All in the Making
Barbara Forgione Salon in Tampa, FL makes sure clients not only look their best when they leave the salon, but know how to maintain their fabulousness between visits. The salon, which opened in 2005, has helped transform women’s lives through numerous makeover programs that also teach clients how to style their own hair and makeup. In its early years, the salon worked with Spring of Tampa Bay Transitional Housing to provide makeovers for women before they left transitional housing and entered the workforce, and also coached them on skincare regimens and makeup application. “I’m happy to say we continue to take care of one of those women,” says owner Barbara Forgione. “We’ve seen her graduate college and get a fabulous job.” Famous for its makeover mentality, the salon was featured on an episode of MTV’s Made. Stylists currently work with Dress for Success, an international nonprofit dedicated to improving the lives of women around the world by providing professional clothing and employment retention programs. “We agreed Dress for Success takes care of the neck down—we take care of the neck up, and we both work from the inside out,” Forgione says. Her relationship with Dress for Success inspired her to dream up Makeover for Success, a nonprofit in the works that will support salons and stylists who give back to their communities. —C.R.
Long Shot
When it comes to bread and butter money in salons, long-hair styling is undoubtedly one of the biggest sources. With that in mind, Sharon Blain, internationally acclaimed educator and master of dressing lengthy locks, has brought her award-winning expertise to the digital realm with LongHairHow2. Featuring more than 50 how-to videos, as well as all of Blain’s inspirational collections, the app allows beauty pros to learn from Blain 24/7 as she guides them through myriad step-by-step techniques for long hair, suited for everything from weddings and proms to red-carpet strolls. “LongHairHow2 provides hairdressers with instant access to my extensive long-hair educational library, which means that if a client wants a particular style for a special event, all they need to do is access the app, check the menu, quickly view the tutorial and create a stunning look,” Blain says. longhairhow2.com —K.D.
Social Scene
Social media is one of the best ways to get noticed and prove what you know, says Goldwell and KMS California Artistic and TechniCulture Director Patrick McIvor. During a presentation at the Arrojo Expo in New York City in September, he explored digital outlets beneficial to salon owners. However, once those social media accounts are activated, a management system must be created, he tells American Salon. “As hairdressers, it’s very hard to adjust our schedules, especially when we’re booked weeks in advance,” McIvor says. “We can produce content, but both of our hands are being used when we work—we can’t have a device in them.” Here, McIvor shares how to control and maximize social media outlets, customized to salon size.
Divide and conquer. An average-sized salon, of about five employees, gives stylists the opportunity to work together closely. So, you want to create a social media system that can be updated regularly, and split the duties. Maybe it’s a tip of the day or a goal of 12 check-ins for the year. Also, make sure to produce content that guests will want to see or read, like tweeting about awards-show hairstyles on Twitter.
One direction. A larger salon, usually departmentalized, needs a digital director to coordinate all social media and delegate. The biggest mistake that salon team members make is each trying to do all the social media themselves. Some can run Instagram or Pinterest, while others can make videos for their guests or perform consultations digitally. The team must share their social media activities with the digital director, whose responsibility is to maintain the salon’s voice. —K.H.