BARBEREVO UK AND IRELAND #33 – OUT NOW 

Get your copy here!

A summer of connection

The latest issue of BarberEVO UK and Ireland is OUT NOW. This issue is packed full of advice, features and trends to keep you up to date with what’s current in the barbering world.

Check out our front cover featuring two young barbers from Glasgow that are making their mark in the industry as they attract a celebrity clientele off the back of their work on textured hair. @exthebarber and @destacuts have ambitions for the future… keep an eye on them, they are going places.

We can’t not mention the UK event of the year, Barber Connect which certainly lived up to its name as the place to connect and forge new friendships. We feature a review of the show and a selection of the many hundreds of images we took in our exclusive BarberEVO front cover booth… it’s been a smash everywhere we take it. 

SUMMER TRENDS

Trends come and go but when summer hits, there’s always a style that makes its mark. And this year it’s all about the crop. We talk to some top barbers and ask about what they are being asked for in their chairs on the daily, and they share what the looks are, the techniques to create them and the products that keep them in place. 

TEXTURE

The skills needed to excel in textured hair takes time to master and we interview Tariq Howes, 5ive, Ex from EXStudio and SCurl, the biggest brand in textured hair, about how to tame the curls and create a silhouette to be proud of and what their advice is for those that want to be confident in this field.

EDUCATION

Barbers are always learning, and we talk to Vikki Harrison-Smith about her teaching techniques at her SB Barbering Academy about what she expects from her students and the level she wants them to achieve. Also sharing their knowledge is Skins and Needles barbering academy and we have a controversial column from master barber Rob Rix about how the education levels of today leave him feeling less than impressed.

HAIRLOSS

The solutions to hair loss have increased tenfold over the last decade and now is the time to invest in some training so that you too can be part of the solution to those that are suffering with it. We talk to the brands and practitioners that are giving back a confident future to men that are struggling with hairloss in this feature and see the incredible transformations that can happen. 

FURNITURE

Are you even a barber if you haven’t admired a classic barber chair and wish you had a line of them in your shop? We are exploring the world of barbershop chairs and what remains the classics, what’s new and the options for buying them… buy the best you can afford, and if you can’t afford them, then leasing is now an incredible option for barbers to have the shop of their dreams.

We hope you enjoy this issue! You can order your print copy here.

In 1992, Dean Wada, founder and CEO of JATAI, the exclusive distributor of the Feather brand in the US and Canada, approached the Feather team in Japan with an idea for a new haircutting razor that used guarded, replaceable blades. That new tool, now known industry-wide as the Feather Styling Razor, opened a door to a whole new creative space for stylists, allowing them to razor cut without fear of cutting themselves or their clients. This summer, JATAI is celebrating the 30^th anniversary of the Feather Styling Razor with a new influencer driven social media campaign. 

Safety was the most important factor in the design of the razor. Featuring a non-folding razor handle for ease of use and to prevent accidental cuts from an exposed blade, the Feather Styling Razor can be held like a paintbrush, becoming an extension to the hand and making it easier for stylists to use the razor more creatively. Unlike folding haircutting razors, no special training is needed with the Feather Styling Razor which also includes a blade tray and disposal case that allows stylists to insert and dispose blades without having to touch them.  

When reflecting on the anniversary, Wada said, “Over the last 30 years, the success of our company and the Feather brand has been deeply rooted not only in our business strategy, but in the creativity of the hair professionals. It was our intention to design a safe haircutting tool for them that allowed them to freely create and showcase their artistry and skill. We are thrilled that all these years later, the Feather Styling Razor is still the number one haircutting razor on the market.”  

Since its debut in 1992, the Feather Styling Razor has forever changed the way hair professionals cut hair, allowing for unique and fun styles that can only be achieved by a razor. JATAI will be honoring that endless creativity with its summer campaign which will feature a host of stylist-led content including a collection of anniversary-themed videos in the JATAI Academy, JATAI’s free online education platform. The new Education CONNECT video tutorials will showcase modern day takes on iconic hairstyles from the past three decades including 1990s grunge-inspired French bob inspired by Winona Ryder and Drew Barrymore’s iconic ‘90s looks; a 2000s-inspired pixie made famous by Halle Berry; an ode to the sexy, long layered cut of the 2010s; and one of today’s hottest styles, the shullet. Filmed with Los Angeles-based stylists Janine Jarman (@janinejarman), Mikey Teeze (@mikey_teeze), Rae Steele (@raeikole) and Charli Boell (@shrunknheads), respectively, each video will highlight the versatility of the Feather Styling Razor, showing a complete haircut done using only the razor. 

In addition to the education-focused content, JATAI will also collaborate with influential razor-cut specialists for a social media campaign across Instagram and TikTok. These stylists, who know and love the Feather Styling Razor, will be sharing tutorials, finished looks and their own personal tips and tricks using the razor. JATAI will also be hosting giveaways and special offers on the razor handle and Styling Razor Blades exclusively on JATAI.net. 

JATAI’s Feather Styling Razor 30^th anniversary campaign launches July 5, 2022 on JATAI.net and @jataifeather. 

BaByliss PRO has become synonymous with some of our industry’s biggest and best talents. Continuing this legacy in 2022, they are delighted to announce their two newest grooming brand ambassadors, Pete Cranfield and Tariq Howes. This year is shaping up to be a very exciting year for the brand, with the long awaited arrival of CustomFX in the UK in July, and another two big launches coming later in the year. Tariq and Pete will be joining the BaByliss PRO team alongside regular brand ambassador and grooming legend, Jody Taylor. 

Pete says: “Being a BaByliss PRO Ambassador is such an incredible opportunity for me. After so long in the industry I feel I’ve achieved something massive being involved with a huge brand that share the same forward thinking values as me. The whole team are like a huge supportive family, so it’s a dream position for me to be in!”  

Tariq says: “Signing with BaByliss PRO is one of the highlights of my career, and a life changing opportunity for me. I feel blessed to be able to work with a brand like them, who literally give me the tools and the freedom to be creative and grow as a hairdresser. I’m excited to see what the future brings with this partnership.” 

UK men’s grooming brand Dapper Dan has announced it is spearheading a new charity initiative, called ‘Kuts 4 Kids’. Globally recognised brand Dapper Dan is coordinating barbershops up and down the UK to provide free haircuts to underprivileged children in their local area, in the last full week of August (from the 22nd - 28th in the back-to-school period).   

The aim of the campaign is to boost the self-esteem of underprivileged children, providing them with a confidence boost from a great haircut, as well as a memorable barbershop experience. It’s clear from the Kuts 4 Kids Instagram page that the campaign aims to kickstart a positive process for kids, helping them with the first stage of building up their self-esteem, which can translate to many aspects of their lives.  

Dapper Dan Director Simon May explained why the brand decided to start the campaign: “With the cost of living crisis happening in this country, we know that a haircut is one of the first things families are cutting back on. Yet, a good haircut can be the small thing that starts a positive chain reaction for so many kids, as well as being something to look forward to in the ‘back to school’ period, which for some children is a particularly anxiety-inducing time.”  

The Kuts 4 Kids campaign will be working with food banks across the UK to ensure vouchers for the scheme are provided to the most in need families. An example of this is in Dapper Dan’s home city of Sheffield, where they will be working with the S6 Foodbank to distribute vouchers to kids all around Sheffield. 

 Outside of facilitating the campaign, Dapper Dan themselves will be donating a free pot of their award-winning hair styling products to every child who receives a haircut from the initiative. Moreover, one of the participating barbershops will be Wolf & Co, owned by Simon himself, who will also be getting involved and providing the shop’s free haircuts.  

Barbers or Hair Stylists wanting to get involved with the charity campaign should contact the Kuts 4 Kids Instagram page (@kuts4_kids), where all the information they need to pledge will be provided.  

Easydry has proudly announced that it is now a Certified B Corp company, the first and only disposable towel company in the world to have achieved this prestigious certification. Thousands of companies around the world apply for B Corp certification each year, but only a select few make it through the assessment and verification process. After over a year of hard work and development, Easydry have achieved this elusive certification with a high score of 98.7. 

When Easydry was founded almost 20 years ago, our founder, Anne Butterly, knew that sustainability had to be at the heart of everything Easydry did. Easydry has always had a commitment to being a business that puts purpose over profit. Rather than solely operating to generate profit, B corps prioritise creating value for the local community, for employees, and for the environment, and Easydry is delighted to now have B Corporation certification proving that the business is a means for good.  

Certified B Corporations, or B Corps, are companies that have been verified as meeting the highest standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability. Getting certified to B Corp is a rigorous process that took more than a year to complete. The process required companies to show lots of evidence which ensures there is no greenwash or false claims! B Corp requires re-certification every three years to ensure high standards are maintained and to encourage companies to do even better each time. 

Easydry is delighted to now join the B Corp community of more than 4,000 businesses around the world. The B Corp community in the UK, consists of more than 500 companies and in Ireland, less than 10! B Corporations include Athleta, Ben & Jerry’s and Patagonia. 

Easydry CEO and founder Anne Butterly, says:

“I am so proud that Easydry has become a certified B Corp! I founded Easydry almost 20 years ago with sustainability at its heart. Achieving B Corp certification is a fantastic validation of what we do and what we believe in. It fits perfectly with the Easydry mission and vision.  I, and my team, are delighted to share this good news with you.  

“Achieving certification is a tough process and has involved a huge proportion of our time and effort. However, this has given us a great opportunity to examine what we do for people, planet and profit. The time spent on this process has been well worth it.  

“Becoming a B Corporation is just the start for us. We have achieved a score of 98.7. The minimum required to achieve B Corporation Certification is 80 but the average score companies receive is 50.9. We are proud to be one of the highest scoring B Corporations in Ireland. We want to continue along this path and achieve even higher results in our next certification. 

“This process and framework has given us an opportunity to identify actions that we want to implement over the coming years. We thank our customers and partners for their support and we hope that they will continue on this journey with us.” 

To view the Easydry B Corporation page please visit: 
https://www.bcorporation.net/en-us/find-a-b-corp/company/easydry

There’s still time for hairdressers to apply to join the 2023 F.A.M.E. Team – and experience a year like no other!  

The F.A.M.E. Team – Fellowship Academy of Merit and Excellence – was launched in 1993 as a platform for young people in the industry, offering opportunities not seen anywhere else with the aim to build their skills, knowledge, confidence and profile. Since then, some 118 stylists have passed through the programme, many who are now household names.  

The 2022 team consisting of Alex Cook, Darrel Starkey, Jessica Hau and Lydia Wolfe have already spent days with their leaders Gary Hooker and Michael Young, four-times British Hairdresser of the Year Akin Konizi, British Colour Technician of the Year Siobhan Haug three-times British Hairdresser of the Year Sally Brooks, as well as presented their Evolution show at President’s Night.  

To enter the 2023 programme, entrants must be under 25 years of age as of 1 January 2023. You need to submit a maximum of six images of your work and a two-minute video.   

2022 team member Alex Cook says: “It’s a pinch me moment learning from and spending time with by some of the most amazing people in our industry. I’ve learnt some great skills over the year and I would advise anyone thinking of entering to believe in yourself, believe in your ideas and your concepts and go for it!”  

Darrel Starkey adds: “For me being part of the F.A.M.E. Team means I have continued my journey of growth and I have been able to push this even further during this amazing year. The application process may be exciting and stressful but it’s so rewarding.  

Lydia Wolfe comments: “I’ve loved meeting my favourite industry icons and having the opportunity to talk to them and take inspiration from them. We’ve also taken part in several photo shoots which has been an amazing experience. If you’re thinking of applying, I would say think about the whole story behind any look you want to achieve; you want to show your skill sets and strengths, but people also enjoy hearing the story behind your ideas.” 

Jessica Hau says: “I have met so many incredible people and every time we meet up I learn something new, something different and creative happens and it’s so much fun.”  

Closing date is 27 June, apply at https://fellowshiphair.com/projects/fame-team/how-to-join 

DESIGNED TO UPSELL AND INCREASE REVENUE FOR HAIR AND BEAUTY PROFESSIONALS 

Booksy, the leader in booking and business technology for the beauty industry, has just launched its new Add-ons feature to its award-winning app. This gives service providers yet another way to grow their businesses, and their revenues. During the booking process, the new Booksy Add-ons feature allows providers to showcase additional options to their customers. This helps them upsell services, increase revenue, and delivers added value to end customers.  

What are Add-ons? Add-ons are booked alongside an existing service to create a more unique experience. Examples include adding nail art or gel polish to a manicure, using premium products during a shampoo, using hot stones during a massage. Top sectors that use Add-ons to increase their overall profits are barbers, hair, and nails. Like many Booksy features, Add-ons are entirely customizable by the beauty professional and/or salon, barbershop, nail spa or other.  

As of today, more than 6,000 Booksy providers are using Add-ons to expand and upsell their service offerings. And it’s working. Booksy data shows, for example, all Providers using the Add-ons feature today, the revenue from Add-ons makes up about 20% of total Service value while revenue from existing Services makes up the other 80%. Since Add-ons became available to Booksy Providers and clients, the weekly average appointment value increased by over 70%.  

Currently, 56% of appointments booked with Add-ons are bookings made on the Boosky for Customers App – the easy-to-use consumer app that allows for simple booking for any beauty service. This indicates that customers are loving the newest feature too and are more likely to enhance their services when presented with a list of Add-ons upon booking. 

“I am so happy with the new Add-ons feature and my business has significantly grown since I started using it. I specialize in body waxing and in the past my clients would normally book one service through Booksy. I have experienced a huge increase with people booking additional services regularly and my revenue has absolutely increased as a result. People simply didn’t know all the options available to them and now those options and Add-ons are highlighted at the time of booking. The Add-ons feature has truly simplified the upsell process, saved me time, and benefited my business in so many ways. I highly recommend it,” commented Jess Oehler, owner of Ritual Wax Studio in San Antonio, TX. 

Get discovered and get booked using Booksy. Download the Booksy Biz mobile app for free or visit Booksy.com/biz to learn more. 

The Hair & Beauty Charity is launching its annual raffle on 1st July 2022 and entering couldn’t be easier, as tickets will be available for purchase online via the charity’s website. 

The raffle is renowned for its extensive list of fantastic prizes and this year will not disappoint, with all winners being announced in December 2022. Purchase a ticket for only £1 each and you could be in the running to win one of many excellent prizes, including £1000 cash, gift vouchers up to £500, a Spa Day and many, many more. You’d be oh so silly not to enter! 

All proceeds raised will go towards supporting the charity’s hair, beauty and barbering beneficiaries. With your help, the Hair and Beauty Charity is able to provide much-needed financial support to individuals and their families facing difficult times due to unforeseen circumstances such as illness, bereavement and financial hardship. 

Jayne Lewis-Orr, President of the Hair & Beauty Charity said, “ 

The funds raised from our raffle helps industry colleagues suffering extreme financial hardship in the aftermath of the pandemic and the looming energy and cost-of-living crisis. 

We’ve provided assistance to record numbers of applicants over the past 2 years and remain committed to supporting hairdressers, barbers and beauty professionals, many of whom have nowhere else to turn. 

This simple act of kindness can not only win you a fabulous prize, but shows struggling industry colleagues that we’re all here for them.” 

To purchase raffle tickets, please visit https://www.hairandbeautycharity.org/raffle 

The Hair & Beauty Charity raffle will be drawn in December 2022 

Follow @HBCharityUK on Instagram, Facebook & Twitter 

The industry is gearing up for one of the most anticipated shows on the east coast, BarberCon NYC, being held at East Rutherford, NJ on July 17, 2022.

BarberEVO is the proud media partner for BarberCon and tickets are now available for this not to be missed event in the barbering calendar. Be quick, it is selling out fast!

Barbercon is the premier global festival of the barbering community.  Launched in 2016 by Lee Resnick as the live networking event for Barbershopconnect, the first social site exclusively for barbers, Barbercon brings together thousands of high-profile and amateur barbers, cosmetologists, and brands from around the world. 2020 will be the biggest and most dynamic Barbercon to date, including three stages for live hair tutorials and product demonstrations, Barber Battle, an even larger indoor/outdoor Barbercon Marketplace, intimate education classes and workshops, an outdoor festival area, the prestigious Barbercon Awards, and so much more.

New educators are being added to the list to help you elevate your career to the next level by tuning into those in the know.

For more details: go to www.barbercon.com/nyc/home

13^th – 19^th June is men’s mental health awareness month here in the UK. This is the perfect time to think about what we can be doing as an industry to help protect men’s mental health and ensure we move forward in a healthier, happier space. We caught up with some leading names in the hairdressing industry who are focusing on mental health and got their take on the men’s mental health week and what we can be doing. 

Simon Hill, Owner of SESH Hairdressing  

Men’s mental health awareness week is a great opportunity for us as an industry to look at what more we could be doing and to learn from each other, too. At SESH Hairdressing, we are always placing focus on mental wellbeing and work with our team to ensure they are cared for and mentally healthy. One of the biggest points to note when looking at men’s mental health is definitely communication and encouraging men to open up and talk about their feelings and emotions. Typically, men are more known for remaining quiet and avoiding discussing their mental health in comparison to females. In 2022, we need to remove this stereotype and there is definitely a shift in this, amongst our industry and wider culture in general.  

At SESH Hairdressing, we operate with complete open lines of communication. We believe this helps our team members come forward with any issues instead of allowing it to fester and potentially become more dangerous in terms of their mental health. Ensure that your team know they have your full support and they can access you on a one to one basis to discuss anything at anytime. Little things such as introducing things such as a quiet space for men to take a short break could help to ensure mental wellbeing.  

Brian Leo McCallum, Owner of ROAR Hair and Beauty  

Men’s mental health awareness week is definitely something to be highlighted and appreciated. However, at ROAR we believe gender is neutral. We are all human and we should all place awareness on our mental health at all times to ensure we are healthy inside too. One of our tips for everyone when it comes to mental health is to always ask your team, friends and family twice if they are okay. In Britain, we are known for asking ‘how are you’ and replying with a surface level answer to gloss over what may really be going on. By asking a second time, you give your loved ones the chance to open up and actually share what’s going on. Try to reduce the taboo around mental health with your team, let them know that as their employer you take mental health as seriously as physical health.  

Education is also key when it comes to mental health. I am currently working on an HNC Level 3 on mental health first aid. Knowledge is power so the more you know, the better!  

Jim Shaw, Owner of TONI&GUY Billericay and Award Winning Men’s Hairdresser 

Mental health is a topic we are starting to talk a lot more about and this is extremely important to help remove the stigma and to be able to help and support people and encourage them to get treatment for their mental health should they need it. 

Men in particular can find it harder to talk about their mental health and at TONI&GUY Billericay, where I have a men’s area in the salon, as well as a main salon area for our client’s, I felt it was instrumental to learn more about mental health to ensure myself and the team could chat openly to our clients in a safe place about any mental health struggles they may have and be equipped to support them and point them in the right direction of resources and further support should they need it. 

In the salon, we talk to a large number of clients daily and it’s crucial that we are prepared for difficult conversations should they arise and that we can make our clients feel comfortable and space in the salon environment.  

Not only is it important to be able to talk to your clients openly about mental health but also your team and this should be a top priority for salon owners. Always have an open-door policy where your team can come to you should they have any concerns or need any support and try to hold one-to-one regular team meetings with each of your team where you can have informal chats and monitor their mental wellbeing. 

Mental health training has become more widely available for salon owners and teams, particularly since the pandemic with us having a number of lockdowns where our mental health was impacted greatly. I decided to partake in the MHFA England Mental Health First Aider training to become a Mental Health First Aider in the salon and to help provide me with the skills and knowledge to help support my team and clients with their wellbeing, as well as my own too. The course taught in depth skills for providing first aid to people who may be experiencing mental health issues such as depression, anxiety and psychosis and was incredibly insightful. As hairdressers, we want our clients to leave the salon looking and feeling amazing but knowing we have the skills and knowledge to take this one step further and be able to help and support clients who may have struggles and promote good wellbeing is so rewarding. 

Anil Salhan, Owner of BLACC + BLOND 

Mental health is something that is incredibly important to us at BLACC + BLOND and we take pride in creating change and awareness and we are constantly looking at ways we can do this. For example, during the first lockdown, we innovated and adapted our service to offer clients “Virtual Haircuts” to keep people looking and feeling good when they were not able to visit the salon. All proceedings from this service were donated to Birmingham Mind and CALM, two Mental Health Charities. 

We communicate with our clients that if they are suffering from poor mental health, to know that they are safe to discuss such matters when in our store. 

Making clients comfortable in expressing themselves is key for me. Especially now in a post pandemic world where humans don’t necessarily socialise or communicate with people as much. I believe it is a modern-day duty for stylists to incorporate higher levels of communication into their service, especially for men, as we’ve been programmed to bottle up our feelings.  

When creating our salon, I thought long and hard about how it could promote mindfulness and improve client’s mental health and wellbeing, and this is something salon owners can also be aware of, especially if they are starting up or looking to make changes to their space and the experience they provide to clients.  It can be daunting for clients to walk into a pretentious salon, or an intimidating barbershop and that experience is even worse if the client feels like they have been rushed.  Therefore, we created a space that doesn’t fit into a stereotyped image and where clients can simply be themselves.  

Traditionally male focussed shops or salons would be darker, moodier and quite intimidating. They would have a stags head on a wall and give off an image that if you didn’t have a big beard, drink whiskey and smoke cigars then you aren’t “a real man”. Similarly female salons would be draped in glitter, gold and diamonds and be quite pretentious. Instead, we decided to design our salon to coin the concept of “neutralism” and have abstract and natural aesthetic. We also incorporated the Japanese concept Wabi Sabi, which is about embracing natural tones, textures and ageing processes – to see the beauty in imperfections. 

To ensure clients don’t feel rushed we created a Slow Hair Space, whereby all clients are offered a minimum of an hour of our dedicated time. That hour not only gives us the time to get to know the client’s hair and make them look great, but to also get to know the client and build a long-lasting relationship. It allows us to take our time on our clients and focus on the quality of the service we are providing to them. 

We also offer an optimum cleansing experience within our space for our clients to fully indulge and relax. Nobody enjoys having their hair cleansed in full public view and our highly considered wash area provides the modern solution to “traditional” salon design flaws. It’s private, intimate and cosy.  

Aside from our calming and relaxing space, we have additional touches to further promote mindfulness and good wellbeing within the salon, this includes an aroma diffuser with essential oils, which helps clients to unwind and boosts their mood and a music sound system whereby we play a mix of everything including Somalian Jazz to French House and Hip Hop, as well as our very own BLACC + BLOND – House Party playlist, a feel-good summer playlist.