material is clinical facility that was in the business of conducting being tested. This is in contrast to a placebo-conindependent tests like this one. The entire process trolled blinded study where an inert material is diswas carefully monitored by an institutional review pensed to part of the study population while another board, or IRB, which exists to ensure that everything group receives active treatment. is done according to highly stringent FDA regulaNHJ: What is the significance of the test subjects tions. The study was undertaken in 1999 and the data knowing they are using an active product? Is it to gathered between the end of ’99 and early 2000. The ensure compliance so they will stay with the proresults were clearly in favor of treatment. The placegram? bo population continued to experience hair loss, while the treatment population showed a complete Dr. M: Not really. The benefit of an open-label arresting of the progression of loss. Two out of three study is that it constitutes what’s called a proof of participants actually had thicker hair at the end of the principle. If you see a demonstrable benefit under trial. So that was a fairly impressive outcome. open-label conditions, then there’s a reasonable probNHJ: How do these results compare with other testability that you’d achieve similar results randomizing ed products? the study subjects and going to a full double-blind Dr. M: Outside of the big drug companies, to my trial. That’s what we did in the late 1990s and 2000. knowledge no one else is doing serious research in The results of that placebo-controlled, IRB monithe category. If you go to Pubmed.com also known tored, double-blind study still represent the only as Medline and type in “botanical” and “hair loss,” example of a non-drug-based hair-loss treatment to only one research study comes up, and that is our show clinical efficacy in pattern hair loss. That parclinical trial. If you think about it, it’s astounding that ticular study is available for anyone to see on nobody else has thought it important to validate their pubmed.com.

NHJ: People searching for hair loss remedies online products using the same high level of scientific will be presented with a list of products, some scrutiny.

NHJ: How do your results compare with Rogaine? authentic, many unscrupulous. Why should they Dr, M: We compare favorably with finasteride where believe that Hair Genesis is different?

Dr. M: A valid question. Here’s why. We were the two out of three patients showed a response. Where first to market with a botanically based hair loss treatI think we have potentially an inside track is the fact ment in 1996. At the time there just wasn’t anything that our product line doesn’t suffer from the negative else like Hair Genesis® out there. We opened the caveats that finasteride, dutasteride, and minoxidil door to naturally derived substances in the hair loss have.

NHJ: What is Advanced Restoration Technologies treatment category. Early compositions of Hair engaged in right now?

Genesis incorporated minoxidil and some of our Dr. M: We realized that pattern hair loss is not simcompetitors took a page from our playbook. A couple ply the result of 5 alpha reductase mediated dihyof years later however, new data suggested that there drotestosterone damaging the follicle, even though were naturally occurring substances that could actumost of our competitors have been chasing that ally outperform Minoxidil plus saw palmetto. We metabolism forever. AGA is known as a complex used those compositions in the 2002 published IRBtrait disorder. This means that there are numerous monitored drug trial.

NHJ: What is the plant or tree from which saw palfactors, genetic, biochemical, epigenetic and environmetto is extracted? mental that are responsible for triggering the onset Dr. M: The saw palmetto tree is like a weed version and progression of the disease. One can appreciate

the variable factors that influence AGA by observing how many ways people can suffer from the disease.

Some people lose hair in front, others only in back, while still others lose hair across the entire front and top of the scalp. So clearly it’s not simply about one factor, i.e. dihydrotestosterone. And so what we set out to do was to say, “Okay, we need a new hypothesis. If there are other things going on, wouldn’t you get a better clinical outcome if you could identify one or more of these other causative factors and then target those contributing factors while simultaneously hitting dihydrotestosterone and 5-alpha-reductase?”

So that was our overarching hypothesis. We were fortunate to have sharp collaborators at the University of Albany and elsewhere who helped us think creatively about this part of the problem for a couple of years. Ultimately, we identified several inflammation-related events in the hair follicle that seemed to be really important. From that, we went on to identify a series of genetic markers that seemed relevant in the setting of pattern hair loss. We tested our theory in a set of basic science experiments, for example using a well-respected analog for hair follicle biodynamics called HaCaT cells. These cells are a type of keratinocyte found in the skin and, specifically the hair follicle. Once we had identified the important gene markers that were associated with inflammation in the hair follicle, we designed a set of experiments where we actually went in and used a type of irritant, called lipopolysaccharide, or LPS. Then we applied a formulation representative of our latest generation of product and we were able to show a statistically significant reduction in the level of key markers of inflammation. Given what we know about inflammation and hair loss, from a basic science standpoint, that’s a reasonable proof of principle that you have a new mechanism of action as well as a new way to treat the problem. So next, and to protect our hard won efforts, we took the extra step of going back to our IP council and filed a USPTO application to protect the novelty of what we’d come up with. We then submitted the results of our work to a well-respected journal, and that’s the link we sent to The National Hair Journal.

Dr. M: These new data, coupled with our previous clinical research, gave us the impetus to create our Generation 4 Hair Genesis product formulations which are just now hitting the market.

NHJ: Do the medical and research communities, accept your results and your conclusions?

Dr. M: Yes. NHJ: What would it take to go to the next step and conduct a study that would satisfy the Federal Drug Administration?

Dr. M: If we were interested in characterizing Hair Genesis as a drug, there’s a research regimen protocol we’d have to follow. However, our preference is to remain an all-natural or a cosmetic product. We’re operating under the auspices of the 1993 DSHAE (Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act) rule. So though we’re fairly confident that the product does even more good in the hair follicle than we describe, we prefer to under promise and over deliver.

NHJ: What new research is planned?

Dr. M: We’d like to do a multi-arm study where we might have gender-specific populations. We might even test Hair Genesis against some of the wellknown hair treatment drugs.

NHJ: Who could benefit from Hair Genesis? Is it suitable for both men and women?

Dr. M: Yes, the product works equally well in women and men. However, the regimen is most beneficial when it is begun early in the disease process. As an analogy, our viewpoint is that a parachute works best before you hit the ground. For people who have lost most or all of their hair, laser therapy’s not going do it, and Hair Genesis is probably not going to do it either.

The hair follicle at some point loses the ability to hear a signal or to receive a signal to return to healthy vigorous growth. So our suggestion is that it’s better to start any treatment sooner rather than later and we find our clients are most happy when they use Hair Genesis as a hair maintenance program rather than trying to make up for lost ground.

NHJ: Does Hair Genesis arrest hair loss or promote new hair growth?

Dr. M: Hair Genesis inhibits the factors that are known to trigger hair loss. So if you can block 5alpha-reductase, and if you can reduce the pathologic inflammation of the hair follicle, then you can, from an anatomical and physiological standpoint, preserve those structures so that they can produce a more robust product, which is the hair shaft. othing grows new hair.

You die with the same number of hair follicles that you were born with. Pattern hair loss is miniaturization of the structures and sub-compartments of the hair follicle. But if you can get ten hairs that are twice as thick, it’s as good as having twenty hairs.

NHJ: Final question; how did you get into the thinning-hair field?

Dr. M: My mother was a manicurist for 45 years, my dad a hairstylist from Europe. So I started out with perm solution in my blood. (Laughs) I’m married to a hair scientist. I guess you could say I’m continNHJ uing the family business!

15 The National Hair Journal Spring 2010

16 The National Hair Journal Spring 2010

Hair Extensions Are Perfect For Haircolor Professional Hair Extensions Provide Endless Options Without Harsh Chemicals

By Hannah Mayo

Chances are your clients have thought about changing things up by adding multi-dimensional haircolor or even by simply adding highlights. However, they may be scared that they won’t like the nearly permanent results of chemical haircolor. There is a terrific solution to this challenge that many of your clients may not be aware of.

Today, haircolor is very popular, with over

75% of women now using chemical haircolor. There are also a growing percentage of men now following suit. Unfortunately, many salon clients are unaware or uneducated about the benefits of safely adding hair extensions for haircolor, rather than using harsh chemical dyes.

No Surprises! Sure, as a professional hairstylist you can create the highlights or lowlights your clients want by mixing the correct chemicals and haircolor shades, yet what if the end result isn’t exactly what they were envisioning and they leave disappointed? With hair extensions, you and your clients are able to choose the exact colors and you will be able to guarantee the result. To ensure success, you may provide your clients with a color ring that allows them to select the exact shade they want. You then place the lighter extensions to frame their face or do all-over highlights by placing the extensions strategically around their head, blending the new haircolor shade with their natural haircolor.

No Chemicals! The best advantage when using professional hair extensions for haircolor is that they provide clients with the haircolor they have always wanted without harming the hair. Many companies today are still using glues to bond hair extensions to the natural hair. Ron Cardillo Sr., President of SHE Hair Extensions by SO.CAP. USA.

notes “We use a keratin protein to bond the extensions. Keratin is the protein our natural hair produces. We also offer 100% real human hair. Clients will undoubtedly prefer real human hair for their extensions; this will make the hair look natural and also allow for easier hairstyling. You and your clients will be able to curl, straighten, brush and style the extensions as if they were natural hair.”

New 2010 Haircolor Trends Haircolor will remain a huge aspect of the latest hairstyle fashion trends this year. As a hairstylist, you can really make a difference in people’s lives with haircolor. As discussed, a new client request this year will be haircolor without the use of chemicals.

Semi-permanent and temporary hair extensions are going to be your top choice.

Fantasy haircolor shades have become a bigger trend in the past couple of years for fashionable women of all ages. Nicholas National French, Creative Director for SHE Hair Extensions

by SO.CAP. USA, tells us, “This year, we will see a lot of exciting new brights, greens, blues and purples. But, instead of using the harsh tones of these colors, you will want to use the soft shades. It will not look like the ‘punk-rock’ style, but instead a more elegant and thought out haircolor choice.” Dualtone fantasy haircolor extensions are also available for those who something want extraordinary. Traditional salon chemical haircolor services do not allow for such styles, creative multi-dimensional highlights and dual-tone haircolor options. These can be offered in clip-on or adhesive extensions for a night on the town or with a keratin protein tip for a more permanent style. Are you beginning to realize that haircolor options are endless with hair extensions!

A new and somewhat surprising haircolor trend that began in 2009 and will continue through 2010 is the movement toward embracing grey hair.

Not only are older women going au-natural with their naturally grey hair, some young women are trading in their blonde highlights and lowlights for grey, ‘granny-style’ haircolor shades. Thanks to innovative and up-to-date companies like SHE Hair Extensions by SO.CAP. USA., a variety of new grey haircolor extensions are now available.

As salon owners, hair designers, hair replacement experts and hair extensionists, you now have access to high quality, reliable products to cater to anyone’s budget and hair needs. It is also your job to educate your clients about every option available to them. They’ve probably never thought of the idea to use hair extensions for their haircolor needs – educate them today!

NHJ

17 The National Hair Journal Spring 2010

18 The National Hair Journal Spring 2010

Hair Society News www.nationalhairsociety.org

THE BOARDROOM News, Views & Tips from the Directors The National Hair Society is proud to announce that it has formed a Board of Directors to advise it on important issues and to ensure that it is responsive to all its members needs. It was always the intent of The Society to be driven by its members and in 2010 this becomes a reality. The first board is drawn from leading educators and authorities in hair management.

Meet the Board Jim Toscano “The General” - I am very honored and excited to be a part of The National Hair Society Board of Directors.

When did you ever think that we could produce hair as real as we are doing today? Clients can actually leave the salon and go swimming without having to worry about returning for 4 weeks! Thank you to the great wholesale companies who have supplied us with the technology we have today! I will be contributing advanced techniques on bonding and cutting procedures for 100% undetectable hair in any color. For questions, email me: jamestoscano@mac.com or if you have a client in the chair that you are working on and need immediate assistance, you can reach me on my cell phone at 724-882-1398. Owner - Toscano’s Hair Consultants, Pittsburgh.

Bobbi Russell - I am excited to be representing the female population as a Hair Additions Specialist for the Board of Directors of the National Hair Society. I am looking forward to sharing my experiences, my thoughts, ideas and concerns with all of you.

Education is a very important part of my life and I am not only eager about what I can share with you, but what all of you have to share with me. The women’s hair loss industry can be challenging and confusing. There are hair extensions, hair integrations, hair replacements and the medical field, to name only a few. I hope to give you as much insight as I can into the compassionate, emotional and fulfilling world of empowering women in the hair addition market and look forward to an exciting 2010. Bobbi Russell - Owner, Hair Therapy For Women.

Ane Rasch - I enjoy sharing my knowledge with other people.

After every workshop, it is not only the audience that has learned a lot. By talking to the guests and educators and asking them what they are doing and how they are doing it, there isn’t a single seminar from which I return where I haven’t learned something. As long as you remain curious, it is easy to learn new things and to make things better.

Ane’s salon is located in Hamburg, Germany.

She will be sharing information regarding hair technologies and trends from Europe. She has been in the hair replacement business for 26 years.

Anke Becker - The world is moving so close together; I strongly believe that we can learn a lot from each other. Why not profit from each other’s experiences knowledge... and mistakes.

Fortunately we are still working in a rather wealthy industry. There are enough slices of the cake for everybody if we are willing to share and learn from each other. This is what the Hair Society and the BVZ are trying to do together. Anke opened a studio in Ahrensburg, a suburb of Hamburg, with Ane. Lucinda Beaty - I am elated to take on the role of Educational Director and share my expertise in creative design and knowledge of the newest techniques and tools. I have been a national educator for many companies and stay up on the latest products and technologies; I am excited to participate with my peers and

expand my knowledge and also give back to the industry. Since I’ve been in business for over 30 years, I attend an array of conferences, seminars and product shows, as well as many factory tours around the world. I am highly motivated and thrilled about contributing energetically. Owner, Lucinda’s Hair Lisa Zimmerman - It’s an honor to be on the Board of Directors for The National Hair Society. I began working with my father, Arnold Zimmerman, in 1977 while still in my teens. I virtually grew up in the hair restoration industry. What I see today, is that “Traditional Marketing,” television, newspaper and yellow pages, has become less and less effective in generating new client leads. That’s why I am focusing on “new media” to achieve my marketing goals. These include a strategy of webbased marketing to reach our target audiences.

In addition, I am the creator and executive producer of the new TV reality series, “Hair Loss Confidential.” I look forward to sharing my ideas and strategies with others as well as being able to network and learn from all of you, the Society members.” President, National Hair Centers, Phoenix, AZ

The Board Speaks Out Shows & Seminars – Just Do It! Attending hair shows and workshops is very important to not only yourself, but to your client as well. Our field is constantly changing.

The only way to excel is to keep in touch with the industry by meeting others with similar interests and sharing ideas and solutions.

Solutions can be old products being revisited, or new products being introduced. The importance of sharing these solutions is imperative to the happiness of our clientele, our business and our craft. Not only are the new products and services we learn about important, but so are the feelings and emotions that are evoked. We are “solutions experts” that have technology and the latest tools to help people achieve the hair of their dreams and solve any hair loss issues. Staying on the cutting edge is a commitment. I have always been highly educated and feel that those around me should be as well. This is why I have attended factory tours in Japan and Thailand. My employees and I attended the “Cruising with the Stars “seminar.

I am on my way to attend the On-Rite conference, then attending a hair replacement seminar with hands-on classes in Germany. There will be lots of products, exhibitors as well as a factory tour. My staff will be attending the International Hair Show in New York City as well as the Cyberworld conference in Las Vegas, Nevada. I will share what I have learned with those who could not attend these functions. It is important to share the highlights so that we can build our skills. You can never be too educated. As the very first member of The Hair Society, I would like to inform you of a directory (The Hair Authority) that The Hair Society is putting together that will showcase these talented, educated, people. This is a place where the public will be able to go and see for themselves who the most brilliant, knowledgeable specialists are in their area.

Lucinda Beaty, Board Director The National Hair Society - Educational Advisor

(North Carolina), Dean Muraco (Pennsylvania), and Pierre Casters (New York).

To date, there have been no adverse reactions to this new product. All of the test sites just can’t say enough about this adhesive. Now, getting to the technical process of using this adhesive to bond: first - ALWAYS make sure you do a 24hour patch test before using any new adhesive on any of your clients.

On skin bases: Base: Put one coat of co-polymer on the base and let cure until clear.

Client scalp: Put 1 coat of co-polymer on the scalp. Let cure until adhesive turns clear.

Apply a second generous coat to the scalp and let cure again until clear (You can use a hair dryer to aid in drying.) Once the adhesive turns clear, set a timer for 7 minutes. DO NOT attach the hair system until that amount of time is complete. This is very critical in the bonding process. Now attach the hair system in your usual manner.

On lace bases: Base: NO co-polymer on lace or welded-mono bases.

Client scalp: Put one coat of co-polymer on the scalp. Let cure until adhesive turns clear.

Apply a second generous coat to the scalp and let cure again until clear (you can use a hair dryer to aid in drying). Once the adhesive turns clear, set a timer for 7 minutes. DO NOT attach the hair system until that amount of time is complete. This is very critical in the bonding process. Now attach the hair system in your usual manner.

If you are not familiar with soft-bonding procedures, please contact the National Hair Society for detailed instructions. I know this is going to take a little more time, but the results will be well worth the time spent and your clients will love you for it. There is no smell and no melting or breakdown of the adhesive. The cleanup is easy with the correct products. I use Ultra Safe, an all-natural adhesive remover for the scalp, which is also available from Professional Hair Labs. Keep in mind, those of you who are having problems with clients’ scalps should understand that it’s probably not the adhesive you are using, it’s the cleaner you are using. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me by email at: jamestoscano@me.com.

And remember: PERFECT ISN’T PERFECT UNLESS IT’S PERFECT.

Meet the Members Mette Menotti - World Hair Institute, Chicago, IL In this issue, we would like to introduce, Mette Menotti owner of the World Hair Institute in Chicago. We had the opportunity to speak with Mette at the recent “Cruising With The Stars” seminar. Mette is originally from Copenhagen, Denmark where she first became involved in the hair restoration industry, designing custom integrations and toppieces. Mette is committed to furthering her

shops as they can.

World Hair Institute has 7 employees, 5 technicians, one assistant and R. Anthony Menotti, Director of Operations. In order to provide more privacy for her clients, she spent eighteen months searching for the right relaxing and private location to set up her salon.

World Hair Institute is 1800 square feet and includes a consultation room, front reception, office, and 4 movable styling stations. Mette also provides trainings and has developed a one-stop website for quality hair, tools, supplies and education for the salons and stylists that specialize in hair extensions and also for salons in Hair replacement. See www.worldhairsystem.com.

Mette’s institute is dedicated solely to hair extensions and hair replacement. She offers 25

Reception Room

advanced methods of hair extension attachments, wigs and non-surgical hair replacement.

She also works closely with surgical hair replacement doctors in her area and dermatologists. Mette is the Director of Education for Bohyme™ and for the certification classes for Reprieve™ Hair By Bohyme™. She teaches at salons throughout the country.

The majority of clients that come to World Hair

Styling Room

are women but Mette is seeing an increase in male clients as well. Mette has also seen an increase in teenagers. One of the challenges that she faces in the industry is a manufacturer over-promising. Consistency, quality and delivery of products have been a problem.

Clients come to World Hair Systems from all over the country, including Kentucky, New York, Michigan and Nebraska.

Mette Menotti has done well over the years.

Training Room

Her websites have been successful in attracting new clients and her salon receives regular coverage in the local newspapers. Mette was recently featured in the “Women in Business” section of the Chicago Journal and has been interviewed by her local TV station. You can get to know her Mette was recently featured in the “Women in Business” section of the Chicago Journal. You can get to know her better at: www.worldhairinstitute.com.

New Bonding Agent Beta Test Report by Jimmy Toscano As you are well aware, I test a lot of different bonding adhesives. My biggest concerns are always the safety of the client and the technician.

I was asked to test a new co-polymer from Professional Hair Labs called Ghost Bond. This adhesive has a unique blend of bonding agents. I have been testing this adhesive for 6 months with great success, particularly on my clients that were having difficulty with other soft-bonds. Some of these clients could only wear a soft-bond for 1 day. With this new co-polymer, the same clients are getting 2-3 weeks wear time.

I am not the only salon testing this adhesive.

The other salons include: Randi Miller (Arkansas), Vinny Zambretta (New York), Cathy Montefusco (New York), Grady Parham

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professional skills and education and has visited hair factories in China and other production centers. She believes the main tool in this industry is knowledge and encourages everyone to attend as many seminars and work-

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19 The National Hair Journal Spring 2010

It is a pleasure to introduce our new AfricanAmerican Chapter Ambassadors. Each ambassador is a leader in her field and is anxious to share her knowledge and skills. In upcoming issues of The National Hair Journal, they will tell us about trends within their region and introduce new members of The National Hair Society. Each year a new chapter president will be appointed to act as spokesperson for the group. For 2010, the group has asked Gigi Ford from All About Hair in San Leandro, CA to be the 1st Chapter president.

The Ambassadors Speak Out Gigi Ford - Hair replacement expert, Gigi Ford, teaches her creative hair loss solutions to stylists around the world. “I love traveling from city to city teaching what I have learned to hair stylists who genuinely want to help their clients feel good about themselves,” says Gigi. “Your hair defines you. How many times have you had a good hair day and felt like you got your swagger back?”

Hair loss for most women can lower self esteem because body image is so important in our society.

When a woman is losing her hair there’s almost nothing more important or gratifying than having a good hair day. Gloria “Gigi” Ford has dedicated her career to helping women of color suffering from hair loss find non-surgical solutions. Gigi travels the world educating cosmetologists, researching new techniques and exploring base design. She has traveled to Hong Kong, China, Korea, and Indonesia to study hair prosthesis design. Now she tours the U.S. training future hair prosthesis specialists in the correct process of non-surgical hair replacement and the theory behind it.

Gigi is also the founder of “All About Hair Replacement Center” and “Locks to Give,” a nonprofit organization that donates hair prosthesis to women and children. She has served on the board of the American Cancer Society and is a member of the Look Good Feel Better program. Gigi is an Affiliate of the Alopecia Foundation. Gigi is a native of Saginaw, Michigan and holds a master’s degree in Cosmetology from the National Beauty Culture League and is currently working toward her Ph.D. Gigi’s hair prosthesis education materials include instructional audio and video materials and business

programs. Her book, “Don’t Lose Your Clients Because They Are Losing Their Hair” is a step-bystep educational guide in hair replacement.

The Hair Alteration-Alternatives For Women Of Color No one wants to spend five to six hours on a weave for a client. Not you, the stylist or the client.

Alterations can give you a more natural result in just one hour. This can free up hours in your appointment book and have your customers recommending you to friends and family because you’re fast and can get them out of the salon and on with their daily schedule. “It’s not bonding; it’s not a weave. It’s not wefted hair sewn on a net and it’s not a wig,” says Gigi Ford. The alteration is a capless design using handcrafted, crocheted polyester cables. It’s ventilated with one to three strands of hair giving the illusion that the hair is growing out of the scalp. This design is comfortable, light and airy. A hair alteration is especially good for people experiencing hair loss due to pattern baldness, but can be used for burns, thinning hair, bald spots, short hair or simply to put your hair to rest. The hair alteration can be a pre-designed system or custom order. Attachments consist of clips, bonds, tape or weave options.

Tips From Gigi- Take time before the appointment to examine the product closely. Make sure it’s exactly what you ordered. Check for hair quality, length and color. Are the highlights in the right place and to the specifications you requested? Is the product the correct fit and size? Is the unit the same size as the mold? Is the product the right length? If it’s too long, you want to pre-cut it before your client arrives for their appointment. Is the product the correct texture? The texture must match the customer’s lifestyle. Will you be able to attach the product effectively? You can’t design a hairpiece unless you understand base material. For instance, if you want to design a light and airy summer dress you wouldn’t use wool or fleece material. The same concept works for hair. You are now ready for your client and you’re confident that they will love their new look.

Edmarie Masters – Edmarie is a certified master hair replacement specialist. She has teamed up with World Olympic Winner in Hair Design, Brenda Knox, for the 8th Annual Spectrum International Beauty Expo., where they will be Featured Educators. Their Masters Duo Class will teach new techniques in hair design; demonstrate how to customize a stock system, and explain

Andrea Hayden - Traction alopecia took center stage in the February 2010 issue of Essence, a popular lifestyle magazine focused on African-American women. Hair loss for most U.S. women is caused by hormonal imbalances, cancer medications and autoimmune diseases. But African-American women frequently face “fashioninduced hair loss.” That is hair loss caused by the types of hair styles and styling products frequented

by African-American women. “Women tend to want styles that last days at a time but that’s not always the healthiest,” said Andrea L. Hayden, owner of “The Hair Management Group” in San Antonio, Texas and, one of just seven trichologists featured in the national magazine.

Popular African-American hairstyles often use gel to slick down the hair or keep it in rigid upward flips which can withstand days of wear and humidity, while other styles use hair glue to attach hair extensions. Both practices use enormous quantities of alcohol-based products which dry the hair and lead to breakage, said Hayden, who has been a practicing trichologist for 11 years and a hair specialist for 29 years. In some research on African American women, hair loss has been correlated with excessive chemical straightening of the hair. But, by far, the biggest culprits of hair loss currently are styles which require pulling or restraining the hair, such as improper use of individual braids, cornrows and weaving.

In a Henry Ford Hospital study, a strong association was found between the use of sewn-in hair weaving and cornrows, or braided hairstyles that used artificial hair extensions and one type of alopecia.

“Women need light, airy, moveable styles which don’t require use of poor quality products and which also minimize tension and traction,” Hayden stresses to clients. Fashion-induced alopecia, however, is not uncommon. The first noted evidence of traction alopecia was in relation to frequent ponytail use among girls and women in Greenland and later in Japan. What they had in common and what plagues African American women today is the traction.

Traction loosens the hair follicle from its root. Over time, the traction can cause pustules or scales, then

atrophy. With atrophy comes thinner shorter hair. If the damage goes unabated, it can result in follicular scarring and permanent hair loss. The key to treating a client suffering from alopecia is proper identification of the fundamental cause of the hair loss by someone trained to test for the various forms of alopecia, such as physicians and trichologists. Their techniques can include digital scalp exams, PH testing, nutritional deficiency assessments and much more. For more resources on the causes of alopecia in African-American women: email andrealhayden@aol.com or visit www.andreahayden.com.

Violet Demao - I am honored to be ambassador of the Ethnic Society’s Northeastern Region. My goal is to bring about awareness to professionals in the Hair Loss industry so that the demands of the public are properly met. The fast growing market of baby boomers” and medical clients has been overlooked because of the challenging demands of the ethnic clientele. These men and women have the same demands as most hair loss individuals seeking non- surgical hair replacements. They don’t want anything that screams wig, weave or artificial.

Especially with all they may be dealing with in the form of cancer, burns, thyroid disease and alopecia.

When non-surgical hair replacement is necessary, the last thing any client wants is to feel self-conscious and the hair to be noticeable. Until now, many nonsurgical hair replacement studios have shied away from the ethnic client because of the lack of any viable points of reference. The obstacles have been many: 1) Understanding the many textures, densities, colors and the behavior of the natural growing hair and the same with the replacement hair and 2) the availability of natural looking ethnic hair. I can’t count how many times in one day I see women with naturally kinky hair wearing straight hair or women with relaxed textured hair wearing wavy or, allegedly, a one thousand dollar custom made wig that appears to look not much better than $30.00 dollar, mass produced wig. These challenges led me to design a line of hair systems especially for ethnic clients. The latest collection is called the Nefertiti Line. It closely resembles the natural growing ethnic hair of African Americans, Indians, Asians, Africans and many more. For questions about helping your ethic clients, you can reach me at Violet Demao, Hair Medic at 301-860-1495 or by email at vdemao@aol.com

Today's Brainteaser Who formulated this hairloss remedy in 420 BC? Opium, horseradish, pigeon droppings, beetroot, and variAnswer: ous local spices?

Hippocrates

African-American Chapter

how to save money by repairing a system yourself.

They will also teach students how to ventilate.

Edmarie has just released an educational DVD, “Non-Surgical Hair Replacement, Top-of-the-Head Before & After.” Edmarie can be reached at: edmariem@aol.com or edmariem@mac.com.

Spectrum takes place in Los Angeles, March 21 & 22, 2010 at the Los Angeles Marriott Hotel 5855 West Century Blvd.

Visit their website at: www.sibe08.com.

20 The National Hair Journal Spring 2010

THE LONG PAINFUL ROAD TO VALIDATION (and FDA approval)

By Jerod Prindable On February 24, 2010, Midwest RF in partnership with Life Physics International, received FDA marketing approval for the MEP-90 Hair Growth Stimulation system. The indications were for the treatment of Androgenic Alopecia in women that met certain criteria of the Ludwig, Savin and Fitzgerald scales. Heartfelt congratulations go out to the two men behind this triumph, Don Osendowksi and Helmut Keidl.

Laser Hair Therapy, known also under the aliases of cold laser therapy, laser hair restoration, photobiomodulation, laser biostimulation, and low level laser therapy (LLLT), has had a colorful history. Now, when I say colorful history, I am not referring to its technical beginnings so much as the up and down path it has traveled through the Hair Loss industry. It has been both a darling and a pariah depending on whom you ask. Oftentimes, these opinions were determined by whether they used the therapy in their salon themselves or considered it a threat to their existing services. The amazing thing is not that the treatment suffered poor word of mouth from the threatened and ill-informed, that in and of itself is not novel to our industry. The amazing thing is that while this treatment has been in fairly wide use for over a decade, we still find that most of the people in our industry are in the dark as to the effectiveness of the treatment and the viability of laser hair therapy as a revenue generating service. How is it that a therapy that has made several laser service providers wealthy, spawned many lawsuits, and treated tens of thousands of hair loss sufferers, still such an enigma? Other than Lexington’s landmark research on laser therapy in men and the resulting FDA clearance for their Hairmax comb, it almost seemed as if laser manufacturers and practitioners alike were afraid to do research for fear of extinction. Luckily for us, two brave souls accepted the challenge and risked much to bring laser hair therapy, pardon the pun, into the light.

My own personal journey in laser hair therapy began roughly six years ago, and much like the industry, I spent the first year or so wavering between skepticism and revelation. A project to provide custom imaging solutions to a successful laser therapy provider was my first experience with the devices, and my own thinning hair was the driving force for my desire to learn more about the technology. Over the long course of that project and several that followed for that same provider, I watched diligently as clients marched in and out, the majority exuding satisfaction with their results. However, as most of you realize, no-one is more vocal than a dissatisfied hair loss client,

and I was equally amazed at the tirades of some patrons.

It was these perceived ‘failures’ that made me hesitant to fully accept the treatment’s authenticity. That along with the fact that everywhere you turned there were hair transplant physicians (with absolutely no clinical data to back up their claims) decrying laser therapy as simply a scam.

My confusion was made worse by the fact that some of the clients who complained actually appeared to me to have had decent results. This, along with the fact that treatments were improving the quality of my own hair, led me to believe that their dissatisfaction was due to unreasonable expectations. Why else would someone be unhappy when they were actually regaining hair? One day, as I watched a client who had what I would call significant improvement chastise the poor girl at the front desk, the answer dawned on me. I would see these people only every few months when I was on site, the differences that were so apparent to me after months away were lost to eyes that failed to notice minute changes every day in the mirror. This epiphany would lead me deeper into the industry where I would spend the next few years devising a software package to track changes in hair count and condition of the treated hair in order to show the client improvement in an empirical way. During the course of the software’s development, I met with many providers and industry experts and eventually ended up at the door of Don Osendowski, who is likely the single largest contributor to the success of commercial laser therapy in the US. Don, whose Scalplaser, Inc. is the oldest, and most trusted manufacturer of commercial hair therapy lasers in the industry, was an ardent believer in the inexplicable healing power of lasers. In fact, so sure was he that the lasers he produced grew hair, that he risked everything to prove it.

Consider for a minute, you own a solid, lucrative business, but are constantly harassed by those that claim your technology is a hoax. Do you ignore the criticisms and collect the checks from those that know better? Or do you risk your entire life’s savings and the very premise of your existing business to defend your beliefs? Osendowski, true to his convictions, began making preparations to provide the proof that would validate laser hair therapy once and for all. Typically such an undertaking would be impossible for a small company. Lexington, who I mentioned was the first to undertake a study that resulted in an FDA acceptance, was a much larger company at the time they made this type of commitment. Plus, Mr. Osendowski was determined to have the study conducted by an impartial 3rd party facility that would provide the objective evidence that the industry needed. While it seemed an insurmountable task to Don, help was on the way in the form of Helmut Keidl, CEO of the well-known medical manufacturer Midwest RF. Midwest RF had been manufacturing parts for Scalplaser on and off for several years, and Helmut, while unfamiliar with the tech-

nology, was a believer in Don. The Midwest RF team, under Don’s guidance, devised a new medical laser, and together the partnership commissioned a study of unprecedented scope in the industry. What’s more, they decided that since Lexington’s study focused on men, they would concentrate on trying to address what they knew to be a horrible and psychologically devastating problem, androgenetic alopecia in women. Commencing the project in August of 2007, these gentlemen began traveling down the long, and often painful, road to validation…

The first step of the project was hiring a consultant and devising a clinical strategy in coordination with Dr. Grant Koher, a physician with over 20 years experience in hair restoration surgery. It was understood that Dr. Koher would not be paid for his services, nor were any of the test subjects, which would allow for complete impartiality.

Dr. Koher deserves the industry’s thanks for his selfless contribution of time and materials in the name of science.

This first step alone took over 6 months and culminated in acceptance of their clinical strategy by the Western Institutional Review Board (WIRB), which is a committee that provides critical oversight functions for research conducted on human subjects that are scientific, ethical, and regulatory.

The research itself was conducted at the Koher Center for Hair Restoration, by Dr. Koher and his assistant Natasha Achterburg. The subjects consisted of an ethnically mixed group of females, all diagnosed by Dr. Koher and staff as suffering from androgenetic alopecia. I plan to provide a comprehensive analysis of the results in the next issue of The Journal, but just as a teaser for that article, it suffice to say that the success rate was almost universal, and the actual rate of regrowth, while varying amongst individuals, was astounding. In fact, the results pointed to females benefitting in some ways more than their male counterparts. While I found that tidbit surprising, my friend Dr. Michael Hamblin, a Harvard professor and principle investigator at Wellman Center for Photomedicine, remarked that he had somewhat expected that. Hopefully we will be able to get Dr. Hamblin to expound on his declaration in our next installment. In any case, the Koher team and management overcame many hurdles typical to research studies of this magnitude.

With test results in hand, the team hoped for a quick response from the FDA. But the FDA, always deliberate in their determination of viable medical devices, proceeded to lead the team through an ulcer-inspiring process which consisted of question, reply, wait up to 90 days, repeat… This time was trying for Don and Helmut, as they realized that even with the convincing evidence that they had in hand, one non-compliant answer or overlooked detail could derail the whole process. Finally, in the midst of this deliberation, a bit of good news finally

hit home. Dr. Koher, who had long since completed the research, was chosen to present the evidence of his findings at the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery convention in Amsterdam. In my role as technical consultant, I represented Life Physics International at the convention and had the opportunity to congratulate Dr. Koher on behalf of the organization. While watching the open sessions based on the presentations on laser therapy, I noted the myriad of ingrained opinions formed long before Dr. Koher came to the podium. In fact, immediately prior to Dr. Koher’s address to the body, the attendants were polled as to their personal belief in the effectiveness of laser hair therapy. The computer tabulated results were almost split evenly between those who believed in light therapy and those that did not. How amazing that a treatment could be so polarizing! I dare say that after Dr. Kohers’ eloquent presentation, a re-polling would have shown a swing in favor of laser therapy. For certain though, the question and answer session immediately following the speech generated the liveliest discussion of all topics at the conference. The general consensus was that the subject definitely merited more directed study to determine proper ‘best treatment’ scenarios such as suitable dosage, most beneficial wavelength and such. It finally appeared as if we were beginning to move beyond the question of whether the treatment worked, and towards the more poignant questions regarding the most effective practices in use. Mission accomplished Don. Now all that remained was whether Life Physics International would have the fortune to present to the world the first FDA approved medical device for treatment of female alopecia. November turned to December, December to January, and still no definitive word. Even the process of checking the mail every day to see if they received an answer became an exercise in frustration.

Much like Pavlov’s dog’s reaction to the bell, Don would sigh wearily at the mere sight of the postman delivering the mail.

On Feb. 24th, 2010, Midwest RF, and Life Physics International received word of the acceptance of the 510k premarket approval of the MEP-90 Hair Growth Stimulation system. A long and sometimes tortuous road had come to an end. The feelings of relief, vindication, and joy in the room were overwhelming. The joy was directed not only at the opportunity to market a sure-tobe-lucrative new product, but also joy in the hope that a new day of validation for the entire laser hair therapy community had begun. With each wall that is knocked down, we are that much closer to public acceptance of that which many of us know to be true. Laser Hair Therapy is real, it works, and soon it will be available at physician near you.

Jerod Prindable is President of Prevail Technologies, a leader in innovative hair loss consultation software and laser hair therapy equipment. Jerod is also a technical consultant for LIFE PHYSICS INTERNATIONAL, distributors of the newly FDA approved MEP-90 Hair Growth Stimulation system.

21 The National Hair Journal Spring 2010

22 The National Hair Journal Spring 2010

Relationship Building -The Key to Success

THE NATIONAL HAIR JOURNAL Mission - Mission - To provide hair-management professionals from all disciplines with accurate information that will allow better business decision-making and facilitate superior client service.

Editor In Chief

By Bobbi Russell As the women’s hair loss industry grows larger, more of our hair suppliers are designing and developing solutions for our female clientele. In the past it was primarily “a men’s” market. Now, in 2010, our women’s hair addition clients are taking a much larger role in our business. Today, women desire and demand more permanent, comfortable solutions for their hair-loss.

That is why our relationships with our suppliers are so important, now more than ever, for the success of our businesses. We must know and understand their products thoroughly. We must have an open line of communication with our sales representatives so that we can make the best decisions for our guests.

In the past our choices in the pre-made women’s solutions were limited and if a woman wanted her hair long, the choices were even more limited; plus, the quality of hair was inconsistent. But over the last 10 years I have watched our suppliers expand their choices, so much more than ever before.

Most men, (I know not all), like to wear their hair on the shorter side, which usually means about 5 inches long on their systems. This one fact alone leads to much better quality control in the hair industry. But women… We want hair! Usually lots of hair and sometimes long, flowing, full hair.

We want a much larger variety of colors in red, blonde, brunette, and multi-dimensional shades.

We want it curly, wavy, and silky. We want it to blow in the wind and the most important thing; we want it to be perfect all the time.

When women lose their hair, it is one of the most traumatic things they can go through. And as their hair care provider we not only take care of their hair, we take special care of their hearts. They need the security that comes from the trust they have instilled in us. They need to know that everything is going to be ok. And we look them in the eyes and promise them that they are in good hands.

But what happens when things don’t go as planned? What happens when your guest has an issue with their hair or something goes wrong and now everything is not ok? What do you do? How do you handle it?

I have a story to share with you about this exact situation.

I have a beautiful guest in my studio and for this article we will call her Janet. She’s a 40 something professional banker. She started losing her hair in her early 30’s and quickly became a master of disguise. She teased and manipulated that fine, thinning hair for years until she had exhausted herself.

When I met her she had a clip-on ponytail on top of her hair. She needed help with her drastic situation and she had come to us. I quickly discovered that Janet is a strong woman, but her spirit had been broken. Her hair loss had slowly destroyed her self confidence. As she told me her story, I listened in awe. She told me that she felt silly for feeling this way about her hair. She had raised a blind daughter and had always been overwhelmed by her daughter’s strength and perseverance overcoming that disability. Janet felt that complaining about her hair loss seemed selfish.

Through her tears she asked me for help. She no longer felt beautiful, but all I could see standing before me a gorgeous woman who just needed hair.

“You can trust me,” I told her. I can make your hair beautiful again.” Reluctantly she trusted me.

Scared…worried…ashamed…and now anxious, we picked the colors, the texture, the length, and measured for her new hair. She left a deposit, scheduled her next appointment and left.

Because she expressed that she wanted her hair as soon as possible, a custom piece of hair would have taken too long, so a pre-custom design would need to be chosen. I filtered through my choices of hair I was familiar with to see what would fit her situation. Since Janet needed a 3/4 cap, that really narrowed my choices. And her husband wanted her to keep her long, beautiful, blonde hair. Wow, this wasn’t going to be easy.

I chose a beautiful piece of hair that I had ordered in the past and was familiar with. It was delivered within a couple of days, and a week later Janet had new beautiful tresses. She was on top of the world!

She looked great, and Bobbi Russell most importantly, she felt great. I had done my job and the supplier had provided me with the tools I needed to change her life.

Six months later, we noticed the piece starting to show some wear. She decided that she wanted even longer fuller hair the next time, so we designed Janet a long, beautiful, golden head of hair. She felt beautiful and I had to admit; it was striking.

Then the economy took a turn for the worse.

When her hair started to show wear about a year later, she could not afford to order new hair, so she waited. Then tragedy struck her family. Her husband had a severe heart attack and became disabled and lost his job. Money had never been so tight. When she felt like she could no longer wait to place a hair order, she left a deposit.

cut and sewed and added tabs for over an hour, but it worked, and Janet looked beautiful when she left.

I knew that the hair I put on her was only a quick fix. It was not designed for a bond and would not be as durable as she desired. So now what? Start over? I decided to place a custom order for her right away. I placed my order with someone I knew I could trust. Someone I knew would NEVER do that to me or to my guest.

I started to think about what I had learned from all of this. It became very clear to me that there are some very important rules if you are going to be successful in this industry. The emotions run deep and you better hang on for the ride. We need to do everything in our power to make it everything right the first time and if it isn’t, you’d better have a strong backup plan, or this could get very expensive. In this case it was a very expensive lesson. I invested time and 2 extra pieces of hair.

But, I have a woman who still has faith in me.

Life was harder for her family than planned. She postponed having her new hair cut-in month after month. When the day came to apply her new hair, she was so happy. We bonded, cut and styled her new hair. Again, she looked gorgeous.

Two weeks later Janet called into the studio. She expressed concern that some of her new hair was falling out more than normal. She told us that she was unable to get to the studio before her next appointment because she lived 1.5 hours away.

She would wait until her appointment and we could look at it then. On the day of her appointment, I was shocked! Her hair had lost at least 70% of its density and she could barely hide it.

We were devastated. I began to ask her the normal questions. Did you do something different? Did you switch shampoos or conditioners? Did you change brushes? Did you sleep on wet hair? Did you put chemicals on it? And so on…

After a thorough investigation, I determined that it was a defective piece of hair and called my supplier immediately. I explained the situation and told them of Janet’s distress. They informed me that we had purchased the hair from them over 30 days ago and that they could not help me! Their warranty was 30 days from date of purchase!

Thirty days from my purchase date? Why was I not aware of this?

I asked to speak to a supervisor. Of course, I was kept on hold as Janet waited patiently in her room while I fought for her. I pleaded and begged for them to help her with no prevail. My heart was hurt and stunned. In all my years I had never had this happen to me and to my guest. Never like this!

She only had her hair on for 4 weeks and I needed to fix this! Ordering the same hair was out of the question. Burn me once, shame on you. Burn me twice, shame on me! I went into my hair supply room and started to search. I needed a 3/4 cap that could be bonded on and was long and blonde…Remember; I told her that everything was going to be O.K. She trusted me and I had let her down. Nothing in the supply room, next I went to my display room and took down a long blonde cranial prosthesis. I compared it to her template and measured for the size I need. I then

Creative Director Avi Roth aroth@nationalhairjournal.com

Technical Advisors Isaac Brakha Dr. Shelley Friedman Larry Oskin

Contributing Correspondents James Britt Marilyn Dodds Steven Dimanni Dawn Harrison Phil Fennell Gloria Ford Bobbi Russell Larry Sellars James Toscano Marilyn Wayne

Society Membership Director Heather Simon hsimon@nationalhairjournal.com

NE Regional Director Catherine Ingoglia

So here is my summary on how to keep this from happening to you.

CA Regional Director Edmarie Masters

European Director Hans Diks

Understand all the products you order. Attend conferences and touch the hair. Examine the bases. Find out what type of knots are being used. Ask about the life expectancy of the hair system. Find out the origin of the hair. Ask if anyone has reported problems with the hair system and why?

Owners, if your stylist does not attend conferences, it is your responsibility to educate them on the hair that they will be applying. Your clients trust their stylist. They need to be informed.

Because of her financial situation, we decided to go back to the less expensive, original pre-custom hair. After all, it was less money and it had served her well. She just needed to buy some time until her financial situation improved. Janet’s hair order was placed.

Christopher Webb cwebb@nationalhairjournal.com

Have a clear understanding of the warranty policies for all orders. Especially orders that might not be delivered to a client immediately.

Beware of the 30 day from purchase date warranty!

Try to always talk to the same sales representative every time you order. They will learn your definitions for hair orders. We all have our own terms and understanding of hair and bases.Your sales rep knows and learns what you like and dislike.

Make sure that the person you are dealing with truly understands the hair they are selling. If the company uses different factories, make sure they understand the difference of each factory.

Test them! Ask your rep questions. Ask them their opinions about your orders.

Try to meet your rep at the conferences.

Building relationships, builds trust. Eye contact and a good handshake are priceless. Share some time with them if you can.

Discuss your concerns with your sales rep. Tell them your likes and your dislikes. Ask them for help when you need to order or design something that challenges you. It is what they do all day. Let them help you.

When challenges occur, (and they will) don’t tell your rep what they must do to make it right. Tell them the situation and ask them for help. Don’t paint them into a corner! They might surprise you!

Your clients trust you. You have to build a rapport with them. You take care of them. We need to develop the same type of support system with our suppliers. We need to be able to trust them.

To know that everything is going to be ok. That they will be there and take care of us as we stand on the front line. Trust is everything.

Very special thanks to Antonio, Berdie and Elizabeth. You know who you are.

Bobbi Russell is a nationally respected hair stylist and educator. She is a popular platform artist and instructor at major hair shows and conferences and was elected to the faculty of the National Hair Society in 2008. Bobbi is an acknowledged expert in women’s hair additions and extensions. When she is not on the road, Bobbi can be found in her own studio in Tampa, Florida where she gets extra pleasure helping clients with special needs.

SUBSCRIPTIONS To subscribe to The National Hair Journal, send an Email to subscriptions@nationalhairjournal.com or visit www.nationalhairsociety.org/store. You can also write to us at the address at the bottom of this column or call 1-951571-3209.

ADVERTISING To place an advertisement or request a Media Kit, contact us at advertising@nationalhairjournal.com or call 1-951256-4385 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 LEGAL NOTICE Notice: The National Hair Journal , Issue number 53 Copyright ©2010. All rights reserved.

The views expressed herein are those of the individual author and are not necessarily those of The National Hair Journal, its editor, directors, or staff. All authors have been asked to disclose any and all interests they have in a product, procedure or device referenced in, or otherwise potentially impacted by, an article. The National Hair Journal makes no attempt to validate the sufficiency of such disclosures and makes no warranty, guarantee, or other representations, express or implied, with respect to the accuracy or sufficiency of any information provided.

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23 The National Hair Journal Spring 2010

24 The National Hair Journal Spring 2010