Denman Brush Professional has partnered with PlasticBank® to help stop ocean plastic while improving collectors’ lives in vulnerable coastal communities. The partnership is part of Denman International’s mission to make a positive environmental, social and economic impact. PlasticBank ® is on a mission to stop ocean plastic by gathering a billion people across the globe to monetise waste while improving lives. Plastic Bank builds ethical recycling ecosystems in coastal communities and reprocesses the materials for reintroduction into the global supply chain as Social Plastic® feedstock. Collectors receive bonuses for the materials they collect which helps them provide basic family necessities such as groceries, cooking fuel, school tuition, and health insurance. The company is creating a structure that will revolutionise recycling ecosystems to create sustainable, inclusive, circular economies.  

Now when you choose a Denman tool, you actively contribute to the prevention of over 45 metric tonnes of plastic from entering the ocean through our partnership with PlasticBank – that’s the equivalent of over 2.2 million single-use plastic bottles! To build on our mission of positive environmental impact, the Original Denman D3 Styler is now completely recyclable and at the end of its life it can be popped into the domestic recycling bin OR to extend the life of the brush, the pin pad can be purchased separately. John Rainey, Chairman of Denman International says “Plastic Bank is the most incredible initiative and we feel so privileged to partner with them. Enabling communities to improve their circumstances while giving industry an opportunity to reduce their environmental impact is transformative.”

To find out more go to Plasticbank.com or Denman International CSR.  

Award-winning hairdresser Andrew Barton has been named as Patron of Honour for the Hair & Barber Council – only the third person to be rewarded the title in the Council’s 58 -year history.

Andrew follows in the footsteps of Vidal Sassoon CBE and Daniel Galvin OBE to hold the title, and is as passionate about raising standards and gaining recognition for the industry in the eyes of consumers and the Government.

Andrew–who has a glittering career spanning some 30 years and is the Creative & Communications Director for Headmasters–will spread the word about State Registration and work closely with Registrar Keith Conniford, liaising with Government and officials to get the Act of Parliament for industry regulation made mandatory.

Andrew says: I’m delighted to accept the appointment to work closely with the Hair & Barber Council and it’s cause to represent the industry and its people. I’m extremely honoured to be appointed this role following in the footsteps of such hairdressing legends. Throughout my career I have championed the professionalism of the industry and am fiercely protective of its reputation and look forward to working with the Hair & Barber Council to continue its great work.”

Keith Conniford adds: “Andrew’s role within the Council will be to front the organisation to inspire, consolidate, and lead the creative and career possibilities of the industry to new entrants, and those already working within the industry. In addition, we are working together to create a new and vibrant group of ‘ambassadors’ to work with him and the Council, to help bring our industry together as a united voice.”

Fresha reveals how beauty tycoon Huda Kattan had the vision to invest in its world leading booking platform for hair, beauty and wellness businesses.  

As the world’s No.1 and fastest growing subscription-free salon software for hair, barbering, beauty, spa and wellness, Fresha’s exponential growth is being accelerated through a series of capital investments, the development of leading-edge technology, and the introduction of innovative features tailored to the needs of its partners in the beauty industry, and consumers.  

Fresha and Huda Kattan – a powerful partnership in the global beauty industry 

With 60,000 partners and 200,000 professionals in 120 countries now managing their businesses with Fresha, and with over 450 million appointments already processed, Fresha has revealed how it joined forces with Huda Kattan – founder of self-made cosmetics empire Huda Beauty and chairwoman of HB Investments – to create one of the most powerful partnerships in the global beauty industry. 

As one of the world’s most successful beauty entrepreneurs, Huda has built a multi-billion-dollar cosmetics brand by sharing her passion for beauty on Instagram, amassing an fanbase of over 50M loyal followers. Recognising the huge potential for Fresha as salons and spas increasingly move their businesses online, Huda commented: “I’ve witnessed the positive impact Fresha has for beauty entrepreneurs first-hand. The company is a force for good in the rapidly expanding community of beauty professionals around the world. By making top business software accessible without any subscription fees, Fresha lets professionals focus on what they do best – offering great experiences for their customers.”   

Fresha website and app – driving business growth 

With consumers using the Fresha website and app to discover hair, beauty and wellness businesses in their area, tens of millions of appointments are being booked and paid for online every month. As an end-to-end software solution for businesses and consumers, Fresha is driving growth for its partners by providing their clients with a seamless online booking and payment experience, and attracting new clients via Fresha marketplace. Now, Fresha is also providing an intuitive e-commerce solution for its partners, and a positive online shopping experience for consumers with the launch of Fresha Store.  

Fresha Founder and CEO William Zeqiri says. “There are plenty of exciting opportunities for Fresha to work in close partnership with Huda Kattan and her team, particularly in the ecommerce space. The beauty industry is on the verge of a major transition to online, and we are leading the way with free software for salons, barbershops and spas around the world. Our online bookings and automated marketing tools, with mobile apps and direct integrations to Instagram, Facebook and Google are bringing local businesses much closer to where customers increasingly are; online”.  

Fresha Co-Founder Nick Miller agrees adding: “Huda’s wealth of industry experience and passion for beauty, along with her inspirational story of entrepreneurship make her the perfect fit for Fresha. We’re thrilled to be working with Huda and her team on new ways to leverage technology and unlock real value for beauty professionals and customers around the globe.” 

The Future Is Fresha 

With New York-based growth equity firm General Atlantic – backers of tech giants such as Facebook, Snapchat and Airbnb – raising $182 million to date and valuing Fresha at over $640 million, Huda Kattan participated through HB Investments, the private investment office of the founders of Huda Beauty. With Huda Kattan as Chairwoman, her sister and President Mona Kattan said: “Fresha is a win-win solution for both customers and service-based businesses. It’s supercharging businesses by allowing them to manage, track and grow in the fastest way possible, all subscription-free. For customers, it’s a simple and easy platform to discover and book services. The potential is limitless.” 

Karan Wats, CEO of HB Investments adds: “Fresha is doing an incredible job and it’s building a phenomenal business. General Atlantic’s investment will accelerate the company’s growth and cement its industry-leading position.” 

Fresha’s game-changing deposits feature delivers unrivalled income protection for hair, beauty and wellness businesses against late cancellations and no-shows. 

As the most requested feature from its 60,000 hair, beauty and wellness partners, Fresha has now launched its new deposits feature. 

With the issue of no-shows and late cancellations costing salons, barbers, beauty salons and spas many thousands of pounds in lost revenue every year, Fresha Deposits gives partners a new level of protection against loss. As of today, businesses using Fresha can now collect deposits for appointments, with advanced features allowing partners to customise the deposit based on the service being booked, or the client type. Deposit payments are quickly and securely received in advance of appointments, and partners can rest easy, knowing they’re protected if a client cancels or fails to show up at all.  

Simple to use and highly effective, the deposit paid by the client is deducted from their bill following their service, and in the event of a late cancellation or no-show, the deposit is retained by the salon to protect them from a loss of income.  

Setting up deposits on Fresha couldn’t be easier. When you join Fresha’s free appointment scheduling software and enable Fresha payments you can: 

• Enable deposits across your entire service menu, or apply deposits to selected services. 
• Decide how much to charge upfront. You can require clients to pay a partial amount or the full price at the time of booking, with advanced options to customise the amount depending on the service being booked.
• Decide who pays a deposit. You may require all clients to pay upfront, or apply deposits only to certain groups, such as first-time clients. 

With new feature innovations driving growth and delivering protections for its partners, Fresha co-founder Nick Miller adds: “Fresha has already processed over 250 million appointments, so reducing revenue loss from no-shows and late cancellations makes a huge difference to individual businesses, and the global industry. Deposits will revolutionise how our partners manage this issue, so we’re delighted to make it available.”  

Fresha salon software is transforming the way hair, men’s grooming, beauty, spa and wellness businesses are managing, promoting and protecting their businesses. Join Fresha FREE at https://www.fresha.com/for-business   

Good Dye Young, the hair care company rooted in vibrant color, is a brand that started as a semi-permanent hair company and has blossomed into a hair color and hair care company boasting products made for any type of person and any type of hair. 

Today, Good Dye Young offers a wide range of salon-quality and vegan & cruelty-free products, available exclusively from Chris and Sons Hair and Beauty Supplier. 

Their semi-permanent hair color line includes their core bright, bold colors, Lighter Daze, a collection that includes a range of pastel shades, Darker Daze, a collection of jewel toned shades, METALHEADS, a line inspired by metal music and two additives to create custom colors. 

Color Kind Hair Care is the brand’s hair care line that keeps hair color vibrant and promotes healthy hair. Poser Paste is a washable hair makeup color that is fast and fun to use and I’m Bored is an award-winning line that includes five semi-temporary shades that last 2-6 washes. 

For more information on Good Dye Young, visit www.gooddyeyoung.com and follow Good Dye Young on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and Twitter @gooddyeyoung. 

Good Dye Young is available exclusively from Chris and Sons Hair and Beauty Suppliers.

The Dark Stag brand has announced a new product to the market, The Dark Stag Chest Holster.  

It’s the best solution to help barbers save time by reducing travel to and from the station. It can save up to six minutes per cut, allowing barbers to spend more focussed time with the client. 

Made with hardwearing and washable canvas, multiple mesh front pockets for increased visibility of your tools and a stitched faux-leather embossed clipper pocket giving you the convenience of knowing where all your essential tools are at all times. A fully adjustable, one size fits all accessory designed and made with barbers in mind. 

Designed and built exclusively for barbers, the Chest Holster makes it easier to locate your tools at all times. Durable, easy clean and sporting a selection of pockets (even one for your clippers), it has fully adjustable straps to fit all shapes and sizes.  

Available to pre-order for delivery in early April.  

For more info, go to www.darkstag.com/product/barber-chest-holster/ 

The winners are: 

The Blackwood Barber Co, Manchester @theblackwoodbarberco 
Made Barbering Academy, Glasgow @madebarberingacademy 
Patrick Forster Barber and Shop @patrickforsterbarberandshop 
Graeme Milne, Future Studios @barber_graeme 
Ellie Rogers, Rubeus Barbers @ell_gracex 

Congratulations to all the winners who have been notified. 

Australian born men’s grooming brand, Uppercut Deluxe, has announced its newest addition to the Uppercut Deluxe Team, Charlie Venn. 

The Uppercut Deluxe Barber Ambassador Team is made up of the very best barbers from across the globe, with each Ambassador passionate about the industry and devoted to the craft. 

Charlie has been on the radar of Uppercut Deluxe for over four years, gaining attention as a young barber with natural talent, but Charlie had been interested in the brand for even longer. 

It was when Charlie sat in the chair at an Uppercut Deluxe popup and purchased his first tin of Monster Hold that he decided he was going to pursue his interest in Barbering and take up the trade. 

From there, Charlie’s passion was ignited as he dove into the history of barbering and began cutting hair, a passion within him was ignited and hasn’t since slowed down. 

Charlie has proved that hard work pays off; from first gaining attention, to becoming a member of the Uppercut Deluxe Collective and now moving into the Ambassador team. 

“Charlie’s passion for the industry is second to none,” said Uppercut Deluxe Founder Steve Purcell. 

“Charlie first got our attention a few years ago just tagging us in photos, and his raw talent was unmissable.  

“When we first introduced the Collective Charlie was a no brainer. Since then, Charlie has always jumped at everything thrown at him and gone above and beyond for the brand. 

“That attitude, his passion for the industry and then, of course, his skills behind the chair make him a really natural fit for our Ambassador team. 

“Charlie is a welcome addition to our team, and I am beyond stoked to have him on board.” 

Charlie’s shop, Lucky Sevens is a mix of old and new, he has taken his favourite elements of the classic American Barbershop and combined them with modern touches like bright lights and vibrant colours. 

The shop is really a reflection on Charlie and his style, a guy who pays respect to the past but isn’t afraid to put his own spin on things. 

The same thing can be said about Charlie’s approach to cutting hair. He is a master at ‘modern classics’, cuts that are inspired by classic 40’s style but bought into the 21st century with extra volume, texture and a softer finish. 

Devoted to the industry and beyond passionate about barbering, Charlie Venn is a valued addition to the Uppercut Deluxe Ambassador team.  

BLACC + BLOND, a hair salon based in Birmingham’s historic Jewellery Quarter, has ripped up the classic perception of what a brand can be within their industry. 

Whether it be virtual haircuts during lockdown, raising funds for mental health and anti-racism or becoming one of the most sustainable salons in the world, it’s remarkable what can be achieved during a global pandemic if you genuinely care about making a change. 

This International Women’s Day (March 8th), they are now taking the huge leap of becoming a Gender Neutral Salon. The goal? To create more equality within the hair industry. They believe the traditional pricing model within the salon is an outdated concept that highlights the disparity between men and women in society. 

Their “40/40 vision”, in regards to their new haircut price, is teamed with the slogan “Length Doesn’t Matter, Time Does.” Based on the fact that all of their haircuts are the same time (one hour), so why should women pay more? 

Going Gender Neutral with pricing isn’t necessarily a new thing, however, Owner, Anil Salhan, claims that most of these salons have a predominant female client base. Whereas BLACC + BLOND has a 50/50 split of men and women as their clients, which makes their initiative that extra bit riskier. 

He states that it’s important for men to help create more gender based equality, because of how privileged men are at times. From his own experiences with racism, he mentions how empowering it is when Caucasian people help the anti-racism cause. “I hope that this inspires other men in society to at the very minimum, at least acknowledge the inequalities that women can face”. 

BLACC + BLOND are in the process of compiling their Sustainability Report, with supreme confidence that they will be accredited as Carbon Neutral in the near future. This means they will become one of the, if not first, gender and Carbon neutral hair salons on the planet. 

A status that would be remarkable for an independent business that fought to stay alive during a global pandemic. Whether it’s been his personal life or career wise, Anil has had to battle to get to where he is today, which he believes has made his brand foundation so strong. The fight for gender equality is just another chapter for BLACC + BLOND. 

Martyn Wady becomes a trained First Responder. 

WFH has its benefits and being on hand to save a life has to be one of the best! Martyn Wady, Denman’s International Business Manager spends much of his time in his home office in rural Bedfordshire and took on the challenge of training to become one of Britain’s First Responders. Martyn says “I live in a rural village and even at the best of times it’s a challenge to get an ambulance here in under 8 minutes. In recent times with the pressure on the NHS, it’s even harder. The chances of surviving a cardiac arrest after four minutes reduce massively with every passing minute, so the sooner you can start CPR the better. I’m trained to use oxygen and a defibrillator too and I can get pretty much anywhere in my local area faster than an ambulance.”

Martyn undertook five full days of training and 25 hours of online learning and commits to further monthly training. He is ‘on call’ weekly and attends Category 1 and 2 emergencies (life in danger and possible life in danger) which can include anything from an elderly person taking a tumble to catastrophic bleeds and heart attacks. “Our role is to provide First Aid where needed and assess and monitor patients until the ambulance arrives. Often, we carry out the primary assessments and vital statistics which enables the ambulance crew to act fast and provide the necessary treatment when they do arrive. We are often first on the scene and with long ambulance wait times, we can be looking after a patient for hours, so a lot of what we do is monitoring and reassurance,” explains Martyn.  

When on call Martyn must be ready to drop everything and go and ensures he has his kit prepped at all times. While the idea of being called to an emergency can be scary, Martyn admits that when it happens his training kicks in and he just follows procedure. Martyn concludes “It’s scary but you just have to remember your training and the fact that in pretty much every case you can’t make it worse. What you can do is buy the patient crucial time that might just save their life.”