INDUSTRY NEWS

HJ’S BRITISH HAIRDRESSER OF THE YEAR NOMINEES REVEALED FOR 2021

HJ is thrilled to announce the nominees for British Hairdresser of the Year 2021 at HJ’s British Hairdressing Awards sponsored by Schwarzkopf Professional.

The 10 British nominees are: 

•Richard Ashforth
•Sally Brooks 
•Errol Douglas
•Robert Eaton 
•Gary Hooker & Michael Young 
•Zöe Irwin
•Adam Reed 
•Cos Sakkas 
•Angelo Seminara 
•Eugene Souleiman

Hairdressers Journal International executive director Jayne Lewis-Orr said: “A huge thank you to everyone who gave so much consideration and time to the nomination process and a massive congratulations to all of the nominees, all of whom do so much to promote British hairdressing in both the UK and on a global scale. The HJ team can’t wait to see their exclusive collections and celebrate with them all at the Grosvenor House Hotel, a JW Marriott hotel, on 29 November 2021.”

Julian Crane, general manager UK and Ireland, Henkel Beauty Care Professional added: “Being the sole sponsor of HJ’s British Hairdressing Awards for the past 37 years, is a huge honour for Schwarzkopf Professional. We are excited to reveal who is in this echelon of elite-level hairdressers in the UK and we can start to celebrate the best of British hairdressing. As an industry we have been hugely hit by COVID-19, but the resilience and the spirit of British hairdressing continues to be evident as we pull together and recognise that we are united as an industry. This is a great reminder that we have so much amazing talent within our midst.”

NEW INCLUSIVE HAIRDRESSING STANDARDS

The UK Government has approved a recent review of hairdressing National Occupational Standards, which takes into account the evolving and diverse nature of the hairdressing sector.

HABIA, the Hair and Beauty Industry Authority, worked alongside industry employers as part of an expert working group to review the existing National Occupational Standards and agree any necessary changes to maintain and improve standards of practice.

The latest National Occupational Standards (NOS) are written by professional employer experts to ensure they respond to the developments within the rapidly changing and diverse hairdressing sector. A public consultation took place in December 2020 with the draft standards capturing the views of the broader industry and this fed into the review of the national standards.

Judith Hughes, vice-chair of the Expert Working Group for Hairdressing, explained the team has produced standards for the hair industry that are now more inclusive of all hair types.

HABIA chair Joan Scott explained: “There was a great deal of interest in the hair standards as it was important they should be inclusive of all hair types, including wavy, curly and coily hair. The hair standards have been updated by employers to ensure they reflect current technical developments and meet the needs of the UK’s diverse community.”

HAIR AND BEAUTY CHARITY LAUNCHES COOKBOOK

The Hair and Beauty Charity has launched a virtual cookbook with recipes created by the hairdressing industry to help raise vital funds for hairdressers who need it most.

“This e-cookbook was born from an idea during the third lockdown. Hairdresser Errol Douglas MBE posted an old image of a cookbook we created over 10 years ago and it got me thinking how much fun it would be to do it again,” explains Hair and Beauty Charity president Samantha Grocutt. She added: “Who knows how long the effects of these three lockdowns will have on our industry, so we need to keep pushing the charity awareness.

This e-cookbook is a great way to bring a bit of lightness to what has been a really hard time for many.”

You can purchase the Hair and Beauty Charity virtual cookbook for a donation of your choosing, ranging from £9.99 to £50 at hairandbeautycharity.org/charitye-cookbook.

COLLECTIVE PRIDE AWARDS LAUNCH

The Collective Pride Awards, presented by the Lions Barber Collective aim to recognise hair, barber and beauty professionals who go above and beyond for their local communities.

The new awards will celebrate the hard work of unsung hair and beauty heroes (individuals and teams) in eight categories. Those who not only deliver exceptional services day in and day out, but go the extra mile to help others in a time of need genuinely making a difference to someone’s life.

“After losing award-winning barber, LBC ambassador and friend Sam Wall to suicide last year, I wanted to do something to keep his name alive. I’m doing this by celebrating those who really look after their clients and the communities they sit within, as well as those who go above and beyond to make a difference to the industry,” Tom Chapman, founder of The Lions Barber Collective, exclusively told Professional Beauty Group (HJ’s parent company), who is an official media partner for the awards.

Entries open on 1 July 2021 at collectiveprideawards.co.uk.

THE AUSTRALIAN HAIR INDUSTRY AWARDS ANNOUNCES CREATIVE CATEGORY WINNERS

The Australian Hair Industry Awards (AHIA) officially announced the winners of its creative categories on Monday 14 June 2021.

The awards were held at The Star in Sydney. This was the first time the creative categories were given their own awards programme. AHIA owner and publisher Linda Woodhead explained: “The Creative AHIAs are our exciting new awards platform which highlight the quality of the Australian industry’s editorial and trend-focused skills and have allowed our entrants to show their clients and communities just how talented they are.”

HJ’s British Hairdresser of the Year 2020 at HJ’s British Hairdressing Awards, sponsored by Schwarzkopf Professional, Sally Brooks was awarded International Hairdresser of the Year at the AHIA awards. The Australian Hairdresser of the Year Award was given to Deanna Parker Attwood, Wieselmann Salon, and Danny Pato from D&M Hair Design was named New Zealand Hairdresser of the Year.

L’ORÉAL PROFESSIONNEL PARIS LAUNCHES #IAMAHAIRSTYLISTWIN COMPETITION

L’Oréal Professionnel Paris launched a monthly #IAMAHAIRSTYLISTWIN competition exclusively with Hairdressers Journal International last month. The competition shines a light on the vast talent across the hairdressing industry and aims to fill social media with incredible hair looks and inspiration.

Each month will have a different theme and all you have to do to enter is share your post on Instagram using the #IAMAHAIRSTYLISTWIN hashtag and tag @lorealpro and @hairdressersjournal in your posts.

The winners will be notified and reposted each month on the @hairdressersjournal Instagram page.

A variety of hairdressers will be judging each month, so make sure you tag us in your best toning work (new or old) on Instagram for your chance to win one of five L’Oréal Professionnel Paris product bundles.

More details on the judges and the monthly categories will be posted on HJ’s Instagram page.

Go to hji.co.uk and @hairdressersjournal on Instagram for more information on the future categories, judges, full terms and conditions and to see the names of the lucky winners.

RECORD-BREAKING HAIRCUT ON EVEREST

US-based hair stylist Heather Werner has broken the record for the highest altitude hair cut during her summit of Mount Everest not once, but twice.

The owner and stylist who is based at Foundations Hair Studio in Campbell, California completed the highest elevation haircut during her first acclimatisation climb through the Khumbu Icefall.

Heather’s recent high altitude haircutting journey began at Everest base, where she performed her first cut at Everest Base Camp 5,600 metres (18,373 feet) above sea level.

She also provided four haircuts to team members and Sherpas at Camp 1, which is 6,065 metres (19,898 feet) above sea-level. The cuts included long layers, fringe trims, a tousled pompadour and blunt ends with a middle parting.

She gave the team’s expedition leader Jonathan Schrock a fun ‘faux-hawk’ cut when at Camp 2 to keep team spirits high, which was 6,399 metres (20,997 feet) above sea level.

The previous record for the highest altitude haircut went to French-Canadian stylist Maurice Fiorio, founder of Fiorio salon who completed a cut on top of Mount Kilimanjaro at a height of 5,895 metres (19,341 feet).

SALON SUPPLIES RAISES OVER £6,000 FOR HAIR & BEAUTY CHARITY

Salon Supplies has raised £6,135 for the Hair and Beauty Charity through its Pietranera sales over the past 12 months.

Salon Supplies led a 365-day campaign giving a percentage of all Pietranera furniture sales to the hairdressing industry’s official charity. The aim of the campaign was to provide financial support to those most in need within our sector.

Salon Supplies furniture manager Lee Hamilton said: “It was great to present Hair and Beauty Charity trustee Jayne Lewis-Orr with Salon Supplies’ contribution to the cause. I am thrilled that we have been able to raise such an incredible amount for such an important organisation who have helped many during the closures of the past year. It is more important than ever to support the most vulnerable within our industry.”

ONLINE HAIRDRESSING SEARCHES RISE

Online searches for hairdressing services in the UK were up by +357% during the reopening period, according to data from UK-based payment provider, Dojo.

The research found Brits couldn’t wait to sit back in their stylist’s chair after salons reopened in April with a dramatic increase in searches for hair services and hair salons.

West London was found to be the biggest spenders at the salon, totalling up to an average of £71.14 per trip.

Edinburgh came in second, spending £70.73 per trip to the salon and Kingston in Greater London wasn’t far behind, spending an average of £70.61 per transaction.

Over half of businesses (57%) said they felt clients appreciate small businesses more following the lockdown. Over two thirds (70%) of clients are choosing to shop locally to support local businesses with 62% enjoying the fact a local hair salon means less travel.

HJ X MATRIX BLONDE DECODED EVENT

On Monday 14 June, Matrix and Hairdressers Journal International hosted the Blonde Decoded virtual event, bringing together Matrix artists for an evening of education for hairdressers, salon owners and freelancers.

Matrix craft master John Anthoney opened the event on the virtual main stage. The event also featured a Colour Stage, Styling Stage and Education Stage where attendees could tune into educational webinars filled with blonde hair trends and innovation.

Matrix artists Rosie Briscoe, Christian Wiles and Lisa Farrall took to the Colour Stage to cover colour artistry, balayage, babylights and blonde creativity.

On the Styling Stage, Matrix artist Simon Townley demonstrated a fade technique after colouring the hair, while Matrix artist Desmond Murray demonstrated a striking avant-garde editorial look to show the types of styles that photograph best with blonde hair.

On the Education Stage, digital guru Heidi Sesay Barnes explained how to become socially savvy and increase your digital visibility as a hairdresser. Meanwhile, senior regional education managers Claire John and Jayne Scrafton showed how you can correct and perfect your blonde services. The artists each took to the virtual lounges, answering questions from the live audience.

The night was also packed with giveaways for Matrix’s new Unbreak My Blonde range, which consists of lightening, toning and home care, designed to help hair professionals achieve optimum blonde results for clients with confidence.