While this year has seen a lot of events and competitions cancelled or postponed, Wahl is keeping spirits up by going ahead with its annual British Barber of the Year competition.

Past winners include Carl Taylor of Murdock Barbers of London, Keune ambassador James Beaumont and Andrea Raymond, who now has a place on the Wahl Artistic Team.

Wahl have said that this year they will be ‘doing things a little differently,’ with more details on this to be released in due course. In the meantime, barbers can submit their entries via wahl.co.uk and completing the entry form.

Barbers are encouraged to submit four images showcasing their best work along with a biography on themselves and their career.

Finalists will be contacted and provided with further details once entries close on 26th October 2020.

Good luck!

Government officials have warned the NHBF that they will close the hair and beauty sector if they don’t follow safety guidelines.

The NHBF is launching the #DoItRight campaign to ensure hair and beauty professionals across the UK understand exactly what is required of them to keep working and reduce the risk of further restrictions or lockdowns. 

The NHBF want to stress how important it is for everyone to follow the guidelines and operate in a COVID secure way to protect yourselves, your employees, clients and to protect the industry from being locked down again.

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) has issued a statement to the NHBF which says all businesses are at risk of receiving formal action from local authorities if they are not following their risk assessments. Failure to comply with an enforcement notice from a local authority officer can lead to prosecution in the criminal courts and penalties including fines or up to two years’ imprisonment.

In England, the main points that people need to remember are:

• Wearing a visor – the guidelines which were updated on 14 August now say you must also wear a Type II face mask for extra protection
• Using a booking-only system and maintaining social distancing in the workplace
• Frequent washing of hands
• Using screens and back-to-back/side-to-side working 
• Frequent cleaning and disinfecting of surfaces and tools, especially after each client
• Contacting clients before appointments to check if clients have COVID symptoms, in which case they must cancel
• Displaying the COVID 19 Secure notice in a prominent place

The rules are slightly different in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, but they apply to everyone working in hair and beauty: hairdressers, barbers, nail technicians, beauty therapists, eyebrow and eyelash professionals and beauty aesthetics practitioners, including mobile workers in hair and beauty. 

Hilary Hall, chief executive of the NHBF says, “We have worked hard to ensure hair and beauty salons, barbershops and individual professionals can get back to work but because some are failing to follow the guidelines, they are putting the whole industry at risk. We’ve launched our #DoItRight campaign to help hair and beauty businesses across the UK understand the guidelines that apply in their part of the country.  The last thing any of us want is to face further restrictions, further lockdowns or a second spike in coronavirus infections. The impact on our industry would be devastating.  Please do your bit to help and show you’re putting the industry first as well as protecting the safety of your teams and your clients.”

The full Safer Workplace guidelines are available to view in full at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/working-safely-during-coronavirus-covid-19/close-contact-services

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

The Fellowship of British Hairdressing has been forced to put its annual PROJECT: Men project on hold for 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, meaning that the 2020 team will rollover with the project into 2021. There’s now room for three new hairdressers looking to develop their skills to join the mentoring scheme.

PROJECT: Men launched in 2019 to provide insight and education on all aspects of men’s hairdressing and grooming, from essential barbering techniques to presentation and photoshoot skills. The team comes together monthly to enjoy a mentoring session led by industry experts, who in the past have included Danny & Co, Hayden Cassidy, Johnny Shanahan, Andrea Raymond and the Master Barbers.

The team also have the opportunity to gain on-set experience and join Jonathan as he works on fashion week shows and live stage work with the Fellowship at Salon International.

Of the Project, Jonathan says: ‘I’m honoured to be Project Leader for PROJECT: Men for a second year. Men’s hair is something I am so passionate about and I think there are so many incredible avenues to explore from the salon all the way to the stage. This is going to be a jam-packed year full of things I only wish I could have had when I was starting out.’

PROJECT: Men is suitable for anyone looking to gain more experience in men’s hair – there’s no age limit and applicants do not need to have experience in barbering.

To apply for one of the three places available, applicants should fill out the form available at www.fellowshiphair.com and send three images of their men’s hair work. The closing date for entries is 12pm on Thursday 24 September 2020.

The ‘It’s All Good’ box set won ‘Best Treatment Mask’ for the Men’s Category at the 2020 Attracta Beauty Awards. A collaboration with cancer support charity Look Good Feel Better, the box was designed to support those undergoing cancer treatment by looking after their skin and inspiring confidence. Look Good Feel Better run confidence workshops where attendees learn valuable skills and how to look after their wellbeing during all stages of treatment. 10% of all purchases of the boxes go to Look Good Feel Better, and so far the sales have raised an amazing £9,000.

BARBER PRO said: “With this set launching under a year ago, we are so pleased to have been shortlisted for this award, let alone going on to win for the Men’s ‘Best Treatment Mask’ category. Especially with the set being for an exceptional cause, we can’t wait to keep raising money for this charity.

Giving back and helping people feel good is so important to us and we are so pleased that people are purchasing this set to feel good themselves, whilst raising money for cancer charity Look Good Feel Better, who also work hard to help people going through treatment to feel great.”

You can find BARBER PRO and stock up your shelves with their award-winning products at www.beautypro.com/trade.

To learn more about Look Good Feel Better and the incredible work that they do, visit www.lookgoodfeelbetter.co.uk/.

The ‘tech-infused workwear for barbers’ has just landed at BarberBlades.co.uk, making it easier than ever before for barbers to get their hands on this stylish, comfortable and durable alternative to aprons.

Barber Blades is known as the ‘one-stop shop’ for all barbering essentials, but the new addition of Barber Garms will give barbers an option of everyday workwear that repels hair splinters.

Barber Garms was founded in 2019 by George Tierney Abbott of Flanagans Barbers to rid barbers of the uncomfortable feeling of hair splinters in their clothes throughout the day. After testing hundreds of fabrics and designs, George landed on the Barber Garm t-shirts with TightWeave© technology. The TightWeave© fabric was developed specifically for the hair and beauty industry with thread count per millimetre that is almost triple that of regular clothing.

Barber Blades currently carries both the Oversized and Slim Fit unisex tees in black and white.

Find out more at barberblades.co.uk/brands/barber-garms, and keep up to date with the latest on Barber Garms on Instagram @barbergarms.

The salon and barbershop in Leicester’s city centre welcomed clients again on Tuesday 4^th August following four months of lockdown.

The King Street shop closed its doors in March according to government guidelines for close-contact services amid the Coronavirus outbreak, and was set to reopen on the 4^th of July along with other hairdressers in England. However, following an announcement from Prime Minister Boris Johnson at the end of June, Leicester went into local lockdown and the King Street salon was forced to keep its doors shut until August.

Barrie Stephen (pictured above with business partner Joachim Ziliken) said “It feels absolutely wonderful to be back in business and seeing all our lovely – and very patient – clients once again. We are ready to go and our team are excited to get back to doing what they love.

“It has been an incredibly challenging few months and even harder seeing other salons across the country reopen, but we have done everything possible to support our clients with their hair during lockdown. We have made sure they’ve had their favourite products and we’ve helped with tips and advice – though nothing beats seeing them in person and treating them to the red carpet service they deserve. Let’s go!”

Follow Barrie Stephen Hair on Instagram (@barriestephenhair) to keep up to date with the salon and its reopening.

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.

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.