Man Up
Diana Schmidtke is a Los Angeles-based session stylist who makes hot men like Jon Hamm and Chris Hemsworth even hotter. Follow her advice, and your male clients will be loyal for life.
Here, her top tips for becoming the men’s grooming expert at your salon:
1. Become a skincare expert so you can provide advice to your male clients. Recommend that they apply SPF lotion to their face every morning, cleanse their face twice a day and apply moisturizer before going to bed. Everything starts with proper skincare.
2. Become a resource for your male clients. If they have problem skin, recommend the name of a great dermatologist in your area. Another problem area is too much chest hair. If they have so much hair that waxing isn’t going to do the trick, I recommend a place where they can get electrolysis. That’s your job too.
3. Be knowledgeable about hair loss and thinning. Know the difference between products in this category so that you can accurately instruct clients which ones to use.
4. Now that full beards are in fashion, recommend beard oil to keep the skin underneath from drying out. Also, tell the client that once he tires of his beard, which he will sooner or later, that he needs to come in so you can use a clipper to remove most of the beard before using a razor. —K.M.
Smooth Operator
Even fades and clean shaves are made easy with the Andis ProFoil Lithium Titanium Foil Shaver. It’s compact and lightweight, cordless, and powered by a battery that runs for up to 80 minutes on a single charge, but can be used when connected to the power cord too. The power switch is located in the center, making it ideal for both the left- or right-handed. andis.com —K.H.
Barbering just got a little more cutthroat: On April 17, The CW premieres “Cedric’s Barber Battle,” a reality show that puts some of the country’s most talented barbers to the test. Actor, comedian and host Cedric The Entertainer visits barbershops in places like Los Angeles, New York and Austin and challenges barbers to create works of hair art inspired by the culture of their communities. Each week features a new city and two challenges—“buzz cut,” set inside a barbershop, and “cut down,” at a regional landmark—that are judged by renowned celebrity barbers including Curtis Smith, Richard Franco Mendoza (Rich the Barber), Bashan “B.G. Cutta” Gibbs and instructor Lena Piccininni. A winner is crowned in each episode, so tune in to find out who makes the cut. —K.H.