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by Stacey Soble
Handling the Thinning Hair Conversation
P&G's Reuben Carranza discusses the newest science related to thinning hair issues and how stylists can handle this delicate conversation with their clients.
December 10, 2011
4 min to read
2009/06/30, portraits of Reuben Carranza P&G CEO.
©2009 Bill knapp All Right Rese
Dealing with a female client with thinning hair is a sensitive situation, one that can be uncomfortable for both the client and the stylist. As science continues to evolve regarding hair issues and manufacturers develop products to address these issues, your salon and your stylists are armed with tools that offer real solutions.
Reuben Carranza, CEO of P&G Salon Professional, recently spoke with Stacey Soble, editor in chief of SALON TODAY, about recent developments in thinning hair research, the newest product on the horizon and how a stylist can address this sensitive issue with her clients:
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SALON TODAY: Nioxin is preparing to release DiaMax, a new hair thickening treatment. Can you tell us how this works, and why it’s so unique?
Carranza: “DiaMax is a new Nioxin thickening, leave-in treatment that is proven to increase the thickness of each existing hair strand on the very first use. It is the first salon product to boast a revolutionary technology called HTSX, a proprietary P&G technology. DiaMax addresses an area of hair thinning that many other products do not—the hair diameter—by increasing the diameter of each individual hair strand for a full-looking head of hair.”
SALON TODAY: How does the diameter of hair play a role in hair thinning issues?
Carranza: “Most people associate thinning hair with shedding and/or breakage, and only notice the decrease in the amount of strands on their head. However, we know that hair diameter also plays a significant role. We average 100,000-120,000 hair fibers on our head and naturally lose 50-100 strands daily. If each remaining hair fiber loses 5 percent diameter, it would be like losing 5,000 strands.
SALON TODAY: Who is the primary target market for this treatment?
Carranza: “During recent research, we found that 78% of salon clients are experiencing some type of thinning issue. And only half of them are actually talking to their stylists about it. We dug deeper into that, and discovered thinning hair concerns are not gender specific. There’s actually more women than men having issues with thinning hair. We also found that in half of these instances, the perception of thinning hair was really driven by hair diameter shrinkage, not actual hair loss.”
SALON TODAY: The conversation surrounding thinning hair can be a sensitive one. What advice can you offer stylists who notice that a client has a thinning issue, but are hesitant to bring it up?
“We know it’s a sensitive subject for both the client and the stylist, who may feel uncomfortable raising the issue. So we partnered with psychologist Dr. Stephen Franzoi to develop educational materials advising stylist on ways to engage their clients in these conversations. These materials give practical and pragmatic ways stylists can discuss the issue of hair thinning. We’ve also noted the crucial importance of the consultation and assessment. Nioxin provides techniques and tools for broaching the subject—sometimes we just need to know what to say. It’s more likely than not that the person in the chair has a thinning concern—so it’s actually a bigger opportunity in the context of the salon than color based on usage. Nioxin DiaMax is an immediate results hair thinning solution, which can provide increased revenue opportunity for the salon and the stylist.”
SALON TODAY: How can owners and stylists learn more about DiaMax?
“We’ll have a number of tools available following the January 2012 launch. Today though, stylists and owners can go to our website, nioxin.com for links to testimonials, hints, tips, e-learning opportunity and a digital version of the Client Confidence brochure. We’re also partnering with Facebook to do something that’s never been done before.
"Prior to the launch, from December 1 to January 2, Nioxin will host an online sweepstakes via a microsite, DiamaxEffect.com, where stylists and consumers can enter for a chance to win their own full-size DiaMax sample, which retails for $50 each. Over the course of the sweepstakes, Nioxin will be giving away 20,000 DiaMax samples, which is $1,000,000 worth of product. To enter, consumers will be required to nominate their nearest salon. In January, the nominated salons will receive postcards from Nioxin notifying them that a client has 'nominated' their salon."
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