The Hair Industry vs COVID-19

As barbershops and salons reopen in the middle of the COVID-19 crisis. There will be apprehensions, changings in regular procedure and new ways we operate in the workplace. We participated in a live Zoom panel discussion Saturday May 16, 2020 that explored the concerns of barbers, stylists and well as clients.  Click here to view the video discussion on YouTube

An interactivie Zoom discussion hosted by Tiffany Yvonne featuring expert panelists Dorothy Sanchez (licensed cosmetologist) Owner of Virgin Lyfe Hair, Coily Life and salonsuitesucess.com | Ashley Ramirez (licensed barber) Owner of Livid Lash and Livid Salon Innovations Consulting | lividlash.com RoChelle (licensed cosmetologist and instructor) Owner of Plugz Salon and Spa | plugzsalonandspa.com Meech the Barber (licensed barber) | meechthebarber.com
INFORMATION ON: 👉WHAT TO EXPECT 👉HOW TO STABILIZE YOUR BUSINESS TO SURVIVE THE PANDEMIC... AND BE INFORMED BEFORE YOU HEAD BACK TO THE SALONS AND BARBERSHOPS AS THE WORLD REOPENS Follow the Panelist and Moderator 👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇 Instagram.com/iamdorothysanchez Instagram.com/lividlash Instagram.com/ro__chelle Instagram.com/meechthebarber1 Instagram.com/_tiffanyyvonne_

Formal Salon Industry Analysis

The North American Industry Classification (NAICS) code for the Beauty Salon industry is 812112. This includes establishments that perform cutting, trimming, shampooing, coloring, waving, or styling hair, providing facials and/or applying makeup. These establishments are called beauty parlors or shops, facial salons or shops, combined beauty and barber shops, hairdressing salons or shops, cosmetology salons or shops, and unisex or women’s hair stylist shops. The code for Youth Development NTEE is O50, which is the code for “organizations that clearly provide youth development services”. 

IBISWorld reported, “the market size of the Hair Salons industry in the US has grown 1.2% per year on average between 2015 and 2020” (IBISWorld.com, 2019). According to Barnes Reports’ 2019 US Industry & Market Report on Beauty Salons Industry, there are a total of 307,009 salons total in the United States and 8,863 in the state of Michigan alone (Barnes Report, 2019). The number of salons in the state of Michigan indicates that there is viable opportunity for youth to further themselves in the specific industry my proposed venture exposes them to after programing. Also, with our industry experience we can directly link them into some of these salons. In the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn Metropolitan area there are 4,533 salons.  

Works Cited 

“Barnes Reports: Beauty Salons Industry (NAICS 812112).” United States Beauty Salons Industry Report, Jan. 2019, pp. 1–196. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=134046923&site=ehost-live&scope=site. 

Haider, Z. (2019). IBISWorld Industry Report. Hair Salons in the US Market Size 2003-2025. Retrieved February 23, 2020 from IBISWorld database. 

Leagues, NCCS Business. "501 (c)(3) Business Leagues." (2017). 

A New Media Analysis on the Impact of YouTube on Natural Black Hair (Communications Study)

NEW MEDIA ANALYSIS

The New Media practice of YouTube has impacted natural black hair by expanding its media presence by giving visual exposure to viewers through video-shared tutorials, by giving natural black hair the cultural recognition mass media has largely ignored, resulting in the magnification of the presence of natural black hair’s niche market for YouTube, stylists, and users alike.  

NEW MEDIA & YOUTUBE

New Media practices heavily rely on computers for the redistribution of information. The days of listening or watching informational cassette and VHS tapes are long behind us. New technological advancements have laid the landscape for the way we receive information; computers have altogether created a virtual world where life’s questions can be solved in a search engine. With the tap of an “Enter” key on a keyboard, one can learn from anyone, anywhere, any time. 
On New Media video-sharing platforms, users are using data to create narratives they want to create, visit and follow. It gives the users the ability to create a personalized programing of their preference. 
YouTube, originally an American video-sharing platform has evolved into one of the biggest New Media tools. The social facet of YouTube allows users to feel a personal connection to the vlogger. The beginning of YouTube’s beauty tutorial movement started in 2009.  

YOUTUBE'S FINANCIAL IMPACT ON NATURAL BLACK HAIR

For centuries, companies have ignored the viable black hair market. The New Media evolution in the early 2000s consisted of message boards that served as the one of the few mediums where women could share their natural hair journeys. The socio-economic climate of the time caused women to progressively move toward going natural and self-maintenance and growth routines. YouTube has allowed influencers like Kimmayube and CharyJay to take control of the cultural narrative of natural black hair. YouTube’s ability to add live action faces to the natural black hair experience, trumped the original New Media platform of message boards. On YouTube, users can watch, like, share, comment and upload their own videos of areas of interest. “You could talk directly to the consumer and we weren’t hearing about our own hair through the eyes of brands that were trying to market those products (on message boards), or just not hearing ourselves at all because brands weren’t trying to market us products back then,” said Trudy Susan, creator of 4C Hair Chick in a 2019 VICE website article. Now, consumers can directly reach exactly what they are looking for, and there is an abundance of natural hair texture varieties to choose from. Susan is currently a business strategist, and she emphasizes her expertise in New Media and business is due to her motivation to “build momentum” in an underrepresented and niche market. 
Vloggers have the luxury of forgoing the difficult attempt to aggressively pursue retail relationships with stores or scheduling private and regular workshops. From the salon to the living room floor, vloggers can a more effective reach due to YouTube’s New Media cultivation. The increasing adoration and demand for hair tutorials and vlogging is proof to companies that natural black hair is marketable and vloggers were responsible for YouTube’s monetization. YouTube influencer Francheska Medina noted in WIRED’s 2019 article. “We changed the landscape...We started talking about health... The brands started taking over (the YouTube) space and paying $10,000 to $50,000, money I never saw in my life”.    

A study conducted by the Pew Research Center found that YouTube continues to out number every other platform in the US.
When vloggers decided to direct their content toward natural black hair, they inadvertently began to address and fill the gap of cultural indifference caused by the historical miseducation of natural black hair. But what does history have to say about the origin of how society has addressed natural black hair?   

HISTORY & CULTURE OF NATURAL BLACK HAIR

The history behind natural black hair shed light on the nonacceptance of natural black hair. For centuries, negative attitudes towards black hair have existed globally and in the United States. Since the African American slave trade in the 1700s, enslaved African’s would cover their hair in headscarves. There were also free Creole women of color in New Orleans, who wore styles that exemplified the natural texture of black hair; however, local legislation created, the Tignon Laws, which required these women to wear a handkerchief or Tignon scarf to cover the intricate donning of identity. The women were forced by law to mask their cultural identity and expression to emphasize that although free, they were also members of the slave class. 
The societal practice of extracting cultural identity via hair, only created a natural resistance that produced a niche market that ultimately was ignored by mainstream media for centuries. In the 19th century, the innovation of the “hair-straightening comb” relaxed natural tight curl patterns. During this era, minstrel performances jokingly ridiculed the coarse texture of natural black hair, but the straighten-look became an indication of middleclass status, again changing the expression of identity by the styling of hair. Madam C.J. Walker, a black hair entrepreneur, became the first black millionaire in the United States. Her ability to innovate in natural black hair, created a way for black women to become more accepted in society, which in-turn, resulted in the financial advancement of a social, racial and economic class.
In the 1960s the “Black is Beautiful” movement was call for blacks to embrace their natural look and move away from adopting Eurocentric ideologies about beauty standards. Activists like Marcus Garvey employed women, “Don’t removes the kinks from your hair, remove them from your brain!” and visual of Angela Davis’ pronounced afro signified a rebellion of systematic identity extraction. A 1972 study of black teens in St. Louis disclosed that 90 percent of young men and 40 percent of young women in the city sported their natural hair. 

HEALTHY NATURAL BLACK HAIR & YOUTUBE

The popularity in organic products and health awareness has crossed over from food to hair. Many individuals, not just black, have a course hair texture and have a hard time maintaining straight styles. While studying barbering at Michigan Barber School and taking workshops from Hair Lab Detroit, I learned that there are only two ways to change the texture of tightly curled hair:  chemical relaxers or heat straightening. While both achieve the desired straightened texture, they both compromise the integrity of the hair. Constant chemical and physical changes to the hair shaft, cause damage the hair fiber. When the hair shaft is chemically opened, it makes the strands of hair susceptible to damage, which can residually affect the scalp.  
Changing the physical properties of hair is damaging and years of cultural hair straightening have caused people to investigate the health of their hair for themselves. YouTube allows stylists to present solutions for natural black hair care on a global platform, enabling stylist to reach a broader audience. But the audience isn’t only attracted to the content that is being presented, they are  
I have professionally researched online hair growth solutions for myself and some of my clients, but most people find themselves watching a video that they didn’t know would be an area of interest as a result of machine learning algorithms interfaced in YouTube
Many textures of natural black hair are tightly coiled, which results in a lack of moisture and an increase in breakage. While having a loyal stylist, Carol Robinson, of 15 years has contributed to my recent achievement of having the longest hair I have had in my life; it makes me wonder, is it a sudden strike of luck or is it a result of my stylist’s maintenance coupled with the other YouTube stylists I have encountered?  

NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION OF NATURAL BLACK HAIR

Historically, mainstream beauty has ignored black hair. Without media purposefully emphasizing the beauty in natural black hair, the impact of it in media has been ignored. While studying Nonverbal communication, I learned that even hair can be a form of nonverbal communication.  Nonverbal communication is the means in which people communication without language. Without utilizing language, someone’s hair style can express a mood, political statement or lifestyle. Hair can be a way of expressing identity. Afros, twists, dreadlocks, wigs, extensions, weaves, adornments and braids that are rooted in Ancient Africa. These styles are embraced and seen in globally and America now, but the exhibitory and informational impact of the natural hair movement has expanded in New Media part to YouTube and influencers.
Black is one of the cultural identities of America, but the lack of basic knowledge about the cultivation of Afro-textured hair has caused many to turn to YouTube to fill the informational and cultural divide. YouTube’s machine learning capability plays a large part in how users access certain videos, but this feature also directs users to YouTube channels to click on videos they may not be looking for.  
Bias against afros has not subsided. Recently, Colin Kaepernick has been highlighted for his radical stance against police brutality, and his hair symbolizes the historical message he is looking to perpetuate, through his image.  Social movements like “Black Lives Matter” are seen today, but New Media practices fuel the distribution of this information in a way that is useful to people personally, and for some stylists, professionally.  

Finally, my detailed examination of YouTube’s impact on natural black hair has thoroughly illustrated that this New Media platform has not only provided the atmosphere for women to embrace and maintain their natural textures; it has carried the torch for the historical advocates of black natural hair, educated the world in moving towards maintaining hair integrity and created an expansion of a financial market that bolstered the market for influencers, stylists, suppliers, and entrepreneurs everywhere.

Sources:
Collier, M. (2019). The YouTubers Who Changed the Landscape for #NaturalHair. [online] Wired.com. Available at: https://www.wired.com/story/youtube-natural-hair/amp 
Collier, M. (2019). The YouTubers Who Changed the Landscape for #NaturalHair. [online] Wired.com. Available at: https://www.wired.com/story/youtube-natural-hair/amp 
Gupta, Harshita. "Multimedia Tool as a Predictor for Social Media Advertising- a YouTube Way." Multimedia Tools and Applications, vol. 76, no. 18, 09/2017, pp. 18557-18568, doi:10.1007/s11042-016-4249-6. 
Phelps-Ward, Robin J. "Talking Back in Cyberspace: Self-Love, Hair Care, and Counter Narratives in Black Adolescent Girls’ YouTube Vlogs." Gender and Education, vol. 28, no. 6, 09/2016, pp. 807-820, doi:10.1080/09540253.2016.1221888. 
Rasmussen, Leslie. "Parasocial Interaction in the Digital Age: An Examination of Relationship Building and the Effectiveness of YouTube Celebrities." The Journal of Social Media in Society [Online], 7.1 (2018): 280-294. Web. 5 Nov. 2019 
Rocque, Starrene Rhett. “What the Natural Hair Movement Looked Like Before Influencers.” Vice, 27 Feb. 2019, https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/9kpzj7/natural-curly-hair-influencers-message-boards. 
Tinsley, D M. “The Impact of YouTube’s Natural Hair Community.” The Borderline, The Borderline, 18 Mar. 2017, savoirdolor.wordpress.com/2017/03/18/the-impact-of-youtubes-natural-hair-community/
Tolson, Andrew. "A New Authenticity? Communicative Practices on YouTube." Critical Discourse Studies, vol. 7, no. 4, 11/2010, pp. 277-289, doi:10.1080/17405904.2010.511834. 
Versey, H. S. "Centering Perspectives on Black Women, Hair Politics, and Physical Activity." American Journal of Public Health (1971), vol. 104, no. 5, 05/2014, pp. 810-815, doi:10.2105/AJPH.2013.301675.   

Livid Lash's Covid-19 Response

Livid Lash has been updating its inventory of products not only for industry professionals, but for clients world-wide. At an unprecedented time, our world has been hit with a pandemic that has completed halted the personal service and hair industries. But here at Livid Lash we are natural entrepreneurs and highly-credentialed innovators! Take below is a preview of what we have coming by the end of the month:

Professional Stylists:

• Individual Length Trays
• New Adhesive
• New Lash Cleanser
• Seamless Fan Lash Trays
• Livid Length + Trays
• Shorties
• Just Bottoms
• Contact-Free Delivery and more...

Clients:

• Static Lash
• DIY Gel Nails
• Livid Brows
• Contact-Free Delivery of Products

Workshop Students: 

• Free Training Kits with Thinkific Workshop Purchase
• New Training Book
• Zoom Training

As much as we would love to wish this crisis away, we are leaning on LARA and CDC guidelines as we approach this new normal. Join use May 16, 2020 in a Live Zoom panel discussion about COVID-19, How it Affects the Hair Industry Professionals and Our Clients. (The conversation welcomes both stylists and clients). Stay tuned for more detail...

LIVID LASH 2017

LIVID LASH AT A GLANCE

2016 was a wonderful year. We were extremely bless to have staff and fellow educators collaborate in efforts to provide a complete line of educational workshops for the most current beauty solutions.

NOW OFFERING THESE EXCLUSIVE WORKSHOPS
Lash Extension $600 & UP
Brow Extensions $400 & UP
Microblading $1500 & UP
Microshading $1200
Microneedling $1800
Shear & Clipper Cutting $125

MICROBLADING BEFORE & AFTER CARE

MICROBLADING: Skin Healing, Before & After Care 

After the initial visit takes place, a second visit is required. Usually done within 4-8 weeks this process is less invasive.

Mild swelling and redness will reduce within an hour of the procedure with no possibility of permanent scarring.

Initially during the healing process, the brows will appear dark and distinct. However, after 7-10 days the pigment will fade and become less defined. After 30 days, the pigment fades about 30-40%. There is no required down time.

Before Care

Avoid plucking or waxing brows. The technician will shape the brows based on measurements taken at the beginning of the procedure. Do not use exfoliators up to 72 hours before appointment. Products containing glycolic acid, Retin-A, or alpha hydroxy acids may cause inflammation of the skin.  DISCONTINUE USE OF DRINKING ALCOHOL, ASPIRIN, BLOOD THINNERS AND RETINOL 1 WEEK BEFORE APPOINTMENT. AVOID SCHEDULING APPOINTMENT DURING THE CLIENT’S MENSTRAL CYCLE.

After Care

Do not wet brows for 7 days. Protect healing brows from ALL FORMS OF MOISTURE whenever possible. Abstain from heavy workouts or aggressive face washing. Gently wash face without touching the brow area. Only clean treated area with alcohol wipes.

Do not rub or pick the treated area. The area may feel itchy during the healing period; it is important NOT TO RUB THE AREA to prevent infection. Picking the treated area is also known to diminish the appearance of the pigment and will cause the brow to appear bald.

Apply grapeseed oil after 7 days of treatment. Other oils that can be used are almond, coconut, or jojoba oils. DO NOT USE PETROLEUM JELLY, as it prevents the skin from healing properly due to its thickness.

Note: Even with proper after care, a client may still experience fading or loss of pigment due to the skin’s natural healing process. This is normal and results may vary depending on the client’s skin regeneration. Client’s results after healing depend solely on how their skin heals and absorption of the pigment. Pigment retention is based on health, age, skin type (pore size, elasticity, thickness etc.), brow keratosis, medications used, and after care. Most clients require a touch up after 30 days.

Once the desired look has been achieved a color enhancement is required after 18-24 months. A touch up may also be required after 12 months for clients who tan, have oily skin, use facial peels or anti-aging products. Chlorine, retinol and peroxide are known to drastically fade the pigment.