Andre’s Barber Shop recently gave free haircuts to its local community members on Monday as part of their initiative to take a step towards peace in their city of Rochester, New York. The barbershop owner, Andre Morrison, says that his mission is to educate the younger generation about how they can use preventive skills pertaining to violent situations.

“Some of the more negative images are placed out here especially for the youth, that’s what they see and that’s what they pick up so it’s important for us as community members and leaders to put out positive situations that they can follow,” said Morrison.

The room was a buzz, with both people and clippers that is, for the “cuts for peace” initiative. Not only did the kids get goodies such as haircuts, snacks, and balloons. This was also an opportunity to have an open conversation about what violence is, and what types of violence they may have been exposed to.

“We asked them questions, ‘OK what do you think some of the causes of this violence out here is?” and “What do you think some of the answers to solving it can be?” Morrison said.

The barbershop also teamed up with the Rochester Police Department, who also came along to the event, not only to answer any questions but to offer “Safe Child Identification Cards” – these are created by by scanning fingerprints, the information is logged in the New York State Safe Child database in case of an emergency.

image: www.whec.com

Myke Cummings, the co-owner of Barber Metrix with his wife Domina have been operating a new style of barbershop on wheels.

“I operate my business as a judgment free zone. We have real good conversation, positive conversation,” said Cummings. He then continues “I used to work in a barbershop with a lot of people, a lot of co-workers. I didn’t feel safe working in that environment when Corona hit, so me and Domina, my business partner, we got creative and came up with this concept,”

Since the beginning of 2021 they have worked from a nearly ruined bus parked at W 125 Street and St. Nicholas Avenue in New Work. 

“When we got the vehicle we had to take out rows of chairs that was in here because it was rows of seats, you know, this was like a church bus,” said Myke.

After months of renovating the floors and installing seats for clients, they hit the ground running, or driving, last Christmas Eve. 

“The first couple of days that we actually opened it was a little nerve-racking,” said Domina Lazaro, co-owner of Barber Metrix. “We weren’t sure how people were going to take our business. After the first couple of weeks, we started to see the clients come in. We got so many more walk-ins than the last place he was cutting hair at.”

The couple joins the growing number of other mobile barbershops popping up throughout Harlem. Linwood Dillard is known as ‘Da Barber Godd’ and claims he’s the first mobile barbershop in the neighbourhood.

Some of the biggest names in the barbering industry have all grouped together to bring one of the most exciting and most anticipated barbering competitions to date!

We have already done a small ‘meet the judges’ on our Instagram but in case you missed it, we have;

• Sid Sottung – Global Andis Educator with over 30 years in the industry
• Baldy – Owner of Baldy’s Barbers and Lead Global Educator for Andis
• Simon May – Founder of Dapper Dan and owner of Wolf & Co Barbers
• Brandi Lashay – Owner of The Barber Doll House LLC and Babyliss Barberology Platform Educator
• Colin Petrie – Founder of Hard Grind and part of the American Crew Elite Team
• Tyrik Jackson – CEO of Premier Barber Institute & Sharper Image Barbers

The prizes for the winner promise to be career changing; a cover shoot with us, BarberEVO, a DSLR camera to make sure your photos are always sharp as your cuts, £500 voucher from Barber Blades, a five-day training course from Sid Sottung himself, and £400 credit from Nearcut!

Submissions open July 1st 2021, so make sure you’re following @probarber_worldseries on Instagram for all the updates!

On June the 13^th (2021) Andis hosted their second Copy the Cut Challenge on Zoom. Across the United States battled virtually to “copy” the 1921 Fade from Andis’ FLUID Vol. 2 book. The prizes for the competition were as follows: 1st Place: $500, 2nd Place: $300, 3rd Place: $200. The judging was broken down into subsequent categories – 1) Overall look 2) Quality of fade 3) Precision of lining 4) Quality of styling/finishing techniques.

And the winners are as follows:

1st Place 
Brandon Negron
Instagram: @philly_barber
Shop: Philly Barber Studios, Philadelphia, PA

2nd Place
Marvin Johnson
Instagram: @Organic_ju1ce
Shop: Hall of Fades Barbershop, Largo, FL

3rd Place 
Eddieberto Martinez 
Instagram: @t3chneek
Shop: Techneek Studios, Philadelphia, PA

Guest judge Kristal Jnaz posted this to her Instagram after the competition came to its exciting close “What a time. A barber battle through Zoom?! Same firing passion, hard work and dedication to execute the cleanest cut. I’ve attended barber battles since cosmetology school back in 2014 and it’s amazing to see how we adjust with time.”

The competition is still available to watch on Andis Instagram page, @andisclippers, and they have announced the next competition will take place in August! Good luck to all the hopefuls out there, and congratulations to the new Andis Master, Brandon Negron!

The Professional Beauty Association (PBA), the largest and most inclusive national trade organization representing manufacturers, distributors, salon and spa business owners, and licensed beauty professionals, is excited to provide two important reminders regarding NAHA. As the top hair and makeup competition in North America, NAHA is the premiere platform for beauty professionals to push the boundaries and bring their artistic visions to life.

The first is to announce the call for entries for NAHA 2022 opens June 14th. The second is to provide details regarding the live awards show for NAHA 2021, which will take place August 29th at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. Tickets are on sale now.

Call for Entries Opens June 14th for NAHA 2022

Categories for the 33rd Annual North American Hairstyling Awards (NAHA) are as follows:

New in 2022, NAHA is replacing the Men’s Hairstyling category with Barbering. Additionally, NAHA is bringing back NAHA Remix, which allows artists to enter previously submitted collections as long as they meet certain criteria.

Entrants for all categories must be licensed cosmetologists or barbers, with the exceptions of Student Hairstylist of the Year, Makeup Artist of the Year and Inspiring Salon of the Year.

Key dates for NAHA 2022 are as follows:

Entries Open: June 14, 2021

 Entries Close: September 10, 2021

 Finalist Announcement: November 10, 2021

NAHA 2022 Award Ceremony: January 30, 2022—Long Beach, CA

For specific category rules and to enter, please visit probeauty.org/NAHA2022.

Tickets Now on Sale for the 2021 North American Hairstyling Awards (NAHA)

NAHA 2021 will take place on August 29th at Cosmoprof North America (CPNA) in Las Vegas at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Convention Center. NAHA is the must-attend event for the who’s who of the beauty industry, where attendees experience the magic of the red carpet, mingle with the best and brightest in the business and watch artistic vision come to life.

Usually held in Long Beach in January, NAHA 2021 was pushed back to August to ensure it could remain live and in-person. “This will undoubtedly be an unprecedented event,” shares Nina Daily, PBA’s Chief Marketing Officer and incumbent Executive Director. “The level of artistry that will be on display, set against the backdrop of Las Vegas, is just what the industry has been craving.”

 NAHA 2021 will be hosted by Michael Shaun Corby and will feature a Mainstage Performance by 2020 NAHA Hairstylist of the Year Silas Tsang, an Artistic Presentation by Ulta, and many other surprises.

For pricing and information on VIP packages, as well as special offers exclusively available to Professional Beauty Association members, visit probeauty.org/naha. For media credentials, please contact press@probeauty.org or fill out this form.

Chicago-based barber, Deshon Mcadory, has been charged with first-degree murder of former patron Christian McDougald. The shooting took place at Mcadory’s barber shop.

The Chicago-based barber has been accused of shooting a customer for not paying the $15 for his haircut.

The Chicago Sunday Times reported on Sunday that Mcadory has been held on bail valued at $250,000, the 40-year-old is being charged with first degree murder of his 31-year-old former client.

McDougald started arguing with barbers in Mcadory’s barber shop, which is located in the Chicago-based suburb, Maywood at around 4pm. It has been reported that McDougald followed Mcadory into the back of his shop, which is where the incident took place.

After being rushed to Loyola University Medical Centre, but was pronounced dead at the establishment. Anthony Burch, Mcadory’s attorney, explained to the court that Mcadory is a licensed gun-carrier, and was retreating to the back of the shop when he was followed, he also categorised McDougald as an “aggressor”.

Burch then went on to present Mcadory as a model citizen and member of his community with strong business ties, while highlighting McDougald had two previous convictions.

Mcadory’s business partner was also charged in connection with the shooting, 43-year-old Samuel Williams also appeared at court on Sunday for unlawful use of a weapon by a felon. His bail is set at $25,500.

Black-owned salons and barber shops are set to be turned into possible COVID vaccine sites, says Health officials.

City Health Officials and the National Association, as part of a White House initiative, has established a plan to help train Black-owned hair salons and barber shops to help provide accurate information and dish out vaccines where possible, along with providing information says Lori Tremmel Freeman, Chief Executive Officer of NACCHO.

On Wednesday the Biden Administration said they were teaming up with multiple organisations such as the Black Coalition Against COVID, the University of Maryland Centre for Health Equity, and the Shea Moisture company. The initiative is to be called “Shots at the shop” is to engage black-owned barbers and salons throughout America to promote vaccine education and have local outreach.

This could be an indicator as to why salons and barbers have been chosen to host these educational events, Freeman goes on “The role that NACCHO’s going to play is trying to match barber shops and beauty shops with local health departments, so that we can forge a relationship there and figure out if any of these business locations can also become vaccination sites or what it would take for that to happen”.

For generations salons and barbers have been safe havens for African American people, especially in the time of segregation. They could gather in numbers feel safe in their community, and now decades later the safe space of feeling continues and discuss topics such as health and wellbeing.

Barber launches mental health support for barbers: Care Behind the Chair

Oran Lasocki has launched a supportive network for those working within the barbering and hairdressing industry called ‘Care Behind The Chair’.

“We all focus on supporting our clients and providing a safe space for them to discuss their feelings and experiences of mental health, we rarely consider our own mental health as an industry. This network will facilitate informal sharing and conversation opportunities for those who have or are currently experiencing mental health illness in any form. Through coffee and conversation events held digitally, CBTC aims to be whatever users need or want it to be. I am keen to hear from readers about what this network could look like, what potential users might find helpful, and how shops and businesses could get involved.”

Our values:

• All welcome – everyone has a place in CBTC
• Confidential – when signing up to an event, everyone agrees to respect the privacy and confidentiality of their fellow users.
• No judgements – everyone in attendance will create a safe and welcoming environment for each other to share.
• Supportive – everyone in attendance will provide a supportive environment to their fellow users.

Oran is a 29-year-old from Aberdeen, Scotland, living in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, and now managing at Barber Barber UK in Spitalfields London. Oran has been barbering for eight years, managing to work in some of the best shops and companies in the UK.

“I have always poured my time and efforts into my work, which had been somewhat a cover for how I was feeling and how my mental health was. In 2020 and alongside the pandemic I was diagnosed with clinical depression and high anxiety, I went to work with meds and therapy straight away which has been a positive step in my journey.“

“I slowly started to tell friends, family and colleagues, which sparked a question, ‘why aren’t there any social or wellbeing networks for people in our industry?’. Which is why I wanted to start Care Behind The Chair. We put on a brave face and leave our issues at the door while we are at work making sure that every client gets the best experience possible, but now this will be a space for us to get together and voice our worries and talk about our mental and physical wellbeing.”

“I need your help to get this network off the ground, I want it to be created by us and for us. If you want or need anyone to talk to, please do not hesitate to reach out to me on carebehindthechair@gmail.com or if you are interested in helping and joining the network to help it positively grow.”

Email Contact: carebehindthechair@gmail.com

Barbers in London are being trained to test the blood of customers to help combat high blood pressure.

Run by London South Bank University, the project was set out in order to raise awareness of high blood pressure, specifically in Black and Asian men, who are statistically more likely to have undiagnosed high blood pressure.

So far, eight barbershops in South London, Croydon, Mitcham, Thornton Heath, Bromley and South Norwood, have signed up to provide on-the-spot checks for customers, which began on Monday.

The idea came from a similar project that took place in Los Angeles between 2016 and 2018. The US project ran from 2016 to 2018 and 68% of people found to have high blood pressure ended the study with healthy levels.

High blood pressure affects more than one in four adults in England, accounts for more than one in 10 visits to GPs and contributes to 75,000 deaths every year – but millions of people are thought to go undiagnosed.

Hugh Benain, from Finishing Touches in Mitcham, said the project could help save lives.

“We’ll be offering our customers on-the-spot blood pressure tests and health information for them to take away,” he said.

“High blood pressure is a silent killer and providing tests and information from our barbershop could save lives.”

Nicola Thomas, an LSBU professor, said: “Sadly, millions of adults in the UK have high blood pressure and half are undiagnosed which can lead to strokes or heart attacks.

“It is the trusting relationship that customers have with their barbers that is so important – we need to take healthcare out into the community.”

The search is on for the Barber Of The Year 2021, as the Professional Barber World Series announces a brand new competition aimed at finding the best in the business.

The competition which is sponsored by Dapper Dan, with BarberEVO as proud media partners, is calling all barbers to sharpen their scissors and enter this prestigious competition.

Competition organisers said: “After an uncertain year for the industry, it is finally time to pick up the scissors once more and get snipping. With this in mind, what better time to introduce a brand new photographic competition for all barbers worldwide? The Professional Barber World Series is designed as a springboard for all barbers looking to hone their skills and test their talents against the best in the business. Judged by industry stalwarts and highly qualified educators, this simply can’t be missed. Top prizes and media coverage for all winners and runners up.

The competition has three categories:

UK BARBER OF THE YEAR

INTERNATIONAL BARBER OF THE YEAR

YOUNG BARBER OF THE YEAR

Prizes include a DSLR camera, Barberblades vouchers up to £500; BarberEVO front cover photoshoot; a five day Sid Sottung Academy Course; up to £400 in Nearcut credit.

MEET THE JUDGES:

Sid Sottung: international educator with 30+ years in the business, 20+ years in education and Global Andis educator.

Baldy: Owner of Baldy’s Barbers, Andis International European Lead educator.

Simon May: Dapper Dan founder, 20+ years barbering, owner of Wolf & Co Barbers

Brandi Lashay: Owner of the Barber Doll House LLC, 24+ years in the industry, BaByliss Barberology Platform educator.

Colin Petrie: Founder of Hard Grind barbershops, 10+ years in the industry, part of the American Crew Elite Team, Matakki Scissors Ambassador.

Tyrik Jackson: CEO Premier Barber Institute and Sharper Image Barbers, international educator.

Follow @probarber_wordseries on Instagram or @probarberworldseries on Facebook for up to the minute updates on this not to be missed competition.