Goldwell Takes on Las Vegas, Part II

On Wednesday I gave you a first glimpse at my trip to Las Vegas for the (recently renamed) Color Zoom international finals for Goldwell. As promised, today I’m back with additional photos from the event. These pics were all taken Monday night at the Color Zoom Fashion Show and Gala, which included a catwalk presentation of the national finalists and their models, the introduction of the 2010 Color Zoom trend world, a seated dinner and the announcement of the 2009 winners. Still want to see more? You’ll find detailed information and lots of images in our January 2010 issue!

Mohawks to benefit the homeless

Ivan Zoot, also known as "The Clipper Guy", holds three world records in speedy haircutting.

On November 12, Bolt Barbers will celebrate their grand opening with a Hawks for Homeless fundraiser in Los Angeles, CA. At the event, barbers will volunteer to cut mohawks and faux hawks to help raise money for the Midnight Mission, a Los Angeles organization dedicated to removing the homeless from skid row and helping them become self-sufficient through education, training and counseling.

Among the Mohawk stylists will be Ivan Zoot, director of education and training for Andis, who also holds the Guinness Book of World Record titles for the world’s fastest haircut, most haircuts in one hour and most haircuts in 24 hours. If he chops at his world record pace of 34 haircuts per hour, Zoot can achieve 170 mohawks during the five-hour event.

To sign up for a mohawk, view before and after photos or donate to the event, visit hawksforhomeless.com. — Noelle Rivera

Strategies Gives Back

Strategies CEO Neil Ducoff

Salon owners and managers around the nation recently competed for a chance to attend a free Strategies Incubator seminar. For 15 years, Strategies has offered top-quality business education for the salon and spa industries, and one of their most popular workshops is the Incubator, a four-day tutorial designed to help owners and managers achieve and sustain financial growth.

To be considered, contestants sent in essays explaining how the seminar would be beneficial to their business. Strategies CEO Neil Ducoff and Vice President Eric Ducoff, selected 30 winning entries with each prize valued at a $1,300. “Reading the entries was a reminder that the recession is far from over because so many businesses are struggling,” said Eric. “I look forward to seeing the turnaround in these salons and spas after the Incubator.”

The Incubator will be held November 8-11 at the Strategies training center in Centerbrook, CT. For more information on seminars offered and to reserve a seat, visit strategies.com. — Noelle Rivera

Goldwell Takes on Las Vegas

I just returned from a wonderful and inspiring trip to Las Vegas for the international finals of Goldwell Trend Zoom 2009 (being renamed Color Zoom for 2010). I was honored to be a judge for the United States finals back in June, but I loved being able to just enjoy the international competition as a spectator. I was amazed at the level of sheer talent surrounding me as I stood among the 2,000 colorists from across the world who showed up to compete, observe and learn. Here’s just a small glimpse of what I experienced—I’ll be posting additional images and information from the event over the next couple of days, so please stay tuned for more!

NEW Guest Artist: John Allan on the Men’s Market

When I started John Allan’s in 1988 my goal was to bridge the gap between professional salons and men by offering a fresh approach to men’s grooming and departing from the traditional barbershop. I wanted to create an environment that would be more comfortable for men—one that combined the services of professional stylists with the ambiance of a luxury men’s club and not your typical high-end salon for women. Today, with five clubs and thousands of clients and members in New York City and Chicago, plus distribution of a global hair, skin and shave line, I am excited to be able to share some of my experiences with you.

I’ve found that men are often ignored, almost an afterthought. Half the population is male and yet salons are not drawing them in—just simply accepting whoever comes through the door. I hope to change that and help change your business.

To understand your demographic is to effectively market to it. For example, one salon in Wisconsin learned that dedication to men requires more than carrying men’s products; it’s a great start but education and follow-through build loyalty. In my clinic we not only teach men’s core cutting techniques, we support it with discussions on design and marketing to men. The Wisconsin salon got that and created a separate men’s section in their unisex area, increasing their revenue by $60,000 that year.

Once a man becomes your client, it is important to gain his trust and loyalty. When you use a product on a guy during his haircut, that’s the sell because he is being educated. A hard sell at the front desk won’t build loyalty, especially if he spends $15 to $20 on something he won’t use, leaving him feeling cheated. Marketing products to men is an evolution that grows in layers. Today it was hair and styling products, next time it will be an exfoliating cleanser or pre-shave because we earned their trust.

When you show commitment to men, they will respond. Establishing a designated area for men to get services was the perfect example. In the coming months, I will discuss how you can better set up your salon to cater to specific goals. I’m also interested to know what you think and what questions you may have. I will be bringing you experiences from my club, giving you insight from the floor, from the stores, and from my members, who will talk about their experiences at John Allan’s and what works for them in style and in life. Together we can march forward and add stability and ideas to the industry through technical support, systems support and marketing support. I am looking forward to this opportunity to speak to you through American Salon and hope we will make a difference. Email me at ja@johnallans.com.

John Allan has been a pioneer in the men’s grooming industry for more than
20 years, creating renowned luxury destinations for men that combine the
atmosphere of a private club with a full grooming outpost. Along with his
men’s clubs—there are several in New York and a new club in Chicago—John
Allan also has an award-winning product line that offers everything from
shave products to hair and skin care. John Allan is now distributing his
products at salons throughout the country and certifying stylists in his
cutting methods and business-building techniques.

Elite Salon Systems and Shortcuts Software Rally for a Cure

Gabe Ormando, East Coast Sales Manager at Shortcuts Software, Sherri Martens, President of Elite Salon Systems and Emily Kay, Business Consultant at Shortcuts Software

On October 3, Elite Salon Systems hosted the third annual Pink Gala in Orlando, FL in memory of founder and breast cancer victim, Linda Martens. “Since our inception in 1981, my mother, Linda Martens, created the foundation of Elite Salon Systems around supporting community and charity causes,” says Sherri Martens, president of Elite Salon Systems. “After losing her battle with breast cancer in 2006, I began a crusade, in her honor, to try and end breast cancer forever by raising money for breast cancer research.”

At the event, Shortcuts Software, a company that provides top-level software to salons and spas around the world, donated a software and online marketing package for the silent auction worth $4,600. “As a long-time partner with Elite Salon Systems, we all feel that we are personally attached to the cause in memory of Linda Martens,” says C.E.O. of Shortcuts North America Paul Tate.

Through October 31, Shortcuts will donate five cents from every dollar a customer spends to Elite Salon Systems through the “Shortcuts Luvs Boobies” campaign. In turn, Elite Salon will donate all proceeds to research for a cure. For more information on how you can help visit elitepinkmiami.com. — Noelle Rivera

Keune Haircosmetics Artisan Contends for Mrs. America Title

Letitia Carpenter, artisan and cosmetologist for Keune Haircosmetics, recently won the title of Mrs. Tennessee 2009. Carpenter represents Collierville, TN where she owns her salon, Classic Image Studio, and resides with her husband and seventeen-month old son.

The Mrs. America pageant dates back to 1938 when winning meant being the ideal homemaker. The competitions included table setting, ironing, sewing and cooking, with contestants also being graded on personality and beauty. In 1968, the pageant was discontinued due to the changing roles of women, but re-emerged nine years later to focus on the contemporary, most accomplished women of America.

As the state winner, Carpenter is now preparing for the 2010 Mrs. America title that will be held in Tucson, AZ in September. Mrs. America is the only nationally televised beauty pageant for married women in the U.S. — Noelle Rivera

Hanna Compton, Week 7: Protege

Now that we’re out of core we have two weeks of assisting and learning from other future professionals on the floor until we get to take clients ourselves. How it works is in the morning we have class then after lunch we’re on the floor for the rest of the day. Then on Wednesdays we have guest speakers and we stay in class the rest of the day while some future professionals are on the floor. On Saturdays we are on the floor all day since we’re the busiest on Saturdays. And we have a test every Friday on whatever chapter we read in the book that week. This week was pretty cool, we went over the structure of the hair as well as hair and scalp conditions in class on Tuesday. We also worked on some state board mock tests. Then on Tuesday we had more Theory, or learning things from the book, and we also had cutting class. We thought of or found a combination cut we’d be interested in doing and mapped it out on our head sheets so that we can do it next week. Then Wednesday we had guest speakers from Dermalogica who walked us through face mapping. We also got to see a little bit of the new Paul Mitchell Color System Dvds that just came out. On Thursday we had texture class where Ree showed us one of the textures we used at Fashion Week. And on Friday we had our test and had color class where we watched a bit of the new Alchemy color and cut dvds soon to be released by Angus Mitchell. Saturday we assisted on the floor all day and I got to work at the front desk to see how that all works. It was pretty fun and time went by fast. I liked it. At the end of the day I helped do a haircut on a very nice woman with reallly long hair. She got layers that looked really nice and I got to work on my sales skills as well as inform her of our Skin Academy and how we do waxing and facials and all that. I really enjoyed this week, its a big new step, but I’m ready for it. I can’t believe that in just one more week I’ll be taking my first client!

Much Love,

Hanna Compton

Recreate Scarlett Johansson’s Red Carpet Look

At the Moet & Chandon “Tribute to Cinema” event in Tokyo on Tuesday night, Scarlett Johansson sported a powerful, side-swept look created by celebrity hairdresser David Babaii. Babaii took Johansson’s long strawberry blonde hair and gave it the appearance of a short, textured bob.

To get this sophisticated style, Babbai applied his David Babaii for WildAid Hair Polish to her damp hair and rough dried her locks. He then loosely twirled large sections of hair and sprayed them with Bohemian Beach Spray as he finished the drying process. When the hair was completely dried, Babaii ran his fingers through the hair and gently loosen the twirled sections. He continued using his fingers to sweep the hair to the side, taking care not to disturb the texture he had achieved. He then cupped Johansson’s long locks under to give the illusion of shorter hair. He secured the style with bobby pins and sprayed it with his Mise en Plis Light Styling Spray for a soft, long-lasting hold. A jeweled hair clip from DeBeers finished the look, which beautifully complemented the fire red Givenchy dress.

Sam Villa Talks Trends

In a new video on his website, Redken Platform Artist of the Year Sam Villa talks about where he sees the direction of hair heading. Check it out!

(If the above link doesn’t work, visit http://samvilla.com/education.php?id_cat=13&id_subcat=67)