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SalonCentric bites off another piece of the country

Soon there will be total domination. 
SalonCentric has acquired the salon service company Peels.  Peels is a Nebraska based company with about $100 million in annual sales.  The amount of the sale has not been disclosed, but I'll let you know when I find out how much it cost.  Peels' coverage reached over 12 states with 57 stores and over 100 outside sales reps.  They distributed Matrix, Redkin, Tigi, Pureology, and American Crew, all of which are currently carried by SalonCentric. How close is SalonCentric to being the dominate US distributor?  Well, there are only a few spots on the East coast that SalonCentric doesn't have a presence.  So who will be next and will it happen shortly after the new year?  Stay tuned

Nail Polish Maverick on Podcast next week

Next week I will have the owner of Color Club on the saloninsiders podcast.  His name is Michael Rose and his polish company is the fastest growing nail line in the industry.  We will talk about the recent purchase of OPI.  If you have any questions for him email me at saloninsiders@gmail.com.  Have a great weekend!

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 .

And the award goes too.....

It&ly Hairfashion has created a new award this year that will honor celebrity hairstylist for their creativity and talents.  The award is called the Artisan Award. 

"You like my hair, you really like my hair"

The CEO of It&ly Hairfashion had this to say about his award, “It was time for our hairdressing industry and IT&LY HAIRFASHION to recognize our peers for mastering their artistry and craft, producing a much needed annual event to honor them. Their ability to recreate characters, periods in history as well as fantasy for film and television, has brought a new found source of awareness, style trends and education to hairdressers around the world.”

I don't think this was one of the winners.

Most recently the 2010 IT&LY Artisan Awards held in Las Vegas were awarded to the following top celebrity hairdressers from the sets of Gossip Girl (Betsy Reyes), Dancing with the Stars (Kimi Messina), Sex and the City 2 (Frank Barbosa), Twilight Eclipse (Bonnie Clevering) , and the soon to be released Burlesque (Colleen LaBaff) and Tyler Perry’s: For Colored Girls and American Gangster (Kenneth Walker) plus Bride Wars (Barbara Lorenz), , America’s Got Talent (Russell Latham), How I met your Mother (Jani Kleinbard), Jada Pinkett & Willow Smith’s personal hairstylist (Marcia Hamilton) and Scooby-Doo (Ramona Fleetwood).

Podcast with Bosley Pro's Eric McLemore in the feed!

We had Eric McLemore on our latest podcast, "The Salon Insiders".  Eric is the president of Bosley Professional Strength.
He gave us a run down on his company's history and how it's stimulating the hair industry one follicle at a time.  He is helping us keep clients by keeping hair on their heads.  We also talk about hair in the news and answer email questions from listeners.  You can listen from the audio player on the right, or you can down load the podcast from itunes music store. 
Also Bosley was spoofed on Saturday Night Live, check it out on the youtube link.
                                                                           Bosley on SNL youtube link

Lady Ga Ga's newest hair style

Lady Ga Ga is so ahead of us in creative hair styles.  We have all been so focused on the head!  There is so much more we can do with hair in our salons.  We could be styling hair outfits.  Just imagine clients coming in with their new hair covered peasant top, asking for an updo or Brazilian blowout before a night on the town.
Sure lady just set your hair covered outfit on the chair and comeback in 3 hours, I'm in the middle of a bleach job on that sweater over there.