For Wahl Professional, providing high-quality education has always been at the forefront of the clipper manufacturer’s agenda. Lisa Finucane, Wahl’s National Director of Education, shares the same passion and goal of providing education to barbers and stylists in a way that helps them reach their creative potential. In an effort to reach Wahl Professional’s end users, Finucane reorganized the Wahl Professional Education Team to touch on different creative aspects of the barber and cosmetologist educational needs.

“Dividing the Wahl Professional Education Team into three “sub-teams” ensures that we are reaching customers at all levels of skill and creativity. There is such rich diversity and legacy in Wahl Professional Education, and my goal was to showcase the talents of the education team and leverage our stellar reputation while providing the end-user with the flexibility to choose classes and educational events for all skill levels,” says Finucane. “Our goal is to present educational offerings that can provide the barber or stylist the opportunities to learn fundamental clipper hair cutting up to the most creative cutting techniques that utilize multiple Wahl Professional tools.”

The Field Education Team comprises the majority of the Wahl educators, who all share the goal of helping barbers and stylists learn new skills and master classic cuts. The educators on this team are tasked with teaching at distributor classes and trade shows, while continuously helping build a strong foundation of education for the barbers and stylists.

The 1919 Artistic Team has been established to influence and create high-end editorial styles. Led by creative consultant Jamie DiGrazia, they will provide education for those barbers and stylists looking to turn up their creativity with their tools, including the Wahl 1919 styling and finishing line. DiGrazia identifies as a stylist and barber, which allows her the creativity and skill to create hairstyles that are a hybrid of the two. The other educators on the team share similar knowledge and collaboratively will be helping create a connection with stylists. However, hair cutting will not be the only education provided by this team; the 1919 Artistic Team will also be creating finishing techniques, retail classes, and product knowledge classes all with a focus on Wahl Professional’s 1919 Men’s Grooming Line.

The role of the Wahl Professional Creative Team is to create and inspire. These educators are featured on the Disruptour, a nation-wide barber education tour created by Finucane and Byrd Mena of SharpFade. The goal of the Disruptour is to provide high-end education in intimate settings across the United States. 2021 brings a combination of a “look and learn” stage presentation followed by a “hands-on” learning experience where attendees will learn the Disruptour Trend Cuts. The Disruptour Team is a group of highly creative individuals with a passion for educating and the skill set necessary to be visionaries and trendsetters. This team will be responsible for setting the trend cuts, styles, and creative social media content.

In addition to the new teams, Finucane will also have help from her Lead Educator, Nieves Almaraz. Almaraz continues to be a driving force in the success of Wahl Professional Education. His background as a barber, cosmetologist, and barber educator has significantly contributed to the success of Wahl Professional Education. Almaraz and Finucane collaborated on Wahl Professional’s Pop Up Academy as well as the creation of five fundamental haircuts that are now the basis for Wahl’s clipper education.  As a two-time NAHA Nominee, Nieves is also a creative collaborator for Finucane.

“Nieves has been a tremendous resource and solid partner as I approached the new educational formats, events, and team diversity. He and I have the same goal of providing education that reflects the journey of Wahl Professional,” says Finucane. “We are both traditionalists at heart. However, we also have a keen understanding that pushing creative limits and boundaries are necessary components to staying fresh and relevant. Our goal is to enrich the lives of our long time Wahl users and also attract new, young users by providing education that inspires all levels of barbering and cosmetology.”

For a list of available classes, check out wahlpro.com/education. To learn more about Wahl Professional, follow them on Instagram at @wahlpro or visit the website at wahlpro.com.

Marc Milman’s passion for cutting perfection drives Washi to the top

When it comes to thriving – not merely surviving – in the beauty business, it takes nerves of steel. “I broke into the beauty industry not knowing that this would be what I wanted to do for the rest of my life,” confesses Washi founder/CEO Marc Milman.

“I just dove in headfirst. Back in 1986 I stumbled upon a career sharpening shears, and just a few years later, I bought Washi!”

At the time, Washi was a fledgling company, but thanks to Milman’s swan dive into the deep end, it’s now at the top of its game. Thanks in part to his quarter century in the business, the company’s product roster contains some of the most popular shears on the market, including the AX Ultimate, and Milman is continually creating new scissors that cater to stylists’ every need. (Milman relates that Washi will be launching a revolutionary new design slated to hit the market soon.)

But how do Washi shears manage to snip away at the competition?

“It’s our Hitachi steel. Unfortunately, our industry is plagued by companies claiming that their scissors are forged with Hitachi – which is the finest steel available – when they are not. The burden of finding quality shears ultimately falls on stylist’s shoulders.”

Quality ingredients aside, Milman prides himself on the individual attention that he gives to each set of scissors. “I inspect all shears before they go out the door,” he says. “And if a stylist ever says that his or her shears aren’t performing correctly, I personally adjust the product.”

With this hands-on mentality, it’s no wonder that Milman’s carved out an indelible niche in the pro-beauty world.

Chock up Milman’s success to the mantra that’s made his company a cut above: “The day I stop learning is the day that I’ll fail.”

There is increasing concern from the hairdressing industry and the public over the number of professional footballers sporting immaculate haircuts and so the NHBF has raised the issue with the Professional Footballers’ Association, the English Football League, The Premier League and the Football Association.

Over the past week, the NHBF has been contacted by members of the public raising their concerns that professional football players appear to have had fresh haircuts, despite the mandated closure of hair salons and barbershops.

Richard Lambert, chief executive of the NHBF says, “Of course, we realise that some of the players may have cut their own hair, or had it cut by someone within their bubble, but there seems to be a growing assumption that they must have knowingly broken the rules.”

In an open letter to each of the professional football organisations, the NHBF has asked them to remind players that current regulations mean that hair stylists and barbers, whether premises based or freelance, are not permitted to offer any services at the moment. 

Richard continues, “Hairdressers and barbers have a responsibility to comply with the rules, and it’s our job to make sure they understand what that means.  There is no exemption for sportspeople, so when the public see people who appear to think that the rules don’t apply to them, it really hits a nerve. With the whole country struggling as the pandemic continues, it’s important that those in the public eye are sensitive to the need to show that we are all playing our part.

It is also important to stress the reasoning behind the regulations themselves, which is to reduce the risk of transmission of COVID-19 and ultimately save lives. Looking specifically within football, each time a player flouts the rules and gets a haircut, they increase the risk of getting and transmitting the disease, which in turn puts the rest of the squad and team staff at risk.  As we have seen, this can lead to matches being cancelled, putting pressure on other clubs and even the wider competition.”

Those providing their services in a professional capacity as part of those sectors that remain open can continue to operate. For example, make-up artists in film and TV production, and on fashion shoots. However, these services cannot be carried out in premises required to close.

We at BarberEVO, along with the rest of the barbering world, are shocked and devastated by the loss of legendary barber and friend, Allan Stone.

46 year old Allan Stone was the owner of Stoney’s Barber Shop in Laygate, South Sheilds. Allan was a named a Grandmaster Barber by the British Master Barbers (BMB) Alliance, he was a Master Barber, and was also recognised by the British Barbers’ Association. Allan Stone was a a big supporter of the barbering industry ­– always pushing for higher standards and education, and he was a regular at most barbering shows, always offering advice and kind words.

Stone began his career in the industry as a young man, working as a Saturday worker at Saks Hairdressers in Newcastle while he was still at school. Allan Stone, was dedicated to sharing his knowledge and skills, and worked as part-time lecturer at South Tyneside College, while running two locations of his barbershop in South Shields.

We, at BarberEVO, are absolutely devastated to learn the news of the passing of our friend Allan Stone.

Full of energy and a real zest for life, Allan truly was one of the most genuine, larger than life guys you could ever wish to meet.

His presence MADE barbering trade shows worth attending alone, Allan put a smile on everyone’s face, almost effortlessly and we will cherish those memories forever.

Only last week Allan reached out to check in on Andrew and David, full of that Geordie banter and light-hearted exchanges that epitomised why Allan was liked by so many.

Our thoughts are with his family, his friends, and the very many industry peers throughout the UK and beyond who will be truly saddened to hear of his passing.

If you are able to do so, please consider making a donation to this fund set up to help support Allan Stone’s family with funeral costs.

The outpouring of emotions in the aftermath of Allan’s passing has been truly sad, but equally heart-warming to read all of the kind words every single person has had to say about the one and only Stoney.

Rest easy Stoney.

https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/allan-stone?utm_term=AxGXWgeAv&fbclid=IwAR0HwgUWVLTjoSY_X9wtDbKyzTwhojtxKj9HwwbNyWXLVBudpFQNY3Q1fN8

With uncertainty hanging over all events this year, the organisers of the CT Barber Expo X have decided to move the event date back to August 2021. The following announcement was released:

To Our Current & Previous Valued Guests,

     With recent discussions with the State of Connecticut officials, Mohegan Sun Casino management and current state of the pandemic, we are rescheduling the date of the Connecticut Barber Expo X. The dates of the event will now be Saturday, August 14, 2021, through Monday, August 16, 2021. The date change will allow for the current surge to subside and allow more time for individuals to be vaccinated. 

     The event will continue to take place at Mohegan Sun Resort & Casino. This will allow for hotel, plenty of dining options and social distance protocols. For hotel room booking, you may call 1.888.777.7922 or use the following link Mohegan Sun Hotel  for special room pricing. To purchase tickets on Eventbrite, please click on the following link. All competition registration entries have been transferred to the new dates as well.

     Again, we apologize for the inconvenience. We hope that you and your loved ones stay safe during this time. 

Sincerly,  CTBE Staff

Any further updates will be fully covered within the pages of BarberEVO magazine and on our social media platforms.

As of the 25^th of January, Health Officials have lifted the Regional Stay at Home Order in California and put the state into the ‘Purple Tier.’

This allows ‘personal care services’ such as barbershops, hair salons, and nail bars to operate indoors. However, Health Officials ask that businesses operate at 25% capacity, and continue to social distance and wear face masks where applicable.

Until the 25,^th California had been the only state in which barbershops and hair and beauty salons were under strict regulations to stay closed.

Thankfully, the ICU percentages and case rates have remained low enough over the last month for restrictions to be lifted enough for beauty industry professionals to get back at it.

For many men, a trip to the barbershop is much more than just a luxurious effort to alter their aesthetic appearance. For many, their barbershop has become a safe place to chat about their lives, and their barber, a friend and confidant. Many barbers may joke that they find them feeling more like a therapist than a barber ­– but what if you could provide barbers with the tools to do both?

Lorenzo Lewis did just that. After spotting a deficiency in mental health care for Black men and boys in the United States, Lorenzo Lewis founded Confess Project Barber Coalition in 2016. Their goal is to bridge the gaps in mental health care for Black men and boys, by providing barbers with the resources and skills to listen and talk to their clients about their mental health wellbeing in a judgement-free safe space.

Lewis noticed that African American communities in the United States were terribly under-resourced and underrepresented in terms of mental health care and support. However, he found that the importance of the barbershop’s role in improving and promoting mental health in men, specifically in African American communities, had been previously overlooked.

Through workshops hosted by the Confess Project Barber Coalition, barbers are given education, resources and training to talk to their clients about mental health, and to point them toward further help and solutions. Since 2016, the Barber Coalition has trained more than 200 barbers across the United States to be mental health advocates.

During the last year, throughout the pandemic, African Americans have been disproportionally affected and racial injustices and police brutality have only increased the Black community’s need for mental health resources. Meanwhile, many barbershops have been forced to close and the in-person workshops have had to be put on the back burner. However, that won’t stop the Coalition’s efforts to continue to support their communities. The group has started hosting online training courses, group support calls, and individual check-ins for member barbers.

Lewis’ goal for the Confess Project Barber Coalition to that the messages and lessons taught go ‘beyond the barbershop,’ showing men and boys that it is okay to talk about their emotions and to ensure that they know they are valued in society, and that there is a community behind them.

For more information and resources, visit www.theconfessproject.com

The National Hair & Beauty Federation is warning that the government may have just placed the final nail in the coffin for already struggling salons and barbershops without urgent and targeted financial support. This stark warning comes as the new Tier and Level 4 restrictions are set to cost hair and beauty businesses across the UK more than £124million per week in lost income, killing off many previously profitable businesses, and making thousands of people unemployed. (see table below)

The NHBF Key Industry Statistics 2020 report demonstrates the continued growth of the hair and beauty industry prior to COVID-19. This is in contrast with November NHBF data which indicated 62% of salon owners could not be sure their business would survive until the end of the financial year in April 2021, and almost a third of that number (18%) explicitly sure they would have to close.

The report, compiled in exclusive association with the Local Data Company (LDC), shows that at the beginning of the year barbershops, beauty salons and nail salons were the top three retail categories that saw the highest growth in the UK – above supermarkets, coffee shops, takeaways and pizza shops.

According to the Office for National Statistics there are nearly 45,000 hair and beauty salon businesses in the UK (a rise of over 1,000 since last year), which generated over £8bn in turnover in 2018, up from £7.5bn in 2017.

And the industry had continued to prop up ailing high streets, with hair and beauty businesses pre COVID-19 having higher survival rates after five years than many other sectors, in particular nail salons whose survival rate after five years was 69%.

Richard Lambert, NHBF chief executive said, “The Key Industry Statistics report paints a picture of a strong and growing industry with business survival rates bucking the decline of the high street. It is characterised by a high percentage of female entrepreneurs, supporting young people into careers and its posiive approach to flexible working.

However, this was before the coronavirus pandemic and we know from our recent targeted surveys that the majority of hair and beauty professionals are struggling to recoup their losses from lockdowns, implementing social distancing measures and the costs of increased PPE. Whilst we appreciate these are all necessary, the sector has not received any additional financial support such as those gifted to the arts, the sports sector, leisure or hospitality. Businesses simply cannot continue on this basis and we are continuing our pressure on the government to recognise this. Financial help to salons and professionals during this difficult time will be the only way to ensure the hair and beauty sector can return to where it was at the beginning of 2020.”

Cost per region:

Region	Number of Salons	Lost Revenue Per Week
London	7,015	£16million
South East	5,425	£35million
North East	2,020	£5million
North West	5,425	£17million
East Midlands	2,980	£11million
West Midlands	3,815	£14million
Total England		£98million
Scotland	3,810	£17million
Wales	2,155	£6million
Northern Ireland	1,560	£3million
Total UK		£124million

The full statistical tables are available free to NHBF Members, or for £250 to non-members.

Fancy a haircut at 3am? Well, thanks to Edinburgh based salon Stag Barber Co , you can do just that – and all for an amazing cause.

Earlier this month gender-free salon Stag shared the heart-breaking story of their team member Nicole, who suffered the loss of her child at 29 weeks.

On the 23rd of December, owner of Stag, Murray McRae, will be cutting hair for 24-hours straight, with all profits going towards SIMba, a baby loss charity whose memory box helped Nicole and her partner Jordan during their difficult time.

Murray will be standing on the spot, scissors flying from 08.30am on Wednesday all the way through to 08.30am on Christmas Eve.

The salon team came up with the idea after their plan to give £1 from every December appointment to SIMba has been cut short by the impending lockdown.

“2020 has felt like a marathon as it is,” said owner Murray McRae,

“We heard about salons and barbershops in London working round the clock to get clients in before lockdown. So we thought why not do something similar – but for a good cause.

“SIMba was an unbelievable help to our Nicole when she lost her first child Isaac.  To commemorate his birth, and to celebrate the birth of her daughter Iva, born almost a year to the date after the loss, we wanted to give her this Christmas gift.”

Haircuts will be the usual price with all ‘after-hours’ profits going to SiMBA. In-house coffee shop Stag Espresso will be on hand with free coffee to fuel Murray and his early hours customers through the trims. Murray will be in full marathon running wear complete with sweat bands etc on the day and throughout the night.

Barbers and hairdressers in Scotland are required to close their doors for three weeks from Boxing Day following the announcement of the country’s post-Christmas Day full lockdown.

You can book your appointment here – or, if you can’t make it along, you can donate to Stag’s JustGiving page for SiMBA here. https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/stagbarbernicole