Leo Wahl didn’t revolutionise an industry, he created one…

HAIRSTYLES COME AND GO. FROM CREW CUTS TO POMPADOURS, AFROS TO FADES TO TODAY’S CUSTOM DESIGNS, STYLES HAVE CHANGED OVER THE YEARS. REGARDLESS OF WHAT’S IN FASHION, WAHL HAS REMAINED AT THE CENTER OF TEN DECADES OF DIFFERENT CUTS. FOR THE PAST 100 YEARS, WAHL CLIPPER CORPORATION HAS PIONEERED AND REFINED THE ELECTRIC CLIPPERS THAT MAKE CUTTING THE HAIRSTYLES OF THE LAST CENTURY POSSIBLE

Back in 1919 when the world was still recovering from World War I, many inventors were taking the opportunity to put their best ideas on the market. On October 14, 1919, Leo Wahl of Sterling, Illinois applied for patents on his newly developed electromagnetic hair clipper. He had been experimenting with engineering electromagnetic motors since he was in high school, first selling a medical massager that he invented for barbershops. It was during his time that Leo recognized the need to improve barber tools. Learning from the barbers, Leo concentrated on building efficient and high-quality hair clippers. Within a year of securing the patent, Leo’s factory had manufactured and sold thousands of clippers to professionals all over the United States. 

In the early 1940s, the Wahl Clipper Corporation installed its own plastic moulding presses. This, along with other various manufacturing technologies, allowed the company to control almost every aspect of production under the roof of the Wahl plant in Sterling, Illinois, a quiet rural community 90 miles west of Chicago. Control over the production allowed Wahl to constantly improve upon his designs and perfect all of his products. It also allowed the Wahl product line to expand to include hair dryers, shear sharpeners, shears, curling brushes, combs and attachments for hair clippers. 

During World War II, Wahl Clipper Corporation was called upon to provide clippers and shears to help keep soldiers’ hair out of their eyes while on the battlefields of Europe. While over there, American GIs introduced their European allies to Wahl clippers. This word-of-mouth goodwill created enough brand interest that Leo Wahl was able to establish a distribution centre in Holland in 1949.

From the American heartland of Sterling, Illinois to the transatlantic market, Wahl clippers became recognised worldwide. With such high demand, the company began exporting products in the voltages and frequencies required for international use. 

With the war behind them, Americans in the 1950s were being influenced by another huge event. Thanks to access to television, pop culture infiltrated people’s homes and rock stars and actors became household names. Everybody wanted to emulate what they saw as being the latest popular haircut. It was no longer about efficiency; haircuts were now about being cool. Wahl quickly introduced new products to the market to help barbers across the country recreate these styles for their customers. 

In 1957, Leo Wahl passed away with over 100 patents to his name. Motivated to keep the Wahl Clipper Corporation a family business, Leo passed the company on to his three sons. Warren became president, Robert became vice president and Jack became managing engineer. This ensured that the same values instilled by Leo would continue through his sons. That same year, the Wahl Clipper Corporation moved into a new, larger location in Sterling. 

Warren, Robert and Jack followed in their father’s footsteps by continuing to innovate. In the 1960s, the company produced a number of new products, including the very unique and innovative flexible-blade electric razor. In 1965, Wahl pioneered another advancement in the industry with the vacuum clipper. A man was now able to get a haircut without any hair touching his suit. The next year saw the creation of the first universal-type rotary motor clipper. Incredibly, again in 1967, Wahl created another first for the industry – its cordless/rechargeable battery-operated hair trimmer changed the barbering world forever. 

In 1980, Jim Wahl, a third-generation Wahl, began the first official Professional-product division within the company. He worked tirelessly to educate the cosmetology and barbering community about the merits of their US-made clippers and trimmers. In 1983, he started the renowned Wahl Education and Artistic Team (W.E.A.T.), focusing on the classroom and the importance of using the right tools and techniques. 

In 2002, Wahl launched a barber-oriented line of 5-Star products. This line really began to take off and continues to be popular among barbers because of their impressive performance and uniqueness. 

Today, Wahl has a wide variety of blades, accessories, clippers and trimmers to help barbers create the styles and cutting techniques their customers want. And yet even today, the Wahl Clipper Corporation team continues Leo Wahl’s practice of listening to barbers, using their opinions and needs to help shape the next line of products.

In celebration of 100 years of business, Wahl has combined a century of engineering advances into its newest product – the 100 Year Clipper. What they consider to be their finest professional clipper to date, it is the physical embodiment of 100 years of Wahl innovation and tradition. It has the classic style of the original Wahl designs but with powerful cordless technology and a li-ion battery. 

Amazingly, Wahl Clipper Corporation started with one man’s vision, a single patent and a small manufacturing plant. Today, 100 years later, it’s grown to eight factories on four continents, 22 sales offices around the world serving over 165 countries and over 274 patents related to the barbering, salon and pet grooming industries. 

However, after 100 years in business, the core of what makes Wahl what it is has not changed. The company remains family owned and managed, its headquarters are still in Sterling, Illinois and it has continued to stay true to its values of innovation, quality and efficiency. These values have helped Wahl become a leader in this industry and will allow them to continue providing quality products for years to come.

Wahl Professional has partnered with the Professional Beauty Association (PBA) to support barbers and stylists who are out of work due to COVID-19. Throughout May, 50% of the purchase price of any 1919 by Wahl Professional men’s grooming line product will be donated to the PBA COVID-19 Relief Fund when customers go to the Wahl Professional website and use the code PBA at checkout.

“We know that these are hard times, and we’re glad we can partner with PBA to help further contribute to the COVID-19 Relief Fund,” says 1919 Product Manager, Allan Vodicka. “We know that others want to help, too, and this an easy way to do that. Every little bit – even the purchase of a tube of pomade or hair gel – can help a barber or stylist get through this difficult time.”

Wahl is no stranger to lending a helping hand to the industry during tough times. In addition to the 1919 donation opportunity, the company has also made a direct donation to the PBA COVID-19 Relief Fund. And in an effort to keep barbers and stylists learning and growing during this time, Wahl Professional has been providing free online education, taught by members of the Wahl Education and Artistic Team, each week on its social media sites. Information about when W.E.A.T. members are going live can be found on the Wahl’s Instagram (@wahlpro) and videos are housed on its Facebook page, allowing viewers the opportunity to re-watch the educational videos.

 Follow Wahl Professional on Instagram (@wahlpro) and on its Facebook page to stay up to date on its partnership with PBA and to see how as a company they are helping give back to relief efforts. Click here to see how each 1919 men’s grooming product can be used to style any cut. 

To purchase 1919 by Wahl Professional men’s grooming product click here and use the coupon code PBA to have 50% of your purchase donated to the PBA COVID-19 Relief Fund. To learn more about the relief fund, to see if you qualify to receive a grant, or if you wish to donate go to ProBeauty.org/PBA-Charities/COVID-19-Relief-Fund.

To learn more about how Wahl is making face shields for hospital and healthcare workers, click here.

The National Hair & Beauty Federation is working with the Government to deliver guidelines for how the hair, beauty and barbering industries can safely return to work. These will be released in line with the Government ‘roadmap’ out of lockdown which is expected to be announced this week. However, the Government is not yet prepared to discuss the times when different industries will be allowed to re-open.

The NHBF is part of a number of working groups made up of trade bodies from a range of different industries. The NHBF has informed the government of industry-wide concerns based on recent survey findings. 

This NHBF survey attracted almost 2000 responses from hair and beauty salons and barbershops. When asked what their biggest worry was about re-opening, 84% of respondents said they were concerned about how to maintain social distancing when working in close physical contact with clients.  

Nearly three quarters (74%) were worried about what kind of personal protective equipment (PPE) would be needed, its cost and availability. Almost two thirds (64%) did not want to see business disrupted again by a second wave of coronavirus infections or a second lockdown period.

Hilary Hall, NHBF chief executive, said: “We have taken our survey findings to government at the highest levels, including a round table meeting with Alok Sharma, Secretary of State for Business, about the need for sector-specific guidance that everyone can rely on. These discussions are about how we can return to work safely, not when.  A key concern for Members is PPE, but until the government has issued advice on this important topic, we still cannot answer questions from Members about exactly what will be required.”

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

Not sure what tool you need for a cut? Check out TOOL SELECT by Andis.

With so many clippers, trimmers and tools on the market, this simple, free to use online tool selector, created by Andis Company, helps barbers and stylists find the right Andis tools for every style, every cut. 

Visit TOOL SELECT at https://toolselect.andis.com and the resource guides barbers and stylists through every technical need to arrive at a selection of tools perfect for the job in hand. For example: Choose HAIR and you’ll be invited to select from FULL HAIRCUT or DETAILING, OUTLINING OR TRIMMING…Go the FULL HAIRCUT route and you are presented with a range of different cuts and then hair types to tailor tool choices to your specific requirement. In just a few steps, a wide range of Andis tools is narrowed down to a small selection compatible with the cuts and styles that you’re looking to create. 

‘This innovate online resource helps barbers and stylists to find the perfect tools for every cut and style’, says Angie Perino, Andis Global Education Manager – Barber and Beauty. ’This simplifies the task of finding the right tools and ensures barbers and stylists get what they need quickly and effectively.’

Discover TOOL SELECT at https://toolselect.andis.com to find out what tools you need to create the ultimate cuts and styles.

KNOWN FOR HER EDGY, EDITORIAL CREATIONS, WHITNEY VERMEER HAS BECOME A HIGHLY RECOGNISED BARBER, PHOTOGRAPHER AND ANDIS PLATFORM ARTIST. BARBEREVO TALKED TO WHITNEY RECENTLY TO FIND OUT WHERE IT ALL STARTED AND WHAT SHE HOPES TO ACHIEVE IN THE FUTURE

“I’ve been doing hair for 10 years now,” says Whitney, who started out in cosmetology, covering everything from hair coloring to spa services. After two years of cosmetology, Whitney made the move to Minneapolis and began working under a barber who trained her in traditional barber methods.

Despite never going to barber college, Whitney took an unique approach to her own education. “I didn’t get to finish my training, so what I started doing was taking pictures of my work and then critiquing it, training myself to get better at cutting,” she explains.

What started as a self-teaching method quickly developed into a passion, and photography is something that now plays a huge role in Whitney’s life. Known for her unique portfolio of photography, she says she would do a shoot a week if she could! 

She certainly has her own style and anyone that follows her on Instagram or has seen her body of work, knows she loves to work in black and white. “I love those kinds of images. I’m always attracted to artwork in black and white too so it just felt right. When people want me to do a color shoot, I always think to myself ‘yeah that looks cool but it would look so much cooler in black and white’.”

At her studio in Minneapolis, Whitney splits her time between cutting clients and styling and shooting her editorial work. “My ultimate goal is to be focusing solely on visuals and spending less time behind the chair with clients,” says Whitney. For now, though, she still has a pretty long list of loyal clients. “I’ve been working with most of my clients for about three years now, but I only work behind the chair three days a week and I’ve gone down from around 300 clients to about 40-60.”

How then, did she go from a career in cosmetology to a client list of 300? “I guess what’s really funny is I still don’t really feel like a big success. I always put out what I want to put out when it comes to my work, I like to push boundaries. I always say my goal is not to be the best at something, it’s to change perceptions and that’s what’s most important to me.”

What certainly put Whitney on the map was her win at the North American Hairstyling Awards in 2017, where she was crowned Men’s Hairstylist of the Year. “Winning that award got me a lot of exposure, but I’m not going to enter that category again. My goal is to win Hairstylist of the year. Ideally, I’d like to try to win every category!” 

Whitney specializes in cutting short hair, whether that’s on men, women or non-binary individuals. “When I first started cutting men’s hair, a lot of people asked me if I was just doing it because it was easy, but it’s not and I really wanted to show them that it was an artform. I feel a responsibility to help push the industry further that way.”

In her quest to push the industry into the spotlight, Whitney has involved herself more and more in education over the years, and last October she became a platform artist for leading clipper brand, Andis.

“I’ve always only used Andis, it’s always been my go-to. I am longtime lover of their products and when I started meeting people from the company, I saw how passionate they were about family and I just fell in love with the brand.”

“I’ve been using them ever since I got out of cosmetology school. My favorite one is the Super ZR, but anything from their cordless range really. When I first started cutting with cordless, it changed the way that I cut hair because I just wasn’t restricted anymore.”

As well as her role as a Platform Artist, her proficiency in styling and shooting editorial has opened up even more opportunities with the clipper brand, creating editorial work for both herself and Andis. “It’s more or less coming up with unique haircuts using the Andis range, while also creating some more dynamic shots of the products themselves,” explains Whitney.

The project will allow her to organize shoots with other artists, as well as putting together two photo- and video-based shoots a year for Andis, creating the concept and assigning different roles to other members of the Andis team. “It’s really awesome, I’m so excited about it!”

It’s safe to say Whitney likes herself busy, as on top of her editorial and educational work with Andis and her 40+ client list, she is currently developing her own product line, from hair care to even clothing and lifestyle, giving part of any proceeds to a yet to be decided anti-bullying foundation.

Outside of her professional goals, Whitney is also really passionate about supporting women in the barbering industry. “One of the things I’m really passionate about is taking gender away from everything, it’s not a men’s haircut, it’s a short haircut. I’m working on some new initiatives with Andis to support women in barbering culture and I’m really excited about that.”

Sterling, IL (April 27, 2020) – Wahl Professional plans to kick off its second leg later this year of Disruptour, (Disruptour.com) a nationwide barber education gathering designed to teach the latest barbering and business skills.  Disruptour successfully kicked off in March in San Diego and Las Vegas before taking a hiatus due to COVID-19. For more information on upcoming show dates and to receive a 25% discount when you purchase your tickets visit Disruptour.com/Tickets. With a VIP ticket purchase, attendees will receive a limited edition Disruptour-branded Cordless Magic Clip. 

Disruptour attendees will learn cutting-edge clipper skills to push their cuts and styles to the next level. However, unlike regular shows, the Disruptour will also teach barbers and stylists how to build their brand image through social media, photography, and key business skills. The tour will feature Wahl Education and Artistic Team (W.E.A.T.) members, Nieves Almaraz (@howtofadehair) and Kevin Nguyen (@yakuzabarber), Wahl Professional’s new creative consultant, Byrd Mena (@byrdmena), and other professionals in the industry who all share the same goal of bringing high-quality education to the industry.

 The idea of the tour stemmed from a conversation between Lisa Finucane, Wahl Professional’s US Director of Education, and W.E.A.T. member, Nieves Almaraz, who wanted to create an intimate event where people have a chance to learn close up, get their questions answered and meet the educators. This quickly turned to something more when Finucane met Byrd Mena, founder of SharpFade, and an international hair show promoter. Byrd officially joined the Wahl Professional team as a creative consultant with the first goal of helping to bring Disruptor into fruition. His partnership has brought additional industry leaders to the show stops across the country.

Attendees to the first two Disruptour shows were able to interact one on one with the educators without any pressure. “Everybody was so impressed with the barbers and stylists on stage,” said Mena. “Our goal was to bring great education in an intimate setting that was really user-friendly and non-intimidating to barbers and stylists. We were so happy with the feedback. People kept telling us how much they loved what they learned.”

“Wahl strives to be a company that brings the community together wherever they are. The energy from the first two shows was just amazing,” said Lisa Finucane. “We can’t wait to do more of it.” 

With COVID-19 currently putting everyone’s life on hold, the Disruptour team pushed back a few of its show dates and took a positive spin on everyone staying at home by offering complimentary online education and a discount on upcoming show tickets:

• Complimentary Education
• Wahl Professional is holding Facebook Lives every week with W.E.A.T. members teaching various cuts, allowing watchers to have a Q&A session, and the ability to re-watch each video.
• The clipper manufacturer is also holding Instagram Lives on their account with exclusive interviews with W.E.A.T. members and how are they are handling their business through COVID-19. Throughout the next few weeks, each educator on the Disruptour will be holding Instagram Lives on each of their social media accounts to stay connected with members of the community and provide free and quality education to everyone who wants to learn.
• To view videos and stay up to date when educators will be going live follow Wahl on Facebook and Instagram (@wahlpro).
• 25% discount on all Disruptour tickets
• To purchase a ticket visit Disruptour.com/Tickets. With a VIP ticket purchase, attendees will receive a limited edition Disruptour-branded Cordless Magic Clip.

Sterling, Illinois manufacturer quickly works to produce 100,000+ within days.

Sterling, IL (April 20, 2020) – With the world currently turned upside down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Wahl Clipper Corporation has stepped up to help produce and provide face shields for healthcare workers. The clipper manufacturer is working with its trusted manufacturing partners to make the face shields and will produce 100,000 by mid-April with the ability to produce larger quantities within very short lead times. The 101-year-old Sterling, Illinois-based hair clipper company is best known for manufacturing products for the professional, consumer and pet grooming industries.

“We understand there is a great need for protective equipment among our healthcare workers right now and we want to be as helpful as we can to those who are doing so much for all of us,” says Lance Wahl, global vice president professional products. 

The face shields have been redesigned by Wahl’s top engineers, who have also made the design available for makers and creators to use and expand upon in good faith. Wahl will distribute these products to local and regional hospitals as a public service. The face shields are not FDA certified and cannot be sold to any reseller.  

To learn more about the construction of these masks and how healthcare organizations can place orders, visit c19protect.com. To learn more about Wahl Professional, visit wahlpro.com.

Today Squire Technologies announced a partnership with industry titan, Jason “Jay Majors” Raposo as the company’s Community Director. Appointed on March 1, Jay, whose 15-year career has taken him to impressive heights within the Barber and Hair Industry, is one of Squire’s main educational liaisons, helping to improve the quality of the conversations around community engagement and education, as well as bridging the gap between tech and one of world’s oldest professions.

Jay is a Master Barber and Educator, and is also the Founder and host of the first and second largest barber events in the world; Connecticut Barber Expo and Las Vegas Barber Expo, respectively. Raposo has been the premiere driving force in organizing and promoting the Babyliss4Barbers Team for the Conair Corporation in the U.S. and Canada, and has leveraged his position in the barber community by building relationships with consistency and integrity.

“I see immense growth potential in Squire’s operations and the opportunity to recruit, train and innovate the barbers of the future,” said Raposo. “Our people are our greatest asset. From the shop owner to the employees and most importantly the clients.”

Jason’s first major Squire initiative is a Barber Educational curriculum that will be implemented in Summer 2020, and will focus on financial literacy, time management and how to use the tools that Squire offers to help barbers expand and grow their business.

“Jason brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to Squire. His relationships and expertise are unparalleled within the barber industry,” said Squire Co- Founder, Dave Salvant.

For more information, please visit www.getsquire.com

About Squire Technologies

Squire Technologies is the leading Barbershop Management and POS software that seeks to ensure a seamless and efficient process between barbers and their clients from start to finish. Squire provides all the tools in a one-stop-shop to assist in growing a Barber’s brand and business — from implementing report analytics and marketing, to providing onboarding and customer success.

OSMO Ambassadors HeffyWheeler, JesecaMcMahon, Adele Clarke, Becky Sutherland, Myles Lewis and Tom Baxter have joined together to create social media campaign group -the International Hair Alliance (IHA) to support fellow hairdressers and barbers during the COVID-19 lock down.

The salon owners, who are all social media experts in their own right, decided to develop the IHA following the negative comments being posted soon after the government ordered the closure of salons and barbershops, “we all noticed how the vibe of the hair and barbering community on social media was suddenly all very negative or attacking fellow experts about how they were all individually responding to the crisis.  As a group we wanted to switch that over and only focus on the strengths and positivity of the hair industry so we decided to launch the Facebook Private Group and get a positive social media campaign started,” explains Myles Lewis.

In less that two weeks, the Facebook group has grown to almost 500 followers from across the country, hundreds of hashtags on Instagram and thousands of TikTok interactions.  The team are proactively communicating within the group and launched two social media campaigns: #backyourbarberand #supportyourstylist, focusing on encouraging the general public to avoid at-home hairdressing and barbering.

The team are producing TikTok videos and inviting fellow hair experts to produce their own videos in a nominations chain across Facebook, TikTok and Instagram, “the consumer media is giving advice about how you can colouryour hair at home or you’re seeing guys just grabbing the clippers and shaving their hair right off –we want our customers to know that it’s okay to leave your hair and just wait for us all to get back behind the chair. There are also alternatives to helping clients with colour fade and re-growth that don’t involve reaching for the box dyes.I’ve been creatingcolour care packagesfor use at home where I mix their usual vibrant colours with conditioner and post to them,you can suggest they use a colour enhance shampoo and conditioner too, or opt for a root touch up product. Our viral videos and challenges are a way of getting the message out to public and fellow hair experts, so that the campaign gathers momentum.  Let’s all get involved and get these hashtags trending,” says HeffyWheeler. 

The IHA is a group that not only focuses on the current COVID-19 campaigns but wants to be a safe space for hair experts to discuss key issues from mental health, business support, and sharing educational advice but always in a positive and supportive voice.  

“This is a great initiative from our ambassadors and we’re fully behind supporting the campaigns across our social platforms and hope that everyone within the professional hair industry will use the hashtags to support the industry as a whole –we all need to be in this together and support our fellow hair experts and stay positive,” concludes Sinead McLaughlin, OSMO Brand Manager.

To join the community, visit:

Facebook: International Hair Alliance

Instagram: @iha.official

Hashtag: #backyourbarber#supportyourstylist

It’s constantly being said that anyone can apply to become a British Master Barber by simply paying a few pounds! Whether this is said by people that don’t meet the criteria to justify themselves or are jealous of the profiles other barbers are building for themselves we don’t know. 

But what we do know is:

IN THE UK BARBERING INDUSTRY ANYBODY CAN CALL THEMSELVES ANYTHING THEY WANT WITHOUT HOLDING ANY QUALIFICATIONS.
It goes so much further than that, when you think about these same people opening training facility’s offering education and more without ever officially learning themselves? Some of these maybe very competent and skilled in what they do, but why not get the papers and prove it. Many barbers are calling out for regulations of our industry but with current issues including Brexit and Covid-19 this isn’t something we can see happening soon. The government see our industry as low risk and believe that customers will ultimately decide using their feet. If a barber isn’t very good the clientele will not stay around for long.
The British Master Barbers have been constantly at the forefront of barbering health and safety and believe this is the most important factor to protect ourselves and our clients. We created the first FREE to all barbering health and safety online course with a free downloadable certificate to help make our industry standards a little higher and show customers we take their wellbeing seriously. 
Along side this we have created three accreditation levels that can prove to customers that certain levels of official qualifications and time held within the industry have previously been achieved.Customers never ask to see a barbers qualifications or proof of skill and this is why we have created the British Master Barbers Accreditation.

To see of your skill can achieve our professional accreditation visit https://www.britishmasterbarbers.com/accreditation-1

PROFESSIONAL ACCREDITATIONWe have 3 levels of accreditation available.
Professional Barber – Open to all members that either hold a full barbering qualification, or can prove a minimum of two years working experience in a Barbershop.

British Master Barber – Open to all members that are fully qualified, Insured & have a minimum of five years barbering experience.Proof of NVQ / SVQ or other recognised barbering certificate will be required. We will be incorporating Direct Observation Assessments ( distance assessments ) asking you to upload a video or send a Youtube link of yourself working directly on a client to our highly qualified and well regarded assessors who can judge your physical expertise & skills to achieve all your specific status tasks.

Grand Master Barber –Applicable only to barbering Academy owners, Teachers, Lecturers & Assessors of Barbering. These members must be fully qualified and provide suitable evidence of teaching barbering & have a minimum of ten years barbering experience.Proof of Barbering / Teaching / Lecturing & Academy Qualifications will be required. We will be incorporating Direct Observation Assessments ( distance assessments ) asking you to upload a video or send a Youtube link of yourself working / teaching directly on a client to our highly qualified assessors who can judge your physical expertise & skills to achieve all your specific status tasks.
Each level requires a set criteria of tasks to be completed before successful application.

For more details regarding our FREE health and safety course visit https://www.britishmasterbarbers.com/barbering-h-s-course