Four thousand years ago, the ancient Egyptians developed a home test for pregnancy. The woman’s urine was sprinkled onto bags of wheat and barley seeds. If the barley grew, the woman would have a boy, if the wheat grew it would be a girl. If neither sprouted, then the woman wasn’t pregnant. Amazingly, when scientists […]
Toxicologist David Basketter says that the rise in allergic reactions to a chemical widely used in hair and beauty products is unprecedented. David Basketter is an authority on the identification and assessment of chemicals that can cause skin irritation and allergic reactions. He says that the rise in skin allergy cases caused by exposure to […]
The BBC’s ‘Fake Britain’ reporter Matt Allwright has been investigating two aspects of the ongoing story of the illegal and dangerous use of ‘black henna’ products. The first involved the Loxham family who were on holiday in Spain. Walking along the beach at Malaga they spotted a tattoo bar and thought it would be a […]
New products, new research and new legislation all mean new headaches for professionals trying to run their businesses and offer creative services to clients. Two recent stories reinforce the challenges for the professional. The first concerns the increasing popularity of hair straightening and smoothing processes, for example the much-publicised Brazilian Blowout products. First an American […]
The Hairdressing and Beauty Suppliers Association (HBSA) has been reminding its members that the law on sales of certain chemicals has recently changed. As of 1st September 2014, products containing high concentrations of hydrogen peroxide, nitromethane, nitric acid, sodium or potassium perchlorate and sodium or potassium chlorate are now restricted from sale to the general […]
If you’re paying your staff less than the minimum wage, watch out. Keep up to date with changes in the NMW – and how SOME politicians want to make it even higher for everyone! The National Minimum Wage (NMW) went up on 1st October 2014 (see table below). Salons need to be sure they’re paying […]
‘Never give up’, is the motto of salon owner Di Stageman. Di has run her own business for 18 years, so she’s got plenty of experience of surviving the highs and lows of running her own salon. “I was just 8 years old when I decided I wanted to be a hairdresser”, she remembers. In […]
It’s a long way from putting patients to sleep to caring for their hair. But that’s the journey one creative salon owner has taken. For 20 years Roger Tackley was a consultant anaesthetist at Torbay Hospital. It certainly meant he spent many hours sitting at the ‘head-end’ of his patients. But then he was more […]
Here are our secrets for succeeding in business FOLLOW your dream – if it’s what you really want, you WILL succeed KEEP focused on what you enjoy – making people feeling and looking good You WILL go through tough times – you have to stay determined to succeed You WILL have troubles with staff – […]
Jon Hall has been in the business for 35 years. He thinks the issue of testing for sensitivity is still a grey area. Jon Hall runs The Cutting Studio in High Wycombe. The salon is in its 23rd year and Jon has been in the business for 36 years. 8 years ago a client who […]
