How creative do you get to be at your salon? @nealmhair found that he needed his independence to fully express his creativity behind the chair. We chat with him about the move to indie hairdressing as well as his move to LA and how he built a clientele.

SHOW NOTES:

• Getting past a troubled youth⁠

• His experience in hair school not ever having touched hair before⁠

• His struggles in traditional salons restricting his creativity⁠

• The move to indie /studio rental: key strategies⁠

• Exploring different aspects of the hair industry: what is right for you?

⁠• His IG and use of his account⁠

• His advice to new cosmo students⁠

• The move to LA and starting over with clientele⁠

Have you left a review for The Hair Game Podcast yet? This week’s Pod Loot winner is getting an Apple iWatch! To enter, just leave a review on the Apple podcasts app or stitcher.com. ⁣⁣Don’t forget to leave your Instagram handle so we can find you!⁠

Holistic Nutritionist Derek Johnson @derekjohnsonnutrition breaks down the unhealthy aspects of a hairdresser’s food and drink habits. We go through a typical day for a hairdresser and where they can improve their food choices. He offers advice on handling caffeine, alcohol, and sugar cravings. He also explains the most important things to being aware of when researching where your food comes from.

For more info, visit www.djn.health

SHOW NOTES:

• The ‘unhealthy’ lifestyle of the stylist: fundamentals

• Coffee: Best way to drink it

• Fasting strategies- skipping breakfast

• Avoiding sugar & gluten issues

• Vegan/vegetarian options

• Handling Alcohol

• Eating out vs. Making food at home

• Quality of food you are buying

• Sleep: Advice for schedules

• Vitamins & Supplements: Yay or Nay?

• Food Portions: How to determine the amount to eat 

Have you left a review for The Hair Game Podcast yet? This week’s Pod Loot winner is getting a Babyliss Pro Hair Dryer! To enter, just leave a review on the Apple podcasts app or stitcher.com. ⁣⁣Don’t forget to leave your Instagram handle so we can find you!⁠

Salon owner & educator Jacob Khan reopened his salon over a month ago. We discuss the protocols he is following as well as how clients are handling the new requirements. He also shares his thoughts on how the Covid crisis has split the industry and his hopes for a recovery.

We discuss

• His Fancy online education + scissors

• Closing his salon early before mandated & the re-opening process 

• Effect of the Quarantine on our population 

• Protective measures in his salon and how clients are adhering to them 

• The services people are leaning towards – big changes  

• Retail and keeping things or getting things in stock 

• The division that has happened between the industry 

• His Hair Horror Stories!

Have you left a review for The Hair Game Podcast yet? This week’s Pod Loot winner is getting a Kindle Paperwhite! To enter, just leave a review on the Apple podcasts app or stitcher.com. ⁣⁣Don’t forget to leave your Instagram handle so we can find you!⁠

Naeemah LaFond explains the most effective tactics for getting into editorial work. We also get into her guide for how brands and industry decision makers can take action to better support black hairstylists.

We discuss:⁠

• How she found her way to hair⁠

• Editorial & Set Work: how to build your portfolio and get into the scene

• The experience of editorial work – New York Fashion Week

• Her role in education: what do students struggle with?

• Her guide on how to be more supportive & inclusive of black stylists

Have you left a review for The Hair Game Podcast yet? This week’s Pod Loot winner is getting a $150 Apple Gift Card! To enter, just leave a review on the Apple podcasts app or stitcher.com. ⁣⁣Don’t forget to leave your Instagram handle so we can find you!⁠

What should you expect when you go back to work? ⁠ Daniel Mason Jones re-opened his salon a few weeks back and has some great advice and tips for stylists navigating the ‘new normal’.

We discuss:

• The decision to close his salon before the mandate occurred⁠

• Focusing on his employees and trying to ensure their insurance & benefits⁠

• Navigating the Covid crisis as a Salon Owner⁠

• Opening back up: Clients are Ecstatic⁠

• Advice for stylists opening back up & his new process⁠

• His Hair Horror Story!⁠

Have you left a review for The Hair Game Podcast yet? This week’s Pod Loot winner is getting an Amazon Echo Show 8 speaker! To enter, just leave a review on the Apple podcasts app or stitcher.com. ⁣⁣Don’t forget to leave your Instagram handle so we can find you!⁠

Infectious disease expert & first responder Dr. Ramesh Nathan MD tells us how to go back to work safely… find out some VERY important details regarding the reality of Covid as it relates to the re-opening of salons.⁠

We cover:

⁠ • The reality of Covid as a spreadable disease

• Face mask requirement: the efficacy and purpose

• Contaminated surfaces: likelihood of transmission

• Likelihood of catching the virus from your client

• Fatality rate: Deaths by Covid vs. Deaths of people w/ Covid

• Flattening the curve… how’d we do?

Have you left a review for The Hair Game Podcast yet? This week’s Pod Loot winner is getting a Harmon Kardon bluetooth speaker! To enter, just leave a review on the Apple podcasts app or stitcher.com. ⁣⁣Don’t forget to leave your Instagram handle so we can find you!⁠

Guy Tang created the blueprint for today’s hair influencers and ambassadors by mixing entertainment, hair education, talent and personality.

However, what is comfortable and normal now WASN’T back then. Showing his authentic self wasn’t seen as ‘appropriate’ or professional, leading him to forge the @guytang_mydentity brand all on his own.

He opens up about:⁠

• Growing up in Oklahoma & a horrible experience with racism

• Finding purpose from doing hair

• Hiding his sexuality for many years & finally finding his identity

• Disrupting the hair industry; mixing education & entertainment while being his authentic self

• Other avenues of creativity; why he feels it is important for stylists to explore creativity in other ways.

• His thoughts on getting through our current quarantine situation

Have you left a review for The Hair Game Podcast yet? This week’s Pod Loot winner is getting a Roomba! To enter, just leave a review on the Apple podcasts app or stitcher.com. ⁣⁣Don’t forget to leave your Instagram handle so we can find you!⁠

Alfredo Lewis became VP Head of Education at MATRIX L’Oreal and moved to New York just before the outbreak. Though his position’s focus has shifted due to Covid-19, he has been able to take a global view of our industry and see what is happening with salons & stylists worldwide. We break down what’s going on, what the ‘new normal’ will look like, and what the future holds for educating our hairdressers of the future.

SHOW NOTES: ⁠ • What is happening with our industry globally

• How salons will look and operate once they start to re-open

• Possible positive changes to the industry & What hairdressers hopefully learn from this experience

• Controversy on selling home color kits

• How product companies and distributors are handling the situation

• Where stylists should be going for online education right now

• What he would change about the industry – the school system

• His hair horror story!⁠

Have you left a review for The Hair Game Podcast yet? This week’s Pod Loot winner is getting a Babyliss PRO Nano Ionic Straightening Iron! To enter, just leave a review on the Apple podcasts app or stitcher.com. ⁣⁣Don’t forget to leave your Instagram handle so we can find you!⁠

Franco Hernandez has spent 30 years in the industry being open to challenges and reaching beyond his situations. As a salon owner, stylist, & sponsored artist he discusses balancing the artistry of hair and the business aspects of running your own salon. We also get into the importance of mentoring and educating in his life and how a negative experience early on shaped his entire career outlook. 

SHOW NOTES:

• Striking a balance between artistry and business & how to become better at both

• Opening a salon 4 weeks before the quarantine 

• Handling client communication

• Plans and processes for eventual reopening 

• Importance of selling retail & affiliate programs

• How he balances behind the chair, salon ownership, and sponsorship responsibilities 

• What he has been working on during the quarantine

• His Hair Horror Story & how it shaped his career

Have you left a review for The Hair Game Podcast yet? This week’s Pod Loot winner is getting Apple Airpods w/ charging case! To enter, just leave a review on the Apple podcasts app or stitcher.com. ⁣⁣Don’t forget to leave your Instagram handle so we can find you!⁠

@looksbylaurel has used her business training to build her clientele and proudly become a six-figure hairstylist. She gives us 5 simple ways to put more clients in your chair using Instagram.

We cover:⁠ ⁠ • Tips on using your IG stories effectively ⁠ ⁠ • IG Live and why it is effective ⁠ ⁠ • Time for a IG profile renovation – profile, bio, highlights ⁠ ⁠ • Batching content for your feed for when we re-open ⁠ ⁠ • Hashtagging – think how your client thinks ⁠ ⁠ • Her Hair Horror Story!⁠

Have you left a review for The Hair Game Podcast yet? This week’s Pod Loot winner is getting a $150 Amazon gift card! To enter, just leave a review on the Apple podcasts app or stitcher.com. ⁣⁣Don’t forget to leave your Instagram handle so we can find you!⁠