5 Questions for Connie Barrett

Tressa’s president, CEO and co-founder, Connie Barrett, is celebrating the 40th anniversary of the company this year. Barrett, who has worked in the beauty care industry since 1962, was also instrumental in creating national competency standards for entry-level cosmetologists (now published in cosmetology textbooks). Here, Barrett shares some of her insights to one of the industry’s most respected companies, Tressa.

MODERN SALON: You just celebrated Tressa’s 40th anniversary. What do you think your biggest accomplishment is?
Connie Barrett: Succeeding for 40 years is quite an accomplishment in my view. We remain entrepreneurial; owned and driven by a woman. We haven’t sold out to the big corporations and are fortunate to be able to control our own destiny, just like our stylist and salon owner customers. We develop and manufacture our products and have no diversion.
 
MODERN: What’s your favorite Tressa product?
CB: The Clientage Perm using the rod to roller transfer system. I’m so busy and time is at a premium—I need easy! With a nice cut, a perm and a little Aglaze for finishing, my hair looks good and I probably don’t spend more than a few minutes doing it each morning. Most think I have naturally curly hair.

MODERN: Of all the lines you have launched, which one are you most proud of?
CB: While our first system, Perming, is how we built the business, I’m most proud of our Color System. Developed in our labs, it’s still the most state-of-the-art color system anywhere. From Colourage Permanent Color to Irresistible Deposit-only Color to our unique LiteWorx lift and tone systems, and our new Xtremers direct dye bold and intense color, we’ve got it all. I’m also proud of the superior education we developed in 1990, when launching Colourage, to make color easier to understand and help create color experts and success for stylists.

MODERN: What do you predict to be the next trend in professional hair care products?
CB: My crystal ball is not always reliable, but common sense dictates in this economic environment, clients want trendy hair cuts that can be styled several ways, depending on mood and need and more interesting color applications to accent hair styles and give clients more flexibility in their looks. I also see the development of products that are more eco-friendly, conserving energy and water while still delivering excellent results for stylists and clients.

MODERN: Your Watercolors shampoos are very unique. How should salons market them to clients?
CB: Watercolors color-enhancing shampoo allows color clients to keep their color bright, beautiful and healthy much longer! Since clients are stretching out their color appointments, it’s the one product stylists can retail to clients that allows a little more time between visits and still keeps their color service looking great.