Hairspray to the Rescue

For most under 25, hairspray is something they see in movies, used in the theater and heard about from their parents who lived through the '70s and '80s.

Most clients/guests over 25 only know blowdry creams, heat protectant sprays and shine products, and in their hands hairspray can go wrong without the proper training from us. Why?

The wrong spray before a flat iron could leave locks well done-as in burnt. And the right spray can deliver a flawless finish. Plus, selling hairspray can increase revenue for the salon. The best way to move forward is to stop looking back. This trend is not retro, it's forward. Don't connect it backwards, because we are not redoing the '80s and it is not the '50s or '60s either. Here is how new hairsprays will save us.


• Modern finishes last two days to a week, and you can run your hands through everyday. Unlike in the past, today's sprays give hold without being stuck.

• It doesn't kill the earth. The CFC-filled sprays are gone and today's sprays even contain ingredients that protect our hair.

• Finishes are for change, not the same old. For today's guest, think Sarah Jessica Parker or J Lo, not the pictures of grandma with the same look everyday. Today, blowout salons position themselves to provide different looks that create different personalities for the client to play with, from sex kitten to sleek, and even boardroom perfect, guests see how hair spray lets us and them create looks to play.

• The best way to excite someone is to show them all the possibilities. Today's hairsprays range in hold from barely there to stop-a-bird-in-flight strong, with all the options anyone could need in between.

So if you're looking to amp up your business, hairspray is a great place to start.

Patrick McIvor is the artistic color director with Matrix – the leading professional haircare and haircolor company in the United States and part of the L'Oreal USA Professional Products Division. He owns patrick mcivor color studio (Bethlehem, PA) and studio two (Allentown, PA) – the two hottest hair studios in the Lehigh Valley. As one of the most respected colorists in the industry, McIvor mentors his team by involving them in runway work at New York Fashion Week; fashion/beauty editorial shoots and interviews with publications like Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Real Simple, Seventeen, Family Circle and Allure (editors named him best colorist in the USA); and television segments on "The 10! Show"/NBC Channel 10, WFMZ "Channel 69 News" and "Good Housekeeping Reports." His studio provides stellar hair services inspired by international cosmopolitan influences such as fashion, cultural and global trends. In other words, guests leave with beautiful, sexy believable hair. McIvor is also featured in the book "50 Hairstylists."