WELCOME

You may well roll your eyes at the constant stream of hair colours we are told are trending, but at HJ we’re most interested in how they can boost your business. The latest of these trending colours is Peach Fuzz, which has been named as Pantone’s Color of the Year for 2024. Yes, trends are an inevitable part of modern culture, and you can be cynical and say: “seen it all before”, but if it drives new business or allows you to add to your average bill… well, that’s not something to be sniffed at. Check out our ‘Hot Fuzz’ feature on page 25 to find out how peach can really boost your bottom line.

Using new shades and creativity smartly is something that educator and business owner Emma Fowler preaches on in her Colour Notes. We love her comment “Know what your service costs to deliver… all too often I see colourists price randomly based on what they think people down the road charges, and then actually lose money.” Hear, hear. Elsewhere in the issue, our careers interviewee this month is Errol Douglas MBE. Errol has done so much for the industry, and it was great to talk to him about his early days and career highs on page 81.

Meanwhile, our feature ‘Short and Sweet’ on page 21 explores the welcome return of short haircuts. Although there’s been a 550% increase in searches for bobs in 2024, you can’t have failed to miss the uproar around the pixie cut sported by the winner of the Miss France competition. Her cut was labelled ‘androgynous’ and ‘too woke’ by critics – and that’s from a country that has a long history of gamine looks like the pixie... C’est bizarre!

If you think your business acumen deserves a shout out, take note that the British Hairdressing Business Awards entries are open. With categories running from Apprentice level all the way up to Salon Owner, there really is something for every level – plus it’s the 25th year of the awards, so it’s set to be a big one. In addition, entries are also now open for HJ's British Hairdressing Awards, sponsored by Schwarzkopf Professional. The countdown to awards season is on!