TONI&GUY Get Generous

by Megan Dorcey on Monday, March 21st, 2011

Learn from the best at a master class.

TONI&GUY is launching themselves as the go-to brand for education this year, and with over 40 years of talent and expertise, the UK-founded brand is spreading the love with free education. One lucky stylist will get the chance to learn from the best at a Master Class held by TONI&GUY at an academy near them.

Sign up to win a 2 DAY ADVANCED CLASS with the masters in an area near you. Simply fill out the form on the TONI&GUY website and you are instantly entered to win. Don’t miss this opportunity to enter your name today for the chance to win and learn the latest news and trends.  Classes are being held in Dallas, Phoenix, Santa Monica, Atlanta, Boise, Toledo, Rhode Island and Seattle.

For more information, visit the TONI&GUY website.

Win an Amazing Training Opportunity with Nick Arrojo!

by Megan Dorcey on Sunday, March 13th, 2011

Born in Manchester, England, Nick Arrojo began his career as a hair stylist at Vidal Sassoon. At 21, he was appointed the youngest-ever assistant creative director at Vidal Sassoon.

For every stylist who has dreamed of becoming a platform artist, Empire Education Group is offering the opportunity of a lifetime.

Empire’s award-winning Masters of Beauty Skills Certification Program, featuring hands-on training with Nick Arrojo, has been touring the country since last year. Now, Empire and Arrojo have kicked off a new online contest to give away nearly $50,000 worth of education packages and cash prizes.

The first place winner receives a high-end education package that culminates with the chance to present on stage with Nick at selected Tour of Beauty dates in 2012, plus $10,000 cash.

The contest is exclusively online.

Stylists will register and upload a photo of their work onto the contest’s Facebook page www.facebook.com/mastersofbeauty. There, they can enter one of three categories—cutting, coloring, or styling. The public will vote, and then combined with input from Nick and his team, quarter-finalists will be chosen and asked to upload 2-3 minute videos highlighting them and their work. From 10 semi-finalists, 3 finalists will travel to New York to vie for the coveted title, announced at IBS in New York in March 2012.

“I love the concept of this contest, because it’s really what Masters of Beauty is all about,” says Nick Arrojo. “The Tour already provides stylists across the country with amazing advanced education, at a price they can afford, right in their own city. This contest takes that one step further, by giving one lucky winner not only hands-on training from me and the Masters of Beauty team, but the opportunity to make a name for themselves on stage.”

“For a stylist to be able to add this to his or her portfolio is amazing,” says Frank Schoeneman, chairman and CEO of Empire Education Group. “Platform work combined with the education package the winner receives could open so many doors for this lucky beauty professional. We are thrilled to be able to partner with Nick and take Masters of Beauty to a whole new level.”

My New Love: CHI Enviro American Smoothing Treatment

by Megan Dorcey on Thursday, February 17th, 2011

Megan in all her natural curly glory

Throughout the past year, we have all had mixed emotions about the various keratin treatments available to us.  I, like any good researcher, went and had a keratin treatment last year.  Like a lot of people, I was happy with the results, but the process left me with irritated eyes, and a lot of questions.

In response to concerns over the safety of traditional aldehyde-containing straightening treatments,  CHI has introduced the revolutionary Enviro Smoothing Treatment that is completely formaldehyde-free and safe to your clients as well as yourself. The CHI Enviro American Smoothing Treatment (CurlStylist has dubbed it the CHI EAST) is composed of amino acids, pearl and silk.  No harmful chemicals means you have a clear conscious when that client asks for the treatment.

I didn’t understand how the treatment could actually make the hair straighter and smoother without chemicals, but CHI Enviro’s protein and amino acid complex allows temporary change in the structure of hair fibers, leaving hair easier to comb and hair that is silkier, smoother and shinier, so its protein and amino acid complex is what allows the system to straighten the hair.

Megan after her CHI Enviro American Smoothing Treatment

I had the treatment done last weekend and I will have to say that the process is fairly similar to other treatments I’ve had; many steps of washing, drying, flat-ironing.  A few things that were drastically different: no smell, well, actually, there was a smell, and it was vanilla, not the eye-watering chemicals of other systems.  When Rafael (my own personal CHI Educator) was flat-ironing the treatment onto my hair, there was literally only steam coming off of it, and it didn’t make my eyes water, or make my throat close up.  I actually didn’t notice until halfway through the process.

All in all, I was one happy camper.  Many of us felt like we were lied to by various companies in the past, and we were more than skeptical with this new treatment.  We can’t wait until this safe (physically and environmentally) treatment is offered in all of the salons instead of the harmful keratin processes.  You’ve made believers in us, CHI.

Check out the continuing education opportunities with CHI here.

Antonio Gonzales: Building Your Business

by Antonio Gonzales on Monday, July 12th, 2010

I was born in Trinidad in the height of a hurricane. I spent my childhood surrounded by the sights and sounds and smells of Carnival and the other Indian, African and Spanish festivals of the Islands. Loving the amazing costumes, I got my start dressing my sisters and doing their hair and makeup. An opportunity came up to work with Trinidad’s leading costume designers, makeup artists and hair stylists. After I left the Island, my career evolved with work in Munich, Los Angeles and now New York City. Here in New York, I am a stylist at the Orlo Salon in the Meat Packing district. Vogue magazine recently named me as one of the rising hairstylist stars in N.Y., I was awarded the best haircut of 2008 by shecky’s.com, Gotham Magazine called me a Shear Genius and Allure Magazine featured me as one of the best cuts 2009.

See Antonio’s blog here.

I have a question for all hairstylists and salon owners: What do you think of when you hear the term “building your business”? Acquiring more clients? Increased product sales? Expanding your salon? Or simply developing your skill? Following a very humble start in this industry and having grown my career in two cities (Los Angeles and New York) that have salons on every corner, I’m here to share skills—from my cutting, coloring and management experience—that helped build my business to what it is today. I will address this topic in a two-part article: the first for salon management and the second (appearing in two weeks) for the hairstylist. So no matter what your price point or what state you live in, I present valuable tips to help you be the best at what you do. Please keep in mind that I’m not going to mention the obvious, like regular staff meetings and how to sell more products.

The Basic Rule

There is a myth in our industry that giving free services is good for business and encourages loyalty and appreciation. But consider this: When was the last time you went to your doctor, dentist or attorney and were given anything for free? For these professions, time equals money, and ours is no different. And the fact that your salon rents chairs or is commission-based (as the case may be) is irrelevant. The time and service that’s being given away will cost your business part of its profit. What’s more, not only are you losing money, but also respect. If your services are worth their cost, why would you need to give it away? Whether your business model entails a $20 or s $200 cut, the service you’re providing should be worth every penny you decide to charge, and it’s important that you stand firmly behind your worth. Remember that the idea is to build your business, not shortchange it. Consider that if you find yourself granting free services occasionally, perhaps you’re charging too much to begin with and should instead lower your rates, which brings me to…

Your Team’s Value

Your staff’s talent is key to building your business; the better they are, the more worth they have. Consider this scenario: You enable your key hairstylist to focus on his or her education for one year, allowing him or her a new depth of perspective on their skill. Stipulate that after each course they complete, they then must pass on their enhanced skills to your other stylists. It’s a win-win, on multiple levels: By doing so you will not only have made your key stylist better at his or her skill, but also afforded him or her the opportunity to realize their own worth. Meanwhile, your entire team will benefit from a skill-building process that, in the end, only cost you a single student’s tuition.

When your stylists are open to the idea that becoming more skilled means more clients (and more profit) for all, then they too can participate in the process as you see fit; rotate your personnel’s course attendance; each member of your team can have the chance to attend classes and share with their coworkers. It’s a collaborative process that all will enjoy, and from which all can, and will, benefit.

A hairstylist’s worth is not how much attitude they have, how meticulous they are at their job, or even how much product they sell or how many clients they bring in, but rather the degree to which he or she is willing to better themselves. Their capacity to grow, to perform noticeably better each, is truly the most important factor.

So now that you have the staff’s enthusiastic participation, let’s begin.

Team Building

From my personal experience, as hairstylists see each others’ skills improve, it makes them feel less threatened and the sense of a true “team” is born. But keep in mind that the weaker stylists are there for a reason: to be your future stars… so who better to train them but your current shining stars. Another way to set a strong foundation for a team relates to their trust in you as their manager. Never—I repeat, NEVER—break an employee’s trust. Even if they come to you with a smallest complaint about another staff member, keep it to yourself and figure out a way to deal with the issue. Remember, if they have shared a concern, it’s now your responsibility, and this information should be guarded with the utmost respect. If their trust is broken, chances are you will never get it back again.

As the team slowly starts working together, think about ways for members to be excited to learn more, which brings me to…

Incentives

Having a staff member set an example by learning, sharing and becoming busier is often enough of an incentive for the rest of the team. But we all respond differently. Luckily, there are countless ways to create a buzz in the salon. I have taken part in so many incentive-building exercises to help build moral and sales that I could write a book on the subject! Here are a couple of the ones that worked best for me, and a couple to avoid at all costs.

Good idea: Get your product distributors involved. Have them offer more than just points; urge them to offer gift cards on a monthly basis to the stylist that sells the most treatments and/or products.

Bad idea: Don’t put that chart on the wall showing who’s selling the most. All this accomplishes is to create resentment and unhealthy, mean-spirited competition that undermines the idea of teamwork you’re trying to cultivate. The idea is to help promote a desire to do something that is part of their job. You don’t want to rub it into anyone’s face that their sales are low.

Good idea: We know that most companies now offer points for purchases that can go toward education. I’m a firm believer that the strongest producers and most talented individuals should be first on the list for education. Keep in mind that your strongest sellers may not be your busiest stylists. The idea is that they will learn faster and be stronger at teaching (hopefully).

Bad idea: If you hire a new stylist who is not as strong as your key stylist, don’t take points to send the new hire for education. Keep those points for your existing stylists and have them train the new hire. The new member of staff should prove herself through client retention, punctuality and sales.

All this talk of sales brings me to the next topic…

Product Sales

If you are basing your profit on product sales, then you are in the wrong business. Clients return for quality of work that improves over time. They can get products at a beauty-supply store. Furthermore, not every stylist is adept at selling. You may have a very talented stylist who can’t give away glitter dust to a drag queen! That’s OK—not everyone’s a salesperson. Early in my career, when my skills were not up to par, I was still the strongest at selling products. And today, as I have grown and can dish out a fierce cut, I’m still the strongest at sales … in other words, I can sell nuts to a man with no teeth! If you have a talented stylist that is weak at sales, that’s just the way it is. Trying to get them to sell is like trying to get blood from a stone—it’s not going to happen. Once they do their job, that’s all that matters; it’s about building your business, not trying to pimp products. I recommend having the super-creative stylists create, and the stylists that have the ability to sell products do that, while working on their talent.

Keep in mind that the worst feeling for a client is that they are feeling taken for granted and are being forced to buy products. It’s not worth losing a client over a bottle of shampoo.

My next article will address hairstylists directly, so get ready for some super-helpful tips to make you a star.

Keratin Education Event in Austin

by CurlStylist on Monday, June 7th, 2010

Braziliante by Cadiveu is to proud announce that they are teaming up with NaturallyCurly.com, CurlStylist.com and Avenue Five to host an education seminar on the Braziliante Treatment in Austin on Sunday, June 27, 2010! Head Educator, Zac Watson of Dolce & Co. in Arizona, will be educating on the Braziliante by Cadiveu Treatment from beginning to end, showing you tips and tricks along the way to ensure the perfect results. After the class you will be certified to perform this amazing treatment on your own clients. Your clients who once struggled to blow-dry and flat iron their hair for hours each morning will now be able to blow out their hair in a third of the time for a beautiful, shiny and smooth finish; they can go out on the most humid day of summer and their hair will not frizz!

The Braziliante by Cadiveu Treatment is a 90-minute salon treatment that offers results lasting up to 16 weeks! It leaves hair shiny smooth and frizz-free without formaldehyde or harsh chemicals.

The class is complimentary, but seats are filling up quickly. You may call or e-mail your salon’s reservation to guarantee your spot. We look forward to seeing you at the class and helping you launch this amazing service in your salon!

Space is limited; call to reserve your seat at this event today as it will fill up quickly: 323-512-3299

Hot Career: Hair Stylist

by Michelle Breyer on Monday, May 3rd, 2010

At Avenue Five Institute, an Austin-based cosmetology school, enrollment has doubled over the past year, said Brandon Martin, president of the school.

Avenue Five isn’t alone. Beauty schools around the country are seeing a surge in enrollment as a growing number of people are being drawn to careers in cosmetology.

This interest is coming from a wide range of people—from young people out of high school to displaced workers from other industries. Also fueling the growth is the record availability of financial aid.

The number of professional salon employees, 1.7 million, greatly outnumbers the number of lawyers across the United States.

“We’re seeing a lot of older students (30 years old and older) who are finding the need to retrain or pursue a long held dream that they have wanted to accomplish for years and never did until now,” says Jill Kohler, president and founder of Kohler Academy, a cosmetology school in North Scottsdale, Arizona, who has seen a growing number of people enrolling from the banking and real estate industries.

Martin believes the economy has provided people with the opportunity to pursue a career they may always have been interested in.

“Beauty school is not a Plan B anymore.” Martin says. ” For a lot of people, they may have wanted to do it for a long time by their parents told them they had to go to college or they were told it wasn’t a good career. But they realize now that it can be great career that they can be very happy with.”

Many are drawn to the fact that they can have a daily impact on people’s lives. The increased exposure of celebrity stylists through reality shows has contributed to the glamour and allure of the profession.

In a recent British job satisfaction survey, hairstylist ranked No. 1.

“It’s a feel-good industry,” says Walt Hunter, an educator and owner of Salon Professional Academy in North Fort Myers, told the News-Press in April.

At Salon Professional Academy, enrollment has doubled from this time last year.

“We’ve definitely seen growth in enrollments over the past year,” said Jim Cox, executive director of the American Association of Cosmetology Schools.

Cox says he’s talked to a number of schools with record enrollments, with many schools expanding and building larger facilities to accommodate the surge in students.

While the economic downturn may be driving some of this growth, Cox and others in the industry believe perceptions about the industry are changing. Some of this can attributed to the popularity of celebrity stylists like Nick Arrojo and Ted Gibson on “What Not To Wear” and shows like “Tabitha’s Salon Takeover” and “Shear Genius.”

“In the past, we’ve been the red-headed step-child,” says Cox, citing such images as Grease’s “Beauty School Dropout.” “The momentum has really shifted. Now it’s is more accurately portrayed as a cool career.”

To pursue a career in hairstyling, opt for a hairstyling course from a reputed, accredited institution. You can find a detailed director at Beauty School Advisor.

Take a look at the curriculum. Find out if the course provide both theoretical and practical knowledge. Does it cover the techniques and skills required to style hair using appropriate materials and equipment?

Ideally, a hairstyling course begins with teaching the basic fundamentals of hair science, styling and cutting. A step-by-step approach helps in creating a firm foundation and mastering the art of hairstyling. The importance of shape, bone structure and suitability of hairstyles in accordance with one’s personality and preference should be necessarily covered. The program should provide due emphasis on classic cuts and sharpen hairstyling techniques.

After completing a basic hairstyling course, you should be well prepared to work as an entry-level hairstylist.

To hone skills in particular areas, including working with texture and color, stylists often pursue continuing education. Some stylists choose to work as assistants for experienced stylists to sharpen their skills.

And with financial options more abundant than ever, now is an ideal time to pursue a career in beauty school.

Much of the government financial aid has become available to cosmetology students at accredited cosmetology schools, and it is no longer necessary to be enrolled in a traditional four-year university. Also, most accredited cosmetology schools offer financial aid, ranging from grants and scholarships to loans and payment plans. There are even some non-accredited schools that offer grants and scholarships to qualified students.

Some financial aid options for beauty school may include the Federal Pell Grant, the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, Federal Work-Study and the Federal Perkins Loan.

“It’s a good time all the way around,” Martin says. “There’s more financial aid then ever to help people enroll in cosmetology school.”

For those who choose a career as a stylist, the benefits can be many.

While other careers may be sensitive to economic ups and downs, the $60 billion cosmetology industry tends to show more economic stability.

One of the benefits of the career is that cosmetologist can easily move into any number of jobs such as esthetician, movie stylist and product sales representative. Even better, cosmetologists can easily set up their own professional salon business out of their homes or elsewhere.

“I’d say the biggest benefit is freedom, hands down,” Kohler says. “You have the freedom to be creative, the freedom to work when you want, the freedom to make as little or as much as you want, the freedom to travel and the freedom to be the best version of yourself.”

Conference for Salon Owners Coming to Austin

by Michelle Breyer on Monday, April 26th, 2010

Salon and spa owners in May in the Live Music Capital of the World for an innovative new event designed to help them grow their businesses.

SalonSpa Vision, being held May 16-17 at the Hilton Hotel Downtown in Austin, TX, will feature some of the leading educators and speakers in the professional beauty business, including Geno Stampora, Mary Beth Janssen, David Stanko and NaturallyCurly/CurlStylist’s own Michelle Breyer.

The conference is designed to provide tools and techniques to generate new business as well as retain existing clients, as well as information on how to manage costs - a must during challenging economic times.

“I am honored to be a keynote speaker for the SalonSpa Vision Conference,” says Geno Stampora, a driving force in the professional beauty industry who was inducted last year into NAHA’s Hall of Leaders. “The beauty industry is searching for solutions to their challenges, and this event brings the best minds together to solve them.

The two-day program will focus on the following topics: raising capital to finance growth, sustainability, marketing and branding, leadership and using technology to grow your business. Attendees will be able to gather information in a relaxed setting.

Registration for the two-day conference is $295, and includes lunch and refreshments on both days as well as 26 sessions and two keynote speeches.

SalonSpa Vision 2010 is produced by The Propoganda House, an independent event production company based in Austin. Executive director Steve Farrer is the owner and producer of the Texas Beauty Show.

The Style King: Four Motivators

by The Style King/Ron King on Monday, February 8th, 2010

Ron King has worked as a hairstylist, transforming people’s appearances, for more than 20 years. With a growing celebrity clientele, King travels the world taking inspiration from different cultures and countries. Along the way, he has developed his own “easy wear” style philosophy which plays up a woman’s natural hair texture and pairs it with natural-looking makeup that’s easy to apply. This mantra led him to launch a signature line of cosmetics for women who want to look pulled together but who are are short on time. King has worked with some of the most respected names in the industry, including L’Oreal Professional, Ted Gibson, Eva Scrivo and Rick Wellman.

As a stylist, I know that it’s easy to feel uninspired and fall into a rut. The day-in and day-out of salon life makes it easy for us to lack imagination, and (horror of all horrors) our clients may start to look the same. But I also know that creativity and passion are the names of the game and the most important part of retaining clients. So over the years I’ve found some ways to keep myself motivated.

Since it’s still the beginning of a new year, I thought I’d share them with you to either try yourself or inspire you to find your own tricks for keeping it fresh and current behind the chair.

Education

First and foremost, learning new cutting or coloring techniques is a sure way to switch it up! Forget the same old foil highlights and sign up for a class that teaches you how to balayage, for example. This will definitely challenge you and give you an opportunity to expand your business. Plus, clients love newness! When they come back and you always have a new technique or product to share with them, they’ll start to look at you as their style authority. Make it a goal to enroll in one class per month – even if your salon doesn’t offer any, take initiative and sign up by yourself or with a coworker.

Travel

I travel regularly to new cities. One thing I’ve noticed is that each place has a style of its own, and I love seeing all the different looks and replicating them on my clients when I come home. Now, I understand that not everyone has the opportunity to travel, so, instead, check out a new part of town and see what kind of hair everyone’s rocking. If you work in a suburb, spend a day in a trendy part of the city and look for new style ideas. You’ll be pleasantly surprised what’s out there, probably even in your own backyard.

Events

Nothing will get your creative juices flowing more than participating in events. Doing hair for a local high school fashion show or for a charitable cut-a-thon will introduce you to new people and offer you a rare chance to collaborate with creative people who push you to try new looks.

Charity

This is so important to me and something that I require from my staff. We regularly volunteer by teaching classes at a local cosmetology school. The excitement from the students is priceless and rubs off on us, extending to our work. I highly recommend volunteering and sharing your knowledge, the pay back is tenfold.

I know these things work for me, I hope they help you too! For more ideas, style tips and new product reviews, check out my blog thestyleking.net.

2010 Hair and Beauty Shows

by CurlStylist on Monday, December 28th, 2009

Start planning now for these 2010 trade shows!

Beauty Expo USA
Riviera Hotel Convention Center, Los Vegas
January 11-12

International Salon and Spa Expo
Long Beach Convention Center, Long Beach, CA
January 30 - February 1

Bronner Brothers International Hair Show - Winter
Atlanta, GA
February 20 -23

New York International Beauty Show
Jacob Javits Center, NYC
March 7-9

Day Spa Expo and Business Forum
Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada
March 13-15

Spectrum International Beauty Expo 2010
Los Angeles Marriott Hotel
March 21 - 22

America’s Beauty Show
McCormick Place Convention Center, Chicago
March 27-29

Las Vegas International Beauty Show
Las Vegas Convention Center
April 24-26

Proud Lady Beauty Show
Tinley Park Convention Center, Tinley Park, IL
April 24-25

World Natural Hair Health and Beauty Show
Georgia International Convention Center, Atlanta, GA
April 10-11

Bronner Brothers International Hair Show
Atlanta, GA World Congress Center
August 7-10