health awareness in the barber shop

Here is an article on blood pressure screening and other health awareness initiatives campaigned in barber shops in African American communities. Worthy of a look. The program works for detection and treatment. LINK.

hair on the floor

The Barristar student show was last week. Student shows are always a lot of fun. Students will let you do more with their hair. I mentioned I wanted to do a BIG haircut. I wanted to clipper cut enough hair that when the pieces hit the floor... I wanted to hear them hit. Samantha was game on for this. we did a short, clippered on one side, asymmetric half bob with a graphic on one side. have a look at the shots. Thank you Samantha. East Style, Syliner II were the tols of choice for this cut.

Junior Style Stars Competition

The videos are posting shortly to promote the Junior Style Stars competition for 2011. This is your chance. If you are a barber or cosmetology student and want a jump start on your future, this competition is just that. Have a look at the web site HERE. Have a look at the rules. Get registered and start planning your winning look. First prize is $25K CASH and a fully paid trip for a day of private 1-on-1 Andis clipper cutting education with... ME! More details to follow.

short, but longer version of trend

This is a longer version of the shorter trend look I mentioned yesterday. I would like to see the short part a bit shorter, clipper short, so as to bump up the contrast just a bit more, but, hey, you know me and you know what I like. Still, a popular look and fun to cut.

Ladies trend - Short cut, long top

I saw a lot of these as well in my London UK Salon International trend spotting. Quite short ladies clipper cuts with long top and fringe sections. These are a great combination of a clipper cut and a razor cut... Plus they require both a blow dryer and a flat iron. This look is an Andis fantasy looking for a place to happen... clipper, trimmer, dryer, iron. you will need them all.

Hair over there

I was on the lookout for hair trends at Salon International. This is one I saw a lot of. The cornrow braid across the forehead. Lots of these on longer and mid-length women's hair styles. Adds a touch of visual impact without any long term commitment.

Andis at Salon International - Big sellers

The T-Liner Combo takes the title for the 2nd year in a row as the best seller at Salon International for Andis. Trimmers overall sold very well. No surprise there. the T-Light was the first tool to sell out entirely. The PMC-2 sold quite well bolstered in a large part by MK's super precision clipper art design work. he will in top form. The British flag / English Bulldog design was by far the crowd favorite. Follow MK on Facebook at MK HSA for ongoing insights into the great things he is doing with Andis.
The RACD was a hit as a compact and powerful clipper. The Power master in its second year found both new buyers and had last year buyers bringing tales of great success with the tools. it is nice when a buyer of our tools from a prior year stops by to say thank you and tell us how happy they have been with a purchase form the last event - Nice!
Salon Interantional - See you in 2011!

Another UnHairShow has been scheduled

Andis and I need to be in New England the first week of December. Great idea... lets schedule another UnHairShow event.
Tuesday, December 6, 2010 at Digrigoli academy, 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. will be the time and the place. Thsi is in West Springfield, MA. it is a great school and salon location to host an UnHairShow. it is centrally located for all of the New England area.
As always, the cost is FREE. Presentation spots are FREE.
Go to the UnHairShow web site HERE for more details on this event and to be a part of it.

Salon International, New tools/ideas - Coloring tool

For highlighting... adjustable patterning to the little hair hookie-thingies that slip over the teeth. makes picking up a weave very easy and fast. makes highlighting easier and faster. I spoke w inventor. he gave me a sample. I will pass this on to a friend in the business who does hair color and get feedback. Looked neat-o to me and the demo made it look like it works. Hmmmmm?

Hair at Salon International in London, U.K.

This one was a real mickey mouse hair style, no, seriously, Mickey Mouse. The hair above and behind her ears was sectioned out, back combed and sculpted/formed into mouse ears... was actually way cute on her...

Trend watch - London, U.K.

Spotted - trend - guys with jeans tucked into their boots or higher shoes. Just because I see it does not mean it has a chance to make the jump over the ocean to our shores... but... it is what it is...
I got 1 pic today but I was buys. I will snap a few more of these tomorrow.

Updated me

My photo was updated on the denman booth here at Salon International in London. here is the pic of the stage area with me smiling away on it.

New comb idea

This is the new Denman Pro Edge comb. I met the inventor, a barber with an idea. I have a few samples to use this weekend in London at the Salon International show. We will see just how well it works. The ridge is supposed to keep the shear on the clipper in place. Seeme to me to be a great training aid for new haircutters... Might be good for veterans, too. I will report back after I have tried it. I just wanted you all to see it first.

Blades anyone?

This is the new blade case we are to debut at Salon International in London this weekend. Looks great. Shows off the blades well. Will be easy to sell from. Nice!

Improved Superliner blade

New YouTube vid details the improved SuperLiner blade now shipping to dealers. Better tooth design, better spring and bracket design. easier to adjust blade gap.
have a look.
Link HERE.

Clipper Flashback

Take a look at this one. One of our educators was offered this clipper by a client. He asked if I wanted it. Of course I said yes. I had to pay a little for it, likely more than it cost new, but, it is an oldie but a goodie. There is very little use and wear on it. It is in the original box with all the pieces included. It was sold as a home use tool. You can tell by the image and wording on the box. This is another great addition to my collection. Down the road I will share a few more tools from my clipper archive. This one is quite heavy by today's standards, but beyond that, thee amazing thing is how much the clipper is so very similar to modern tools. In many ways we have come very far... In many ways we have not needed to.

Super good, Super red

Andis was given the trophy in the pic as a thank you for donating schools supplies for a back to school supply drive sponsored by a local barber shop. Kenny and the Guys at Smooth Cuts barber shop in Kenosha, WI did a great thing by giving away FREE haircuts for back to school for a whole lot of kids. Local businesses and individuals made donations of needed schools supplies. Kids who came in for cuts could pick up supplies from this stash. It was a great promotion and effort for the community.

By the way, right next to the trophy is the new inferno red Andis Superliner... A hot red color that has been popular on a few Andis tools recently.... and the new design blade and blade spring system. The blade had a new tooth pattern for improved feeding and cutting... and Super crisp and clean lines and edges. The tension spring mechanism is a new design as well. This new design provides better cutting action and it it waaaaay easier to adjust and zero gap. Stay tuned... we will have a new youtube video later this week on how to zero gap with this new blade system... HINT... it is MUCH easier and faster and you will love it.

Behind the scenes

We were working on a video and photo shoot for a retail, home use clipper... can't say too much, but it is to be an exciting project and a great little clipper... Be on the lookout.

Think Pink!

Hot tools for you. It is cool to donate to a good cause. These are Andis tools in pink with special deals for Breast Cancer Awareness month deals. Have a look. Link here.

London calling

The Salon International show is next weekend in London, UK. I will be presenting there on the Andis stage. I am also there to look and learn. I use this annual trip to see what is going on "over there" and what we can bring "over here" for a heads-up on upcoming trend. I always learn a lot and come back with great ideas. This year I am hooping to take more pictures than I typically do. I am a see it and take it in guy. it is hard for me to remember to stop and snap a pic so I can share it with everyone else. Stay tuned for pics from the trip this year. Now that I have committed to it here in the blog... I will HAVE to bring back pics... Hold me accountable.

MO state student competition

Andis and I were a judge for the men's and ladie's cutting competition this past weekend in Jefferson City, MO. There were over 200 competitors. I saw some amazing work. Students are the future of our industry... and the future looks bright.

The Draper taper

An Andis technical in the current edition of American Salon magazing Have a look. LINK Your clients will be mad about this look.

Andis Barber Update

Here is the monthly Andis barber update. Get on the mailing list. Stay on top of the world of Andis. Great stuff every month. LINK here.
Happy clippering!

On the wall in a barber shop

Saw this sign. Thought it was funny. Thought I would share. Enjoy.
Ivan