Miley Cyrus is Hannah Montana!
AND… this teen star fancies extended hair!

If you have kids or are a teen yourself, my secrets are old news. However… days ago this revelation came to me as a twenty-something-year-old lacking Nickelodeon/ the Disney Channel.  Yup a light-bulb went on and finally I sleep at night.

Recently the fifteen year old millionaire, Miley Cyrus, hosted the 2008 Teen Choice Awards on August 4th. The maybe-pre-permit-driver’s-licensed teen was photographed by paparazzi leaving Juan Juan Salon with a longer look July 27th, 2008.  Woohoo! … for Juan Juan Salon! … and Yeah! … for stylists with clientele who actually put on “Sweet Sixteen’s” for their spoiled children.  What about the average parents who want their offspring to understand the ethics/value of hard work and money?  This conversation will only end in door slammings and silent treatments across the country.  To them I am so sorry, teen-parent relationships are tricky enough.

So what is too young?  Currently there are no age laws or limits for customers sitting chair side.  Personally, I’d rather have the $1,500 nesting in a college fund than being flipped over a high school freshman’s shoulder (or get some real hair clip ins for a special event like Prom or Homecoming…duh).  Again on the optimistic side for cosmetologists everywhere; clients are showing up younger and younger.  I mean really… you can’t say no to a stage mom or the mother who wants to be a child’s BFF.  For parents out there needing backup to their “no way” argument; if the hamster’s still alive in 3 years of course you can care for your own hair extensions.  This is something for salons and hair suppliers to prepare for and look forward to.

Recently Fantastic Sams, the North American salon franchise with over 1,300 stores in the US and in Canada, was recognized as being one of “50 Top Franchises for Minorities” as well as a “Top 25 Franchises for Hispanics” by the National Minority Franchising Initiative and Hispanic Enterprise Magazine.

In USA Today’s September 28th edition, “50 Top Franchises for Minorities” award noted Fantastic Sams as an exceptional system which demonstrates minority recruiting as a crucial part of its franchise system. Historical performance, market dynamics, franchisee satisfaction, on going training as well as brand identification were all considered when making the selection.

In the June/July issue of Hispanic Enterprise Magazine, Fantastic Sams was recognized for its commitment to the Hispanic business community, “This commitment is not based on altruism; it is based on sound economics. The companies noted here represent exceptional opportunities for prospective franchisees and have demonstrated a commitment to properly training and supporting you once you become a franchisee.”

According to Fantastic Sams CEO Scott Colabuono, “We are thrilled about our recent recognition by the minority business community. We want to recruit franchisees who are interested in running a business and who also understand the culture of the clients they serve.” VP of Franchise Development Jeff Sturgis added that “Prospective franchise owners for Fantastic Sams should have well developed people skills to be successful. Our best salon owners set a standard for guest service that translates into highly trained and motivated hair stylists. Our guests recognize the difference when they step into our salons.” He added, “We have become the leading full service hair salon brand by offering the best in salon services and products, and by creating a customer loyalty that sets us apart from our competition.”

Clippers and trimmers have evolved beyond the barbershop, and stylists couldn’t be more eager to welcome them into their salons. Here’s a portion of the article of the month over at Beauty Store Business magazine, by Julie Sturgeon:

When it comes to clippers and trimmers, professional stylists’ reactions have evolved from “whatever” to “what will they think of next?” And savvy beauty store owners and managers are more than happy to take advantage of their excitement. After all, this category yields 40% profit margins on larger ticket items, and the demand in the market is increasing tenfold, points out David Guerin, the global artistic director for Jarden Consumer Solutions, which includes Oster Professional Products, based in Boca Raton, Florida.

He’s not just a spokesperson—he’s also a salon owner who works behind the chair. “People in this industry are finding out that clippers are becoming as important as a pair of shoes,” Guerin says. Which means where the market once supported three major manufacturers, now more than 20 have jumped into this arena. Even the public—and the Hispanic market in particular—has seized the idea, purchasing clippers and trimmers to make their kitchen chair barbering easier and more predictable.

Click Here to view the complete article as a pdf file. You need Acrobat Reader to view pdfs.

In the spa world, one of the up and coming trends involves providing services for tired aching feet. It’s surprising this hasn’t taken off sooner, as most people I know have a complaint of some sort regarding their feet - come the end of the day. In most other parts of the world, especially in Asia, the feet are considered a gateway to the rest of the body and reflexologists and feet practitioners can work healing magic on internal organs by massaging specific parts of a client’s foot.

Beauty Launchpad magazine has a featured article all about feet this month, and how (if you’re a spa owner or feet owner) to take care of those critical appendages. Here’s a bit of the article by Karie L. Frost:

Beauty Launchpad’s article of the month has a great story on the upcoming Spring styles that are sure to please, turn heads, and help you and your clients to look their best. Here’s a bit of the article by Jeryl E. Spear:

Spring hair ignites with style and color.

Flirty, girly and filled with feminine wiles, spring hair calls for coquettish to classic updos, big waves and loads of smooth hair. Say goodbye to the Rapunzel-length locks. Spring styles are shorter and have a planned mussiness that still retains shape and form.

Pops of color are giving way to subtle, multitonal designs that draw inspirations from lifestyles, nature and fashion. The latest techniques enrich the base color without garnering too much attention, resulting in blondes with light touches of platinum or glints of gold; multihued brunettes; and shimmering reds with flecks of warm strawberry blonde and cool auburn.

Read the full article here.

Every good spa or salon needs a make-over now and again. Interior fashions change just about as fast as the seasons - but don’t be dismayed. Launchpad Magazine has a terrific article this month on trends and tips for transforming your second home. Here’s a clip of the article by by Jeryl E. Spear:

Transform your salon from past tense to future perfect with these décor tips.

Glass blocks? Get out the sledgehammer. Gray-and-mauve interior? Spray paint the walls if you have to. If your salon has gone from chic to shabby, it’s time for a makeover. What should you expect when you spiff up your space? Short of being shanghaied by the Beauty Ambush team, updating your salon decor requires some serious planning and more than a little creativity. To get the biggest bang for your buck, see what other salons have done to smarten up their spaces.

Download the full article here.

Beauty Store Business magazine this month has a feature article on nail implements and their use and effectiveness past and present. If you’re in the salon business, then you may already know a great deal about these must have tools, but for many owners, knowing exactly “how” to sell the tools may be a mystery. Almost as much of a mystery as describing the first nail clipper was for its inventor. Here’s a clip from the article by Kathy Kirkland:

Chapel Carter, the inventor of the nail clipper, couldn’t begin to explain today’s nailcare implements. Can you? The simple nail file has been around for centuries and is so important to our beauty-oriented culture that one was included in the 1939 New York World’s Fair time capsule. In 1896, Chapel Carter devised the nail clipper. Since those early days of nailcare implements, the improvements, variety and importance of these beauty tools have grown exponentially.

In September 2006, Information Resources Inc. reported that consumers spent $150.3 million on nail implements and accessories in the preceding 12 months, an increase of 3.6% from the year before. While this is a definite indication that the nail-implement business continues to grow, unit sales declined by 4.3%. Fewer implements were sold, but the per-unit price was higher. Thus, the industry has taken nail implements to the next level of high-tech construction, style and functionality for even greater profits for all stakeholders.

Today, there are multiuse tools and new innovations that Chapel Carter himself wouldn’t recognize or be able to explain to a prospective professional or nonprofessional customer. Can you? Knowing nail implements means being able to sell them. If you want to tap into that $150-million market some more, this product category is worth more of your attention.

For the full article, click here.

A myriad of tools exist allowing women, and men I suppose, to get that perfect curl. The technology has slowly improved over the last 100 years, and to day represents a healthy chunk of salon and beauty supply sales - up to 35%. Beauty Store Magazine gives an in-depth look at the business behind curling irons. Here’s a piece of the article by Victoria Wurdinger:

Sundries and electrics represent a $1.7-billion market in the United States, and styling iron sales, in particular, show little sign of cooling off. Curling and flat irons account for 30% to 35% of sales of all electrical hair goods, according to Professional Consultants & Resources, a full-service, strategic consulting company based in Plano, Texas. However, once you subtract salon sales, of the remaining $1.4 billion at mass retail, only $250 million flows through beauty supply stores. Still, couldn’t you use a decent-size slice of that chunk of change? While not all sundries are a great fit with every store, styling irons are practically indigenous. With the product category sizzling, consumers showing a distinct preference for professional-style tools and stylists demanding top-notch irons, stores that play to their advantages can easily increase their market share.

“Stores carry better lines, have more professional-use lines and have personnel who are stylists themselves or who are more knowledgeable about styling,” notes Cyrus Bulsara, president of Professional Consultants & Resources. To work these advantages, become fluent in the market drivers, enhance your understanding of new technologies and opt for live or video demonstrations whenever possible. After all, selling today is all about the experience.

Click here to read the full article.

There are many religions, cultures and societies that have for millenia touted the great power of human energy fields. Often, these energy fields are disrupted by our daily activities and certainly by the myriad emotions and roller coaster that is life on this earth. Spa’s across North America are turning to energy therapies intended to heal, enliven, and restore the balance in each of us. Dayspa Magazine’s featured article of the month deals directly with this new type of treatment. Here’s an excerpt from their new November article by Linda Jacobson-Kossoff:

It’s one of those terms that some therapists and alternative medicine practitioners use to explain how their treatments work, but that also tends to leave a vague-at-best impression on the listener’s mind. It’s always difficult to crystallize a concept that can’t be tangibly seen, held, heard or smelt, but like so many therapies that have been embraced in the modern wellness community, energy work is gaining credibility as more people take the plunge and reap the rewards.

Download the full article pdf here.

Bathing, or Spa-ing if you prefer, is not a modern invention that came along with the bathtub a couple hundred years ago. In fact, soaking in scented warm water has been a part of human culture for millenia. Because of this tradition, modern chic spas are more often than not offering ancient and ritualistic options for spa goers. DaySpa’s article for October goes into detail about the many disparate traditions that involve soaking in water for meditation, relaxation, and spiritual healing. The beauty industry has it’s roots in ancient egyptian culture, so it makes perfect sense to us at Donna Bella Milan Hair and Beauty Blog that the Spa industry would turn to it’s ancient roots to better learn how to best “soak up tradition.”

Here’s a blurb from the featured article by Heather Larson:

Day spa owners on the cutting edge recognize that incorporating ancient rituals developed from cultures throughout the globe into their spa menus pleases their clients, and nowhere is this more evident than with baths. Traditional bathing customs common to other countries have met with resounding success in North American spas. What follows is a closer look at the spa translations of these exotic bathing regimens, including their histories, their uses and even some of their pitfalls.

For the full article, click here.