Style-savvy clients look toward their salon to interpret the latest seasonal trends, but keeping on top of trends can be a full-time job. SALON TODAY loves this idea from Jack and Joelle Ray, owners of Samuel Cole and Salon Moxie in Raleigh, North Carolina:

"We publish a seasonal trend report that is distributed to our entire team. We call it The H Factor because it is named after the author Nichole LuMaye's nickname, H. The goal is to educate and inspire our stylists to create beautiful hair and keep things fresh for our guests. The format can vary from issue to issue, but usually features images of emerging hair color, cutting or styling trends or as a collection of beautiful images from influential paintings and photographs.

"The joke in our salon is that Nichole has her Ph.D. in glossy fashion magazines and her favorites are Italian Vogue and V. So Jack approached Nichole and asked if she would start sharing that information with fellow stylists. The first issue featured the major trend of Ombre color. At the time, no one other than Sarah Jessica Parker and the Parisian elite were ready to the switch to a ‘rooty' look flowing into light ends. Our stylists were able to perfect the technique and start transitioning their clients in that direction. We have several clients who, almost a year later, are bringing in images of this trend and we are able to give it to them without any guesswork.

"Our guests have come to expect us to be able to recreate these high-fashion images. There is no reason a woman in Raleigh should not have hair as beautiful as seen on the red carpet. It's about delivering that world-class experience.

"Another fun thing we spoke about in The H Factor was the comback of the bowl cut. Although it's not necessarily something we are doing a lot of, it got our guests buzzing and got our staff excited. In our latest edition, Nichole focused on how old is new again by comparing Botticelli's Birth of Venus to current editorial images featuring Giselle. It showed us that we can find inspiration for beauty from everywhere and taught us about lines, symmetry and suitability.

"Overall, we feel like the The H Factor keeps us on top of our game and opens our minds to look at the art of hairstyling from a different perspective. We strive to be the best hairdressers we can be and to educate and keep our guests looking fashion-forward. With The H Factor trend report, we are constantly reinventing our perspective and renewing our creativity which overflows into our life behind the chair."

Trend Spotting for Your Salon


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