OMG OPI sold!

You may have got some great black Friday deals at Walmart, Target, or  even Best Buy, But you missed out on one small deal.  You could have picked up a little polish line for just under a billion dollars.  OPI has sold to Coty Inc.  Coty is a holder of many cosmetic and fragrance brands such as Vera Wang and Jennifer Lopez. 
What does this mean for the professional beauty and nail industry?  Well, probably nothing in the near term.  Would I want to marry myself to this line and invest heavily in the brand?  No, I think I'm scared that OPI will now be Retailed at every department and chain store that wants it.  OPI had about $200 million in revenue last year and you don't spend a billion dollars to continue that revenue stream.  How do they grow the brand?  You grow it out of the professional market.  Just ask Paul Mitchell.  (That was a joke by the way).

Long Blond Russian seeking American Woman

No, it's not what you think.  Russia has become a huge source of blond human hair extensions for our industry.  Under normal economic circumstances women would not cut their hair for money.  But these are not normal economic times.  Russian women have been selling their long tresses to make ends meet.  Most human hair that we use today comes from China and India, but that hair is always dark in color.  Processing this hair into blond takes extra time and money. But these were the only places to find human hair in the quantities that the industry needed.  Well, the Ukrainian women are now the gold standard of hair extensions.  In some areas of Russia the average wage is only $300 a month and the starting price of 16 inch length hair is $50.  This extra money can bring in some much need income.  But then there are some Russian women that cut their hair only because of a style change, going from a long braid or pony to a short bob.  Whatever the reason, if you are using golden honey blond hair in an extension it has probably come from a Russian beauty.

Brazilian Blowout - the New Asbestos

To my friends and colleagues,
Please be very carefully with these products.  Make sure that if you choose to continue using these Brazilian Blowout products that you are properly protected.  Please wear gloves, and mask, and try to have a well vented location to apply this product.  The following is another article from a major new network regarding the dangers of using this straightening system.  If you can, find a healthy alternative.  You don't want to end up with Cancer years from now because of some trendy product that was using harmfully chemicals.  

From Fox news Chicago -

State officials in Oregon and hair stylists are raising concerns about a expensive hair-care solution called Brazilian Blowout that contains unsafe levels of formaldehyde, a chemical linked to cancer. The treatment converts frizzy or kinky hair into smooth locks, a 90-minute process that costs between $250 and $350.
After stylists complained of chest pains, sore throats and even bloody noses from exposure to the treatment, the Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Administration began testing the solution and found significant amounts of formaldehyde, The Oregonian reported.
Classified as a carcinogen by the World Health Organization, formaldehyde is linked to cancer of the lungs, blood and nasal passages.
Oregon officials tested 105 samples from 54 Oregon salons and found that formaldehyde content averaged more than 8 percent in Brazilian Blowout, even when many bottles were marked formaldehyde-free, according to The Oregonian .