On Friday 31st July, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced changes to the guidelines of close-contact services offered in salons and barbershops. The services due to reopen on 1^st August have been postponed for at least two weeks due to an increase in COVID-19 cases across England.

While the decision is likely to be reviewed on or around the 14^th of August, the services postponed in England for the moment include:

• Facials of any kind such as chemical peels, dermaplaning, microneedling, hydrafacials, LED therapy, laser therapy, and microcurrent
• Eyelash extensions, tints, waxing, or lifts
• Eyebrow waxing, tints or reshaping
• Threading or waxing anywhere on the face, acupuncture on the face, and make-up application.
  

Beard trimming will still be allowed for the moment but should be limited to simple beard trims, thinning and removing bulk or length, with the appropriate PPE worn at all times.

These rules apply to all beauty and hair professionals, including freelancers, mobile professionals, and retail and session make-up artists.

For guidance on close-contact services across the UK, click here.

With barbershops and salons mostly reopened across the UK, Neäl & Wølf have launched two new collections to help keep your clients’ hair looking fresh.

Three new travel-sized Mini Collections will allow clients to indulge in great quality hair care on the go, with each set including some of the brand’s best-selling products in convenient 50ml bottles. These come in a stylish wash bag and as always with Neäl & Wølf, are sulfate free, paraben free, TEA free, DEA free and cruelty free.

The new luxury hair care bundles are designed to nourish hair so that your clients can make the most of their fresh cut. The bundles range across the Blonde, Harmony and Alpha Collections and provide a 20% saving over purchasing products individually.

Neäl & Wølf founder, Neil Capstick, is proud of the brand’s ability to combine salon-quality and accessibility: ‘At Neäl & Wølf, we pride ourselves on creating products that not only work, but combine luxury and affordability – and our luxurious summer hair care bundles do just that!’

To find out more about the brand and view all products, visit www.nealandwolf.com.

The industry lost one of its greats on 17th July with the unexpected passing of Kurtis ‘the Stache’ Lawrence.

On 22nd July the Reuzel family shared a statement to their official Facebook page to announce Kurtis’ passing. Part of the Reuzel team since 2016, Kurtis was an important member of the brand’s education team as Education Coordinator, as well as a proud Scumbassador.

Before becoming part of the team at Reuzel, Kurtis had previously worked with Tigi and Pivot Point, honing his skills before finding a passion for the Reuzel brand.

Reuzel described Kurtis as a ‘model coordinator extraordinaire’ and a ‘social media master.’ They also shared heartwarming words reflecting Kurtis’ larger-than-life character: ‘He had a kind heart, always had a smile, was always the social butterfly, and would go out of his way to help you in any way he could. He was taken too young and our hearts are grieving. We are all left with a big hole that simply cannot be filled by anyone, but we are blessed to have known and loved Kurtis.’

Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with Kurtis’ family, friends and colleagues.

Schedulicity’s small business grant program, #SchedulicityCares, has turned its focus towards the state of California, offering ten $1,000 grants to help businesses hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Effective immediately, preferences will be given to businesses in California, which were forced to endure a second round of closures, with the mandatory re-closure of barbershops, hair salons, nail salons and personal care businesses ordered by Governor Gavin Newsom on 13th July. Barbershops and hair salons have since been allowed to open outdoors with new guidance.

Schedulicity CEO and founder Jerry Nuttuno announced the update on the company’s social media pages and spoke about the first grant which was awarded to Los Angeles salon HairBeat. Owned by Melanie Charlton, the salon offers braids and weaves for all textures of hair.

Businesses can apply for one of the $1,000 grants online by nominating themselves or a fellow business in California that they know is struggling. Schedulicity will also consider applications from outside of California if the business has a clear and immediate need for support.

Find out more about #SchedulicityCares and keep up to date with their latest news by following them on Instagram, @schedulicity.

Award-winning barber, men’s stylist and photographer Kevin Luchmun has launched Luchmun Studios, a new creative space combining hairdressing, barbering and photography facilities.

The 600 sq.ft space in London features 9ft high ceilings, with an elegant infinity wall and a spacious, open feel. Photography equipment is available for hire, with a range of Canon, Panasonic and Sony cameras and a mix of lenses ranging from 16mm to 200mm. Creatives can book the space for up to 10 hours, whether for photography purposes or to cut hair (by appointment only). Kevin will also use the space to hold classes and seminars, as well as one-to-one teaching.

With 11 years of experience, Kevin’s name has become synonymous with traditional barbering and high-end male hairdressing. His clear artistic vision saw him rise through the ranks to become International Art Director for Toni & Guy and label.m and head up the men’s education division.

Parting ways with Toni & Guy and becoming an independent artist in February 2017, Kevin says that he is ‘so grateful to have been able to travel to so many beautiful countries, sharing my knowledge, meeting people that I now call my friends and it has been absolutely incredible.’ Luchmun Studios however, means that Kevin can be closer to home, something that travelling has made him value even more: ‘Spending so much time away from what means the most to me, my wife and son made me realise I need a base in London.’

With an ideal location and an inspiring space, Kevin has teased the studios on his Instagram page as ‘where creative ideas are brought to life.’ You can find out more at www.luchmunstudios.com and on the studio’s Instagram page, @luchmun.studios.

BarbersRide is getting ready for their 2020 ride across the UK in aid of Make-A-Wish UK. With less than two weeks to go before the barbers set off from Southport, they’ve shared a video featuring a glimpse into life on the road, snippets of past events and the incredible atmosphere that riders can expect from the journey.

From the 8th – 13th August, barbers who join the ride will not only gain access to six exclusive barbering events across the UK, but will enjoy an after-party each night, a goody bag worth over £75 including limited edition products from sponsors, and of course a lifetime of memories on Britain’s finest roads.

100% of the profits from tickets sold will go to BarbersRide’s charity of choice, Make-A-Wish UK. BarbersRide aim to raise £20,000 for the charity which grants wishes to children with life-changing illnesses. Founded in 2017 to celebrate a combined love of barbering and biking, BarbersRide has since raised £39,000 for Make-A-Wish.

You can watch the video in full here, and find out more about this year’s ride on BarbersRide’s website.

After announcing last month that legendary barber A Rod would be joining the Wahl Professional family, their first video collaboration has been revealed.

A Rod’s content on his social media channels has engaged followers from across the globe, and these new videos with Wahl will educate and inspire barbers and stylists to create diverse cuts using the brand’s wide range of tools. The videos will also feature Wahl’s Education and Artistic Team (WEAT) members who will share their own expertise in creating a range of cuts. A Rod will also be a guest on Wahl’s Disruptour, the travelling, barbering and business educational tour.

A Rod has had a wealth of success in using content creation to grow his brand – he currently has over 2 million followers on Instagram, 2 million on YouTube and 800,000 on Facebook who look to his online presence for a mix of education and entertainment.

For their first collective effort, A Rod created a unique prism design and textures cut on none other than Wahl Global Creative Consultant, Byrd Mena, using his favorite Wahl tools.

Watch the full video by clicking here.

Ashley Engaldo has been promoted to Senior Sales Specialist within the Wahl Professional Sales Division. In her new role, Engaldo will oversee all of the North American Professional division’s sales operations functions and will be the driver between its customers and the internal customer service team.

Engaldo’s strong work ethic, as well as communication and organizational skills, have helped her move through the ranks since first joining Wahl Professional in September 2016 as part of the customer service team, before moving into the role of sales administrator. We look forward to seeing what she does next in this exciting new position.

BARBER PRO has yet another award to add to their impressive list of accolades after their CBD Infused Sheet Mask won the silver medal in the Men’s Grooming category at the ninth annual Free From Skincare Awards.

The Europe-wide awards encourage and reward manufacturers of skincare products that are ‘free from’ many of the common allergens, chemicals, additives and fragrances often associated with skin sensitivities, allergies, and ethical, environmental and health concerns.

The BARBER PRO CBD Infused Sheet Mask provides a range of benefits, targeting specific skin concerns and types, nourishing and soothing stressed skin, rich in anti-oxidants and free from harsh chemicals.

“We are so pleased to have been shortlisted for this award, let alone going on to take home a silver medal for the Men’s Grooming category. We take pride in the products that we make, ensuring they are free from any chemicals, are natural and ethical, so we are ecstatic to win silver in this category at the Free From Skincare Awards and are proud to add it to our award collection.”

To find out more about BARBER PRO or to shop the collection, click here.

On July 13, California Governor Gavin Newsom ordered the mandatory closure of barbershops, hair salons, nail salons and personal care businesses, along with fitness centers, restaurants, movie theaters, places of worship and indoor malls, in a bid to prevent further spread of COVID-19. 

“This virus is not going away anytime soon,” said Governor Newsom. “I hope all of us recognize that if we were still connected to some notion that, somehow, when it gets warm, it’s going to go away or, somehow, it’s going to take the summer months or weekends off – this virus has done neither.” 

This setback comes after the state largely reopened salons and other indoor services mid-June. Now, barbers and shop owners have had to go backwards, closing their doors and cancelling appointments, unsure of when these reinforced measures might be lifted again. Our thoughts go out to all those affected and hope that services will be able to resume in the coming weeks.