Award winning men’s hairdresser, Jim Shaw, shared his comments on this season’s pastel hair colour trends for men.

With us now in spring, pastels are one of the biggest trends we are seeing this season. Pastels come back on trend year after year in springtime. However for 2023, pastels have a more contemporary and stylish update! Below are some of my favourite, current and on-trend ways for male clients to wear pastels this year…

Match pastel tone to natural shade

I love to cut my clients’ hair right down at the sides, revealing their natural hair colour, and then bleach and tone the top, longer section of hair. This creates a super cool and quirky contrast. I particularly love this look with a steel grey tone on the top or a blue. This is a great way for male clients to update their look with colour without opting for too much of a bold/statement hue.

Deep toners

Adding an opulent/pearlescent toner is another way for male clients to give their pastel hue an up-to-date finish for 2023. Giving the hair an opulent/pearlescent finish, instead of the ordinary soft pastel, creates a more expensive, luxurious, and high-shine look.  

Follow the seasons

Ashy/silver blondes have been on trend for some time but as we come into the warmer months, we will see hair colours becoming a lot warmer. Now is the time for men to go blonde and if they’re feeling bold and adventurous – try yellow! A pastel yellow/blonde hue can look great when teamed with the right cut. I think this looks particularly stylish with a crew cut. It’s such a fun, playful colour and a perfect match for men with bubbly personalities!

Embrace the rainbow

For those feeling daring and adventurous, pairing two or three pastel tones together is another modern way for male clients to wear their pastel hair for 2023. Teaming shades of blue, pink and green together will create an incredible rainbow-inspired hue that will have heads turning.

Aftercare

What’s the key to keeping pastel hair colour looking its best and long-lasting? Hair care! Clients should be advised to use a good quality, professional shampoo and conditioner that’s for coloured hair. They should also consider using a hair mask once per week to keep their hair in optimum condition and colour sealed in.

Heat styling

Heated styling tools can of course lead to colour fade, so it’s important that clients are aware that should they need to use heated styling, to always protect their hair with a heat protection spray first.

Find Jim on Instagram as @jimshawhair

The Fellowship for British Hairdressing’s Project Men Team were delighted to spend the day with Gary Machin from RB Training at the RB Training HQ in Stoke on Trend learning all about shaving.

The Fellowship’s Project Men education programme is the ultimate education aimed at hairdressers and barbers looking to develop their skills in the ever-growing men’s grooming market. The mentoring programme will open up the world of barbering and hairdressing.

Gary Machin, Director of the Rogers Barber Shops, Founder of RB Training & Chairman of the Barber Council has been a barber for over 30 years.  His recent work has taken him around the globe representing the British Barbers Association as lead educator, judging competitions, educating & supporting major companies.

The Project Men team, alongside Team Leader, Simon Shaw, were delighted to spend the day with Gary learning all about shaving, including the traditional wet shave, the products you should use and the steps you should be taking.

Commenting on the day, Project Team Member, Elettra Guggeri, said, “The day with Gary Machin was absolutely brilliant. I really enjoyed learning how to execute a professional wet shave on a client. He’s been very explicit about the whole process from start to finish. It’s something that I’m looking forward to mastering, which hopefully will broaden my clientele and will get me confident with beards.”

PROJECT MEN TEAM LEADER: Simon Shaw
PROJECT MEN PHOTOGRAPHER: Alex Burt
PROJECT MEN TEAM MEMBERS:

• Rees Bryla, Sarai Hair & Beauty
• Thomas Griffin, Nashwhite
• Kyle Dodson, Beasley’s Beards & Barnets
• Elettra Guggeri, Richard Ward

Brand Partners: Wahl Professional, Matakki Scissors, Captain Fawcett, BarberEVO, The Barbers Arms, Barber Connect

The Fellowship for British Hairdressing are on Instagram as @fellowshiphair

For the first time ever, BaByliss PRO is bringing complete customisation to their hero grooming range in the UK. Introducing CustomFX: three tools with endless possibilities.

Barbers will now be able to take creativity into their own hands like never before, and design their own unique products to fit their signature style – from flashy metals to cool pops of colour.

Tools available for customisation will be BaByliss PRO’s hero grooming range: the Cordless Clipper, Super Motor Skeleton Trimmer and Titanium Foil Shaver.

Each tool is made up from different customisable parts, available in ten different colours, totalling millions of possible combinations, allowing all barbers to add a sense of individuality to their kit. BaByliss PRO also offer a brand new exclusive feature for the UK, taking customisation to the next level with the choice of complimentary personal engraving on each tool.

As well as having full aesthetic control, barbers and stylists now also have the opportunity to select their own blade type to completely suit their needs. New blade types are available for the Super Motor Clipper and the Super Motor Skeleton Trimmer, and includes the popular new Black Graphite Fade Blade.

HOW IT WORKS:

1. Head over to babyliss.com and select which product you would like to customise. Choose from the hero range: the iconic Super Motor Clipper, Skeleton Trimmer or Titanium Foil Shaver
2. Begin your customisation by choosing from ten different colours for each component to create your unique design
3. Add your own personal complimentary engraving to your kit, choosing from five different scaleable fonts
4. Share your creation with the world and use @babylissprouk on your social posts for a chance to be featured

Colours available: black, white, gun metal, gold, rose gold, green, red, blue, purple and pink.

CUSTOMFX CORDLESS SUPER MOTOR CLIPPER

The original hero product, the Cordless Super Motor Clipper, is engineered with power, strength and precision in mind, and has become a popular ‘go-to’ clipper for its high-torque motor and super sharp Japanese steel blades.
RRP £225.00

CUSTOMFX CORDLESS SUPER MOTOR SKELETON TRIMMER

BaByliss PRO’s Skeleton Trimmer is designed for detail, with an exposed extra wide Japanese steel T-blade edge, giving 360 degrees of sight and control when outlining or detailing, and the new zero gap function gives a closer cut than ever before.
RRP £200.00

NEW! CUSTOMFX TITANIUM FOIL SHAVER

The Titanium Foil Shaver is a heavy duty shaver with dual foils designed for precision and blending, in a robust metal design. Hypoallergenic foils give close cut and irritation and bump- free fade finish.
RRP £180.00

Hosted on youtube and the Andis Company website, Hayden’s 12 step-by-step tutorials offer easy-to-follow guides on some of the most popular cuts and styles.

 Andis® Company, a leading manufacturer of professional and at-home grooming products has teamed up with Andis Global Educator and renowned barber Hayden Cassidy to provide twelve, in-depth hair-cutting tutorials that can be accessed online. Featuring some of the most popular and timeless hairstyles, these tutorials are shared as part of Andis Company’s commitment to barber and stylist education.

WHO: Hayden Cassidy and Andis Company 

WHAT: 12 haircutting tutorials by renowned barber Hayden Cassidy 

WHERE: The full-length videos will be housed on the Andis website, as well as the official Andis Company YouTube channel for free 

WHEN: The tutorials are available indefinitely as a resource for barbers and at-home stylists.    

To learn more about Andis® Company, follow them on Instagram,TikTok, and Facebook.

New research reveals how recruitment challenges are encouraging employers to consider ex-offenders. The findings mark the launch of Sodexo’s new campaign, ‘Starting Fresh’, which will encourage, and provide guidance to businesses on proactively hiring ex-offenders.

• 50% of hair and beauty businesses polled said they were struggling to fill job vacancies, with 34% reporting in excess of 10 open roles that need filling in their organisation
• Despite this, 46% of business leaders in the hair and beauty industry say they do not believe they currently employ any ex-offenders
• More positively though, 68%^[1] say they anticipate hiring ex-offenders in the year ahead and 72%^[2] said they would like to learn more about hiring those with criminal records

7 March 2023: 46% of UK hair and beauty businesses (considerably higher than the UK private sector average of 30%) do not currently employ any ex-offenders, despite half saying they are struggling to fill positions. This is according to a new study commissioned by Sodexo, the food services and facilities management business which runs six UK prisons on behalf of the Ministry of Justice and Scottish Prison Service. The study sought to understand the extent to which prison-leavers and ex-offenders who have not served custodial sentences have the same employment opportunities as other job seekers. Launching the campaign ‘Starting Fresh’ today, the organisation is collaborating with partners including New Futures Network, The Oswin Project, Clean Sheet and Novus Works to help remove the perceived barriers associated with the employment of ex-offenders, which hold back the reintegration of people into communities.

Sodexo, which itself is a Ban the Box employer, commissioned research of 1,000 owners and senior leaders with hiring responsibilities across British businesses, finding nearly two thirds (61%) will be hiring ex-offenders in 2023, while 21%^[3] say they will not. 

When asked about their greatest concerns, one quarter (25%) agreed they were worried employees would re-offend, and the same proportion agreed they feared for the safety of the rest of their workforce (25%). More than one in five (23%) agreed that they wouldn’t trust them to behave appropriately at work. 

When it comes to the hair and beauty industry, as part of this campaign, Sodexo is keen to ensure employers understand the training facilities and qualifications available in some of its prisons. In HMP Bronzefield in Surrey for example, prisoners are able to train in an Ofsted-checked environment for their City & Guilds Level 2 NVQ Diploma in Hairdressing or in Beauty Therapy, which is externally assessed. Read Emily’s story

Support on further progress

When respondents were asked what might encourage them to hire ex-offenders, 22% suggested there should be a government initiative which incentivises businesses (46% of hair and beauty industry respondents). A fifth (20%) suggested an initiative giving businesses a target for hiring ex-offenders, and 20% said a need to fill crucial skills gaps would force them to look at individuals with criminal records. 

According to the UK government, though the proportion of prison-leavers who were employed at six months from their release rose by almost two thirds between April 2021 and March 2022 to 23%^[4], this must improve. 

Sodexo is itself committed to filling 5% of appropriate job opportunities with ex-offenders. During 2021 and 2022, the business had 162 DBS applications return as positive, 133 (82%) of these went on to gain employment. The facilities management and food services company, which employs more than 30,000 people in the UK and Ireland, knows both from its own experience looking after a prison population of over 6,000 people across six prisons, with a commitment to rehabilitation, and as a proactive employer of ex-offenders, how critically important it is for both the individual and the wider community to support those with a criminal history. Statistically, ex-offenders who get a job are less likely to re-offend, while 81% of consumers believe businesses employing ex-offenders are making a positive contribution to society.^[5] 

Commenting on the findings and launch of Starting Fresh Tony Simpson, Justice Operations Director at Sodexo UK & Ireland said:“While not all ex-offenders are prison-leavers, an important aspect of this campaign is to help employers understand the quality of learning which takes place in prison. Nearly 50,000 people leave prison every year, many emerging with formal qualifications they didn’t have before.

“Prisoners at the sites we manage are prepared to be job-ready for the opportunities in the outside world, whether that be in IT support, cleaning, catering, hospitality or hairdressing and beauty. It can be a win-win situation because there is a huge skills shortage in many UK sectors, and we believe ex-offenders could absolutely help to plug some of these gaps, while providing a more stable and secure income, and a better future, for the individual. It’s positive to see the majority of businesses suggesting that they will employ from this largely untapped talent pool in 2023. Starting Fresh is not just about helping employers understand the valued contribution ex-offenders can make to their business, but to also encourage them to proactively engage with our prisons and our partners to start the hiring process with prison-leavers. We have more to do, and we want to start new conversations about how we share our experience and learn from others as part of this campaign.”

Caroline Larissey, Director of Quality and Standards at the National Hair and Beauty Federation added: “I think the majority of salon owners will be surprised to learn that there are barbershops and salons operating within the prison system where prisoners are currently training to achieve the same qualifications as candidates learning in colleges and through training providers. Post-pandemic we’ve seen nearly a 50% drop in people entering the sector, and research we did at the NHBF showed that the industry is operating on a 60% vacancy rate. 

“Hair and beauty is one of the most inclusive sectors, excellent at embracing and supporting people, giving them confidence and improving their self-esteem. With many salons struggling to recruit staff hiring an ex-offender could provide an ideal solution and give someone a second chance.”

To help businesses with the employment of ex-offenders, Sodexo has launched Starting Fresh. There are resources for employers seeking to discover the underutilised community of people with criminal backgrounds and support them in the workplace, as well as case studies of what impact this has had on the companies and individuals involved. Sodexo is also using this campaign to let employers know they are welcome to visit their prisons if they are interested in offering opportunities on release. Organisations with multiple job opportunities can even run employer days in the prisons.

Welcome to BarberEVO issue 37! Let’s talk about style, baby! This issue is all about finding your unique style as an artist, keeping up with trends, and ensuring your space matches your personal vibes.

Gracing our coveted cover this issue is American Crew’s latest ‘AC-iD’ collection – a tribute to the style and music of the ‘90s, using AC’s iconic collection of styling pucks. We caught up with the AC Creative Team on the set of this shoot to see how the magic all comes together.

The man with style for days, Tariq Howes, kicks off our styling feature by sharing his experiences in the session styling world and as a BaByliss Ambassador. Gio Uktolsej based In Rotterdam talks about developing your own iconic style, and Liam Lovetts gives us the facts on short vs long styling. 

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Next, EVO goes ECO. In this feature, we talk all about how to eco-ify your barbershop, not only to help save the planet, but to save money, and bring in more clients too! You don’t have to go vegan, but maybe your hair products can. Food for thought. 

Finally, we take a peek into some of this season’s best barbershop interiors. How can you add style to your space? Maybe it’s in investing in the best chairs, customising your furniture, finding a theme, or investing in a new state-of-the-art technology? We love Jazzman Grooves barbershop, which boasts an eclectic mix of industrial furniture and artistic, street-inspired décor. RUGER give us a look inside their contemporary space, while Gents @ 27 tell us how to take your barbershop ideas from pitch to brick and mortar premises.

We hope you enjoy this issue! You can order your print copy here.

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Global creative consultancy 3 Monkeys Zeno are the latest corporate to sign up to an office barbering service as part of a range of well-being initiatives for staff.

The London, Old Street-based firm brought in mobile barbers Get Groomed to provide some in-office pampering to help encourage people back into the office.

The company is one of several Get Groomed corporate clients across the UK including Car Finance 24/7, PitchBook, Oscar Recruit and Pareto FM to use their services.

3 Monkeys Zeno’s Nicholas Barnard said: “Everyone is so busy these days, it can be hard to find space in your own time to go to the barbers, so having someone come in was really welcome.

“It couldn’t have been easier. The barber set up shop for the day in one of our meeting rooms and all we had to do was book a slot and pop in when our session was called.”

Nicholas says that for 3 Monkeys Zeno, an integrated communications agency, with 29 offices across the world – employee perks are part of the company culture.

“Incentives like this help enrich the whole work experience and show the added value companies like ours give their employees,” he added.

“It’s fun and creates a dynamic around the office again and with a hybrid working model currently in place, helps encourage them back into the office.”

Get Groomed was founded by Giuliano Dore and Sabrina Vjaykumar offering haircuts, wet shaves and beard trims in homes, offices, and hotel rooms across London, Manchester, Birmingham, Kent and Guildford, Surrey. 

“It was a delight to provide our services to such a great group of guys at 3 Monkeys Zeno,” said Giuliano. “They were a pleasure to work with.

“Everybody benefits from workplace events like these; it creates a bit of a buzz and gives the employer another reason to encourage staff back into the office. “

Details of corporate sessions can be found at www.gogetgroomed.co.uk

The votes are in and counted and the NHBF is delighted to announce that Amanda Lodge-Stewart, Director, Link Training Academy, has been elected as the new President.

Joining Amanda are new elected NHBF board members: Samantha Cunningham (Shine), Joanne Johnson (Bliss Hair Design), Jamie Mettyear (Mettyear’s Day Spa). Carolyn Sweeney (Creations) was re-elected for a second term.

The new President and board members have been elected for a three-year term and will be installed at the NHBF’s Annual General Meeting in London on Sunday 29 January.

NHBF President Amanda Lodge-Stewart commented: “It is a great privilege to be appointed to act on your behalf, representing our thoughts, feelings and ambitions for our hair, barbering and beauty sector.

As the NHBF President, I will focus on raising the quality, culture and reputation of our sector, I will explore issues around business growth and sustainability for the benefit of our employers, business owners and members. I will actively seek feedback and input from members on the issues we face and the priorities for our businesses and will represent us wholeheartedly in sector debate, driving policy change, which is led by the industry, for the industry.”

@nhbfsocial

NHBF

After seven years of dedicated service Keith Conniford is retiring as Registrar of the Hair & Barber Council. Keith is being replaced as Registrar by Gareth Penn and David Drew becomes Chairman.  

Having initially signed up for two years Keith remained at the helm of The Hair & Barber Council for seven years, which included successfully guiding the Council through the unprecedented challenges of Covid. 

Commenting on Keith’s retirement, David Drew, Chairman elect of the Hair & Barber Council said: “As a State Registered Hair & Barber Council Master cCaftsman since 1994, and an elected Hair & Barber council committee member for the last 17 years, I would like to express my thanks to Keith for the enormous body of work that he very consistently, professionally, and diligently performed, not to mention the amount of sacrifice and sheer hard work in supporting our State Registered members and the hair and barber industry in general during the pandemic!

“I have had the pleasure of both getting to know Keith personally plus working with him, he will be a hard act to follow!”

Keith Conniford added: “It has been an honour and a privilege to work together with the Council, our members, and the industry this past seven years, but I believe it is the right time for the future development of the Council and me personally to now step down.

“Having navigated the Hair & Barber Council through two of the most challenging times for our members and the sector, namely Covid and the current cost of living crisis, there are new challenges that are and will face our industry in the future that will require definitive sight and vision.

“Our relationship with Westminster is the strongest than it has ever been with Ministers, BEIS and MPs actively seeking our help and guidance I firmly believe we are closer to our aim of compulsory registration than ever before. I wish Gareth and David great success in their respective roles as Registrar and Chair, I will miss you all enormously and this great industry that I have been part of for over 50 years.” 

Gareth Penn the new Registrar steps up from being the Finance Chairman and has considerable sector and industry experience as Managing Director of the Good Salon Guide since 2004. Commenting on his appointment Gareth said: “I am hugely excited and energised by the potential that the Hair &  Barber Council has and I am looking forward to building upon the excellent work that Keith has done over the last seven years. 

“Keith, ably supported by Susan Scott, has worked tirelessly to push compulsory Registration and I’d like to join David Drew in thanking Keith for his dedication and hard work.”

The Fellowship for British Hairdressing Project Men team were delighted to travel to Wahl HQ for an action packed two days with Project Leader, Simon Shaw.

On day one the Project Men Team Members had an introduction day with Simon, where he introduced the year ahead and provided a tour of Wahl HQ before a cutting demo. The day then followed with a cutting demo from Award Winning Barber, Wahl UK Artist and Matakki Mentor, Dean Greeson.

On day two, it was time for Emma Curd, Director of Matakki Scissors and Project Men Brand Partner, and Sam Campagna, Wahl UK Educator and Matakki Scissors Mentor to take the reins. Emma talked through the Matakki brand and the importance of using the correct scissors and Sam provided a cutting demo for the team.

Project Team Member, Elettra Guggeri said, “My first two days with Project Men have been so inspiring. It was great to meet the man himself Simon Shaw, our Project Leader, and the rest of the team, as well as getting to know about the brands we’re going to be working with. 

It’s such an honour to be sponsored by a long-established brand like Wahl and a premium steel scissors brand like Matakki. 

I really enjoyed the training day with Dean Gleeson, we went straight into practicing what we’ve just learned. I had to come out of my comfort zone by using a few new clippers techniques that I’m definitely going to bring back to the salon. 

The second day with Matakki Scissors and Sam Campagna was really inspiring. Emma from Matakki put us at ease and was very informative about the brand we’re going to be using. Sam is one of the top Educators in the barbering industry and I enjoyed watching his work and learning about his approach on men’s hair and cutting techniques. 

I’m really excited about what’s coming next and the amazing creatives I’ll get to connect with”.

PROJECT MEN Team Leader: Simon Shaw

PROJECT MEN Team Members:

• Rees Bryla, Sarai Hair & Beauty
• Thomas Griffin, Nashwhite
• Kyle Dodson, Beasley’s Beards & Barnets
• Elettra Guggeri, Richard Ward

Brand Partners: Wahl Professional, Matakki Scissors, Captain Fawcett, BarberEVO, The Barbers Arms, Barber Connect