Relationships between hairdressers and their clients are thought to last for more than a decade – that’s longer than the average UK marriage.
L’Oréal’s Professional Product Division and The Industry’s new collaboration is dedicated to highlighting the importance of getting a hair cut for increased wellbeing, open conversations, and long lasting friendship
The power of hairdressing for better wellbeing is well known in industry, with the likes of Lion’s Barber Collective and Haircuts4Homeless harnessing hair cuts to cultivate community and promote better mental health. However, the influence of hairdressers in local communities is often overlooked by consumers.
The Industry, a CIC dedicated to spotlighting the importance of hairdressing, has collaborated with L’Oréal’s Professional Product Division to launch a nationwide campaign showcasing salons ‘as places of comfort, conversation and expert pampering, as well as judgment-free spaces where problems can be offloaded’. Popping up across Bristol, Dublin and Edinburgh, the campaign also highlights the exciting careers that exist within the hairdressing industry.
From Bristol-based salon Bloggs, which offers individual career plans for all employees and plans to launch menopause workshops for clients, to Toni&Guy in the Scottish capital, where free haircuts are offered to homeless people, the campaign spotlights nine salons going above and beyond to support communities.
The campaign comes at a challenging time for local hairdressers. According to the Local Data Company most beauty locations have shown resilience against closures, however hairdressing salons witnessed a net closure of 414 destinations. And, when it comes to hiring, the Value of Beauty report 2023 highlights that 80,000 young people completed educational qualifications in hair and beauty however many aren’t entering the industry.
‘Salons and hairdressers are at the heart of everything we do at L’Oréal and we are committed to elevating the professional hair industry because we recognise that salons go far beyond a cut and colour, they are as the name of this campaign suggests – Not ‘Just’ A Salon,’ starts David Higgins Managing Director of L’Oréal’s Professional Product Division UK&I.
Higgins continues: ‘Salons are some of the most vibrant and diverse workplaces, with teams of varying expertise and experience ready to educate and embrace the next generation of hairdressers. I’m so proud to support this campaign and being able to shine a light on the importance of salons on our high streets. Salons are at the beating heart of our villages, towns and cities and we are so very lucky to have them.’
Not ‘Just’ a Salon is set to reach 30 million people via billboards, social media advertising and in-person events, and will play an important role in increasing client awareness of the influencer of hair cuts.
The initiative comes as L’Oréal Professionnel launches its ‘Head Up‘ campaign which educates the professional hairdressing community on how to protect their wellbeing and how to point clients who need more mental health support in the right direction.
You can read more about Not ‘Just’ a Salon here.
