Members of Trichologists on a Mission arrive early to get front row seats.
Exhibitor tables on the show floor help attendees explore the products and services available to clients with thinning hair issues.
Jeffrey Paul walks attendees through a hair loss consultation.
Modern Salon Editor Steve Reiss welcomes attendees to the third annual HAIR+ Summit.
Stacey Soble moderates as planning committee members Karen Gordon, Jeffrey Paul, Sheila Wilson, Evie Johnson and Brent Hardgrave wrap up questions from Day One.
A fast-paced series of breakout sessions allowed attendees to chose the topics that most interest them.
During the Extensions Experience, extensions experts Cindy Reynolds, Brent Hardgrave, Lindsay Guzman and Saretta Bowerman demonstrate different application methods.
Attendees get an up close look at Lindsay Guzman's extensions artistry.
Groh's Dr. Marvin Hausman explains how his research on mushrooms led to help for clients with hair loss.
Trichologist Evie Johnson takes attendees through the different scarring alopecias.
Dr. Alan Bauman detail the newest medical approaches to hair loss.
On the show floor, HAIR+ attendees get to sample the Magic Scalp.
ViviscalPRO's Lauren Dudak takes attendees through some hair loss statistics.
Evolve's Johnny Plant demonstrates a haircut on a hair piece.
The wigs at the HairUWear booth.
The 2018 HAIR+ Summit proved to be the perfect opportunity for stylists and salon owners to explore the latest services, products and medical approaches to help clients have more hair.
At the opening of the event, MODERN SALON Publisher Steve Reiss encouraged attendees to make as much of the opportunity as possible. “We want you to develop relationships here which will result in your greatest success, so please introduce yourself to everyone you meet,” he said. “The most valuable conversations I’ve had are with the people I never expected to talk to.”
HAIR+ Alumnae Karen Gordon, owner of J. Gordon Designs in Chicago, and Sheila Wilson, owner of Master Design Studio in Memphis, Tennessee, set the stage for two days of intensive learning by discussing why they’ve developed careers catering to clients with thinning hair and hair loss, while sharing with attendees what the ‘+’ in HAIR+ means to them. “The study of hair loss is a journey and so are the solutions,” Wilson said. “When you lose hair, it’s not a quick fix.”
“Before HAIR+, that was a very lonely journey for me,” agreed Gordon. “This Summit has opened up so many avenues of possibilities for me to share with my clients and a community of people willing to grow together—I can’t wait to discover what I’ll be learning this year.”
Reiss returned to the stage to walk attendees through 20 reasons focusing on why this category is a brilliant career move. Next, attendees decided between two new sessions to the HAIR+ Summit—the Extensions Experience and the Doctor Is In sessions.
In the first day of the Extensions Experience, SALON TODAY Editor Stacey Soble moderated as four extensions experts—Brent Hardgrave of Hairlines ReUnited; Lindsay Guzman of Elle B Salon, Cindy Reynolds of Mermaid Hair Extensions and Saretta Bowerman of Blue Water Salon—demonstrated different application methods while answering questions about their extensions businesses. “Decide where you value yourself and determine your price point, then let your clients decide how they want to spend their money—whether it’s in their budget or not isn’t any of you business,” Hardgrave said. “The more you customize, the more loyalty you instill into your clients.”
Client compliance is the most important aspect on how successful clients will be with their extensions, the panelists agreed, sharing that most of them asked clients to sign disclaimers after walking them through the rules. “Damage will happen if clients don’t understand the care protocol from the beginning” says Reynolds.
“We warn our clients if they don’t follow our directions, we will take the extensions out,” Guzman agreed.
In the Doctor Is In, six experts presented on different topics, each repeating the presentation so attendees could choose two among the following:
Dr. Alan Bauman of Bauman Medical Hair Restoration presented on “Medical & Surgical Solutions for Androgenetic Alopecia: Latest Hair Loss Options & Solutions Revealed”
Dr. Nikki Hill of the SOCAH Center presented “Dermatology and Medical Hair Loss: Why Are Your Clients Losing their Hair.”
Dr. Ken Anderson of the Anderson Center for Hair Aesthetics presented on “Robotic Hair Restoration and What This Means for Your Clients.”
Connie Judge from the National Trichology Training Institute offered an “Introduction to Trichology: Clinical & Science Based Methodologies.”
Jeffrey Paul of the Hair Loss University presented the “Key Elements of a Hair Loss Consultation.”
Evie Johnson of the International Association of Trichologists presented “Trichology and Treating the Scarring Alopecias.”
In the afternoon, a series of Head Talks from the Summit’s sponsors offered attendees an opportunity to customize their education by pursuing the three topics of most interest to them:
- PHYTO Paris presented “Groundbreaking Innovations in Hair Growth and Scalp Health through Botannicals.”
- HairUWear offered “Ready-to-Wear Hair Loss Solutions for Women.”
- Grande Cosmetics presented “Reviving Follicles and Strengthening Strands.”
- Groh presented “The Mushroom Solution—The Science Behind Mushrooms and Hair Loss Prevention.”
- Jon Renau presented “Capture New Clients in Every Stage of Hair Loss.”
- SuperHairpieces presented on “Adapting to the Rapidly Changing Hairpiece Industry.”
- Evolve Hair Solutions presented “Bridging the Void Between Hair Restoration and Your Salon.”
- Bosley Professional Strength presented “Getting to the ROOT of the Problem.”
- ViviscalPRO presented “Addressing Hair Loss from the Inside Out.”
- And, Minerva presented “Rebranding for Hair Loss.”
To wrap up Day One, HAIR+ Summit Committee members Karen Gordon, Sheila Wilson, Evie Johnson, Jeffrey Paul and Brent Hardgrave shared what they had learned while addressed lingering questions from attendees.
The second day of HAIR+ started with a series of presentations surrounding Wellness and Hair Health. Breast Cancer Thrivers Sheila Wilson and Debra Neill discussed it’s like for clients who are facing chemotherapy and hair loss. “The cancer journey is never over—it forces you to change your life permanently and you have to play an active part in the process,” said Neill, chief energy office of Neill Corporation. “Our industry needs to take its rightful position around to be a patient’s resource around everything related to hair. When a client doesn’t look like she’s dying, she doesn’t feel like she’s dying and wearing the Cold Cap and preserving some of my hair through chemotherapy allowed me to take some control.”
Dr. Candy Lewis of The Lotus Concept Wellness & Trichology Center likened her earlier role as a first-time responder to her mission of helping clients with their thinning hair and hair loss. “You have to stay fit for the mission, be in readiness with your tools and education, be willing to work as a team with other professionals and make sure you aren’t the weak link,” she said.
Rebecca Walden of the Rebecca Walden Wig Studio shared her personal journey of developing a business that helps women and children with cancer or alopecia with wigs. “No one cares what you look like unless you are exceptionally gorgeous or exceptionally unfortunate—my goal is to help chemo patients look like themselves which is what 99% of them want,” she said.
Next, executives from Wigs and Wishes, Hair to Stay, and Wigs for Kids explained the services they provide and how attendees can get involved to help support their clients.
Attendees rounded out the morning by choosing whether to attend Day Two of the Extensions Experience which revolved around how to manage and build an extensions business, or take the opportunity to have one-on-one conversations with the medical experts in a Doctor Is In Meet & Greet session.
After lunch, the last session of Head Talks offered attendees a choice of three sessions:
- Rene Futurer presented “Embracing Hair Loss as a Business Opportunity.”
- XFusion by Toppix offered “The 2-minute Hair Transplant: Camoflage for Thinning Hair.”
- And, Easihair Pro presented “Is it You or Is it Me? 4 Main Reasons Why Problems Arise with Extensions Applications.”
After lunch and a chance to visit sponsor tables, attendees returned to the main stage where Christine DiBenedetto, owner of Wink Salon and the found of BigLifeThinHair.com showed attendees how they can help their clients succeed without being an expert. “I created hair loss educational events in the salon that are fun, and we empowered our guests by giving them the knowledge and the freedom of choice,” she said. “When clients are empowered they will stick with a plan and become raving fans. In turn, you’ll elevate your presence in your community, strengthen your voice as an expert and create new growth opportunities for your team.”
Modern Salon Media’s Jamie Newman rounded out the conference by offering attendees tips on growing their clientele through Instagram. “You used to have to live in a big city to be a star, but that’s no longer necessary with Instagram,” she said. “Think of your Instagram page as your new digital portfolio and Instagram stories as a way to give clients a glimpse of a day in your life.”
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Originally posted on Modern Salon