News

PB/HJ Ireland Awards 2022 now open for entries

The inaugural Professional Beauty and Hairdressers Journal Awards have launched and are now open for entries.

Taking place in Citywest Dublin on the evening of 6 November 2022, as part of the PB/HJ show weekend, they are organised by the team behind the Professional Beauty Awards and the British Hairdressing Awards, and will recognise beauty, hair and spa professionals for their business acumen and creativity.

With 16 categories in total – eight categories for beauty and eight for hair, split to recognise business and creative skills – all entries will be judged independently by industry experts who are selected for their knowledge and expertise.

The hair categories are Irish Hairdresser of the Year sponsored by ghd, Colour Technician of the Year sponsored by Schwarzkopf Professional, Artistic Team of the Year sponsored by Great Lengths, Assistant/Junior of the Year, Business Director of the Year, Hair Salon of the Year, Hair Salon Team of the Year and Digital Salon of the Year (includes both hair and beauty).

The beauty categories include Aesthetic Clinic of the Year sponsored by Aesthetic Training Academy Ireland (ATAI), Therapist of the Year sponsored by iTEC/VTCT, Aesthetic Practitioner of the Year, Beauty Salon of the Year, Beauty Salon or Spa Team of the Year, Make-up Artist of the Year, Nail Salon of the Year and Spa of the Year sponsored by Murad.

After the challenges of the pandemic, the PB/HJI Awards will showcase and celebrate the exceptional talents within the industry in Ireland.

Alfaparf Milano appoints new ambassadors

Alfaparf Milano has announced award-winning international session stylist Luke Benson as its new creative ambassador, and British Hairdresser of the Year nominee Richard Ashforth as its new educational ambassador UK and Ireland. Benson and Ashforth join existing Alfaparf Milano global hair stylist Paul Stafford.

Known for his technical skill, Benson’s focus in his new role will be on raising the brand’s creative profile.

“I couldn’t be happier to have partnered with Alfaparf Milano as creative ambassador,” he said. “It feels like the perfect time in my career to step into a role of this size, and help bring more awareness to both the consumer and industry of this wonderful brand. To be able to focus on the brand's imagery, collections, digital marketing and press is going to be so exciting. I can’t wait for this journey, building a relationship with the team to push Alfaparf Milano to the heights its products deserve.” As the new educational ambassador, Ashforth, who is co-founder of Saco Hair, will work closely with key accounts to deliver Alfaparf Milano’s education and training. “Saco Academy London are delighted to be partnering with Alfaparf Milano UK and Ireland to provide educational services and support for the group,” he said.

Alfaparf Milano’s Lisa Marangon welcomed the two ambassadors to their new roles. “Richard and Luke are two very respected stylists in their own right,” she said.

“We’re thrilled to have them join the team. Along with Paul, we believe that they will be a force to be reckoned with.”

Phorest launches fund to help salons grow their business

Phorest Salon Software has announced the launch of its Phorest Growth Fund, which will see it make over €100,000 available to Phorest salon, spa and clinic businesses all over the world to help them develop.

The fund was revealed as part of Phorest’s recent brand refresh, which includes a new company logo. It is to be distributed on a case-by-case basis to salons who need a financial stepping stone to facilitate the next phase of their growth.

“We established the Phorest Growth Fund to give back to the community that has given us so much,” said Phorest CEO Ronan Perceval.

“From our own research, we know that for 42% of salons getting established, business planning and managing the financials of their businesses were the biggest challenges they faced, while 24% struggled with getting appropriate loans or funding. “We have taken the next step in our growth journey with a new look and feel for 2022 and beyond; we want to help salons reach their next steps through the Phorest Growth Fund.”

Sam’s Barbers partners with Pieta for suicide campaign

Sam’s Barbers has partnered with Pieta to drive awareness of the charity's Signs of Suicide campaign, which is a public awareness resource created to help family or friends support someone who may be at risk of self-harm or suicide.

With five locations across Dublin, the family-run barber business was chosen by Pieta to help it reach young men in a space where they are comfortable talking about the issues in their lives. Over half of Pieta’s clients are under 25 years of age, and the campaign is encouraging people to ‘swap the small talk for the big talk’.

“It’s OK not to feel OK sometimes, and the best thing you can do is talk about your feelings, whether that be with your family, friends or even your barber,” said Leigh Kenny, regional manager and therapist with Pieta. “We encourage everyone to watch out for the signs in your loved ones – knowing them could save a life.” Owner of Sam’s Barbers Sam Donnelly welcomed the opportunity to work on the Pieta campaign. “Young lads come in here and they really do open up and talk to us – it’s almost like the chair is a safe space,” he said.

‘Young lads come in here and they really do open up and talk to us – it’s almost like the chair is a safe space’

“It is really important that people understand that there are signs of suicide and to

know what to do if they recognise these in a loved one. Pieta is a fantastic organisation and I fully support the work that they do.

“If I can play a small part in helping someone, or raising awareness of the signs so that someone recognises something in a friend or family member, then I will be extremely happy.”

Government confirms extra public holiday

The Irish Government has approved plans for an additional public holiday and national commemorative event on 18 March.

The new public holiday will be marked as a day of remembrance and recognition for those who died and worked throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. It will be held on the day after St Patrick’s Day this year, but will be at the beginning of February from 2023 onwards.

According to Tánaiste Leo Varadkar, the additional holiday this year will “recognise and say thank you” to volunteers, the Irish people and to all those workers who helped in the fight against Covid-19.

“We decided to make this decision now on a public holiday, rather than wait until the pandemic is over, because so many have already given so much,” he said. “It also roughly marks the second anniversary of the beginning of the pandemic in Ireland.”

From 2023 onwards, the new annual public holiday will be at the start of February to mark St Brigid’s Day on 1 February. This will fall on the first Monday of every February, except when St Brigid’s Day falls on a Friday, in which case that day will be a public holiday.

When it comes to bank holidays, Ireland is behind many European countries, so the creation of a 10th public holiday will bring it more into line with the European average, noted the Tánaiste.

“It is one of five new workers’ rights that I am establishing this year,” he said. “The others are the right to statutory sick pay, the right to request remote working, new rights around redundancy for people laid off during the pandemic and better protection of workplace tips.”