Health & Wellbeing

Do hair care professionals need to be ventilation engineers, chemists and lawyers as well?

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 […]

Styles for thinning hair

Hair loss and thinning hair are emotionally charged issues for women. And they’re common problems. A recent L’Oréal Professional survey showed that a third of women have experienced hair loss – many before they turn 30. And hair professionals know that the problem can affect anyone, whoever they are. Some clients might be a little […]

‘PPD Free’ can be a misleading term

“I initially found a product on an internet search and it was advertised as PPD free. I understood that people who have a prior allergy to PPD must also be aware that they may react to other ingredients. I carried out the test on my arm with a tiny dab on a cotton wool. “As […]

Safer cosmetics

We’d all like to see safety as the number one ingredient in hair and beauty products. We’d also like consumers to be more aware of what goes into the products they use, and how to use them sensibly and safely. Now an organisation based in Belgium is campaigning for exactly these principles. They’ve launched an online […]

Men’s hair products down – sales up!

The latest review of haircare sales just published shows a remarkable decline in the number of new hair care products for men. But sales are up! New product launches last year were down by nearly a half on 2013 but the men’s haircare market is continuing to grow. One way of looking at the figures […]

It fits like a glove

Can you take your protective gloves off without getting harmful colour on your hands? You might think it’s easy but a research study from Denmark shows just the opposite*. We all know that hairdresses are exposed to a variety of hazards in the course of their work. And hair professionals are among the highest sufferers […]

Working Hand In Glove

Lorraine Townsend is a freelancer in the Cirencester area of western England. She’s a committed user of nitrile gloves to protect her hands when using tint. “I wish we’d had them in the salons I started out in. In those days, we only had those latex ones, which I didn’t like, and we had to provide our own […]