Two hairdressing entrepreneurs have joined forces to spearhead the growth of a new hair replacement system venture.

International award-winning barber Sam Wall and salon owner Rob Wood have teamed up to grow Novo Cabelo, a new business founded in the North East to help popularise the emerging phenomenon of hair replacement.

The concept, already hugely popular in the US, is now reaching the UK and allows men and women to regain hair without having to undergo a hair transplant. A hair replacement, which lasts between three and five months, is proving to be an effective and cost-effective option which is becoming more established in the UK marketplace.

Novo Cabelo – which translates as ‘new hair’ in Portuguese – is working with people across the North of England to help them regain the look they want, including post-cancer patients who have lost their hair through medical treatment.

The business is also working with several salons to help them discover the concept of hair replacement, as a means of introducing new, potentially revenue-boosting initiatives as they continue to reopen after months of lockdown.

Sam, who travels the world to create the styles of A-list stars, will be carrying out hair replacement systems from his base at Hidden Heights Creative Studio, in Gateshead. Novo Cabelo is his latest entrepreneurial venture, following the launch of his eponymous ‘Mr Sam Wall’ product range and 5:AM membership service.

“This is an exciting concept which has only quite recently come over to the UK, but I heard about hair replacement systems while I was in the States working and I was amazing how real and natural they looked. They are a great alternative to a transplant, which can be quite a traumatic and invasive procedure, and the cost makes it very accessible for so many more people,” said Sam, who recently joined Rob and his team at Novo Cabelo.

“This is something totally new for me and it’s really exciting. As a stylist, I travel the world helping people to achieve the looks they want, and educating aspiring barbers in how to create that for their clients, and that is what our profession is all about. Through being able to offer hair replacement systems, I’ll be able to help clients feel great about their appearance in a whole new way.

“The interest we have had has been phenomenal, there is a big demand for this service, and we can’t wait to start helping people to rediscover their confidence through turning to Novo Cabelo. I’m really grateful to the team for allowing me to be part of the business.”

Follow @novocabelohair on Instagram to keep up to date with the venture.

While this year has seen a lot of events and competitions cancelled or postponed, Wahl is keeping spirits up by going ahead with its annual British Barber of the Year competition.

Past winners include Carl Taylor of Murdock Barbers of London, Keune ambassador James Beaumont and Andrea Raymond, who now has a place on the Wahl Artistic Team.

Wahl have said that this year they will be ‘doing things a little differently,’ with more details on this to be released in due course. In the meantime, barbers can submit their entries via wahl.co.uk and completing the entry form.

Barbers are encouraged to submit four images showcasing their best work along with a biography on themselves and their career.

Finalists will be contacted and provided with further details once entries close on 26th October 2020.

Good luck!

Government officials have warned the NHBF that they will close the hair and beauty sector if they don’t follow safety guidelines.

The NHBF is launching the #DoItRight campaign to ensure hair and beauty professionals across the UK understand exactly what is required of them to keep working and reduce the risk of further restrictions or lockdowns. 

The NHBF want to stress how important it is for everyone to follow the guidelines and operate in a COVID secure way to protect yourselves, your employees, clients and to protect the industry from being locked down again.

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) has issued a statement to the NHBF which says all businesses are at risk of receiving formal action from local authorities if they are not following their risk assessments. Failure to comply with an enforcement notice from a local authority officer can lead to prosecution in the criminal courts and penalties including fines or up to two years’ imprisonment.

In England, the main points that people need to remember are:

• Wearing a visor – the guidelines which were updated on 14 August now say you must also wear a Type II face mask for extra protection
• Using a booking-only system and maintaining social distancing in the workplace
• Frequent washing of hands
• Using screens and back-to-back/side-to-side working 
• Frequent cleaning and disinfecting of surfaces and tools, especially after each client
• Contacting clients before appointments to check if clients have COVID symptoms, in which case they must cancel
• Displaying the COVID 19 Secure notice in a prominent place

The rules are slightly different in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, but they apply to everyone working in hair and beauty: hairdressers, barbers, nail technicians, beauty therapists, eyebrow and eyelash professionals and beauty aesthetics practitioners, including mobile workers in hair and beauty. 

Hilary Hall, chief executive of the NHBF says, “We have worked hard to ensure hair and beauty salons, barbershops and individual professionals can get back to work but because some are failing to follow the guidelines, they are putting the whole industry at risk. We’ve launched our #DoItRight campaign to help hair and beauty businesses across the UK understand the guidelines that apply in their part of the country.  The last thing any of us want is to face further restrictions, further lockdowns or a second spike in coronavirus infections. The impact on our industry would be devastating.  Please do your bit to help and show you’re putting the industry first as well as protecting the safety of your teams and your clients.”

The full Safer Workplace guidelines are available to view in full at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/working-safely-during-coronavirus-covid-19/close-contact-services

For more information and FAQs, please visit www.nhbf.co.uk/coronavirus and follow the National Hair & Beauty Federation on social at @nhbfsocial.

Barbershop management tool Squire has announced the suspension of subscription fees. The move, which will see all subscription fees waived until 2021, will provide further support to the barber industry.

The app allows users to discover barbershops, book appointments, and pay for haircuts directly from your mobile. Customers are charged $0.99 to book appointments, which is added at checkout.

The app has staff management, marketing and POS capabilities for barbershops, and has, at time of writing, over 2,000 partners.

Visit www.getsquire.com for more details.

The Fellowship of British Hairdressing has been forced to put its annual PROJECT: Men project on hold for 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, meaning that the 2020 team will rollover with the project into 2021. There’s now room for three new hairdressers looking to develop their skills to join the mentoring scheme.

PROJECT: Men launched in 2019 to provide insight and education on all aspects of men’s hairdressing and grooming, from essential barbering techniques to presentation and photoshoot skills. The team comes together monthly to enjoy a mentoring session led by industry experts, who in the past have included Danny & Co, Hayden Cassidy, Johnny Shanahan, Andrea Raymond and the Master Barbers.

The team also have the opportunity to gain on-set experience and join Jonathan as he works on fashion week shows and live stage work with the Fellowship at Salon International.

Of the Project, Jonathan says: ‘I’m honoured to be Project Leader for PROJECT: Men for a second year. Men’s hair is something I am so passionate about and I think there are so many incredible avenues to explore from the salon all the way to the stage. This is going to be a jam-packed year full of things I only wish I could have had when I was starting out.’

PROJECT: Men is suitable for anyone looking to gain more experience in men’s hair – there’s no age limit and applicants do not need to have experience in barbering.

To apply for one of the three places available, applicants should fill out the form available at www.fellowshiphair.com and send three images of their men’s hair work. The closing date for entries is 12pm on Thursday 24 September 2020.

The ‘It’s All Good’ box set won ‘Best Treatment Mask’ for the Men’s Category at the 2020 Attracta Beauty Awards. A collaboration with cancer support charity Look Good Feel Better, the box was designed to support those undergoing cancer treatment by looking after their skin and inspiring confidence. Look Good Feel Better run confidence workshops where attendees learn valuable skills and how to look after their wellbeing during all stages of treatment. 10% of all purchases of the boxes go to Look Good Feel Better, and so far the sales have raised an amazing £9,000.

BARBER PRO said: “With this set launching under a year ago, we are so pleased to have been shortlisted for this award, let alone going on to win for the Men’s ‘Best Treatment Mask’ category. Especially with the set being for an exceptional cause, we can’t wait to keep raising money for this charity.

Giving back and helping people feel good is so important to us and we are so pleased that people are purchasing this set to feel good themselves, whilst raising money for cancer charity Look Good Feel Better, who also work hard to help people going through treatment to feel great.”

You can find BARBER PRO and stock up your shelves with their award-winning products at www.beautypro.com/trade.

To learn more about Look Good Feel Better and the incredible work that they do, visit www.lookgoodfeelbetter.co.uk/.

The ‘tech-infused workwear for barbers’ has just landed at BarberBlades.co.uk, making it easier than ever before for barbers to get their hands on this stylish, comfortable and durable alternative to aprons.

Barber Blades is known as the ‘one-stop shop’ for all barbering essentials, but the new addition of Barber Garms will give barbers an option of everyday workwear that repels hair splinters.

Barber Garms was founded in 2019 by George Tierney Abbott of Flanagans Barbers to rid barbers of the uncomfortable feeling of hair splinters in their clothes throughout the day. After testing hundreds of fabrics and designs, George landed on the Barber Garm t-shirts with TightWeave© technology. The TightWeave© fabric was developed specifically for the hair and beauty industry with thread count per millimetre that is almost triple that of regular clothing.

Barber Blades currently carries both the Oversized and Slim Fit unisex tees in black and white.

Find out more at barberblades.co.uk/brands/barber-garms, and keep up to date with the latest on Barber Garms on Instagram @barbergarms.

The salon and barbershop in Leicester’s city centre welcomed clients again on Tuesday 4^th August following four months of lockdown.

The King Street shop closed its doors in March according to government guidelines for close-contact services amid the Coronavirus outbreak, and was set to reopen on the 4^th of July along with other hairdressers in England. However, following an announcement from Prime Minister Boris Johnson at the end of June, Leicester went into local lockdown and the King Street salon was forced to keep its doors shut until August.

Barrie Stephen (pictured above with business partner Joachim Ziliken) said “It feels absolutely wonderful to be back in business and seeing all our lovely – and very patient – clients once again. We are ready to go and our team are excited to get back to doing what they love.

“It has been an incredibly challenging few months and even harder seeing other salons across the country reopen, but we have done everything possible to support our clients with their hair during lockdown. We have made sure they’ve had their favourite products and we’ve helped with tips and advice – though nothing beats seeing them in person and treating them to the red carpet service they deserve. Let’s go!”

Follow Barrie Stephen Hair on Instagram (@barriestephenhair) to keep up to date with the salon and its reopening.

As shops across the United States have begun to reopen, we know you’ll have more to think about than ever before – including how to keep your clients, your staff and yourselves safe.

Personal protective equipment (PPE) can be a major investment and Gillette wants to do its part for the barber community by providing equipment that can help better protect those of you back at work, along with your valued clients.

To help keep the barber community safe as shops are reopening, BarberEVO have teamed up with Gillette to donate 20,000 protective face shields to barbers across the United States.

This is part of a larger relief effort to support workers, relief agencies and communities on the front lines of this pandemic. To date, Gillette has produced and donated more than 300,000 face shields for health care workers in response to the needs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lots of barbers across the US have received their face shields already:

“Shoutout to @Gillette for sponsoring our sweet new face shields! Shaves and facials have never been safer!”

Prodigy Salon// @prodigysalon

The Gillette face shields are great…Our clients love them and it gives them peace of mind to come in the shop to get a haircut – thank you!”

Marcus Williams// Marc Republic, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

“#Salute to BarberEVO & Gillette for donating these face shields to barbers!”

Sipp the Surgeon// The Art of Barbering, Grand Prairie, Texas.

“The face shields help me out so much by protecting my clients and I from spreading anything around. Knowing I’m protected allows me to be at peace when cutting, I’m not so worried about the virus and I can focus on the haircut and taking care of my clients.”

Josue Morales// Sway Styles, Detroit, Michigan.

“We love the new Gillette face shields! They’re super light and comfortable. Not only are they providing important extra protection for all the barbers, but our clients also appreciate them because it shows we’re taking their safety seriously as well.”

Erik Zaiatz// Bostonian Barbershop, Boston, Massachusetts.

There are limited numbers of face shields remaining! Get yours before they are gone at barberevo.com/faceshieldsforbarbers.

Send us your selfies// Let us know you got your face shields! Tag @gillette & @barberevo.

The best selfies will be featured in an upcoming edition of BarberEVO.

Expert stylist and winner of 2018 NAHA Men’s Stylist of the Year award Jamie DiGrazia is joining Wahl Professional as its new Retail and Business Educator. DiGrazia, who owns Logan Parlor in Chicago, will use her expertise and passion to teach barbers and stylists how to use the Wahl 1919 styling and finishing line to enhance their cuts and increase their revenue. In addition, purchase of the products will provide scholarships to the next generation of barbers and stylists through the company’s Fade It Forward™ program.

DiGrazia can attest to the growth that selling retail has brought to her business, and views the 1919 products as an important way for barbers to increase their revenue by showing clients how to create salon fresh looks at home.

“There are two ways to earn money in this industry – service and retail. Through educating your guests, you can have a whole other part of your business that can be flourishing,” says DiGrazia. “To have a long, successful career, I think business education is what is going to take someone to the next level. And that comes from selling retail, having product knowledge, and business education.”

DiGrazia will support the 1919 line by both educating barbers on stylists on how to use the products, and how to sell them. Her goal is not only to help educate barbers behind the chair, but also to educate their clients on how to use the professional products at home.

As part of a bigger initiative in the shape of Wahl Professional’s philanthropic program, Fade It Forward™, DiGrazia is also supporting the next generation of barbers as a portion of the purchase of each 1919 product will go toward barber school scholarships for youth in need. Fade It Forward™ began in 2018 and is designed to help young people in underprivileged areas achieve their dream of becoming barbers. The program is currently active in Chicago and St. Louis, with plans to expand to Cleveland and beyond in 2021.

“When I explain how the Wahl 1919 styling and finishing line helps young people become barbers and helps them get into an industry I love so much, well that’s really impactful. People care about that. People want to help other people. Barbers and stylists can understand that, and so can clients,” says DiGrazia.

For barbers and stylists interested in getting their hands on the Wahl 1919 styling and finishing products, a discounted introductory kit of all 11 products is available through Wahl Professional at wahlpro.com/store/1919.html. To apply to become a Wahl 1919 reseller and carry Wahl 1919 products in your shop and receive access to business and retail education, go to wahlpro.com/store/reseller/.

To learn more about Wahl Professional follow them on Instagram at (@wahlpro) and go to the website at wahlpro.com.