Monday, September 25 was the second day of the event and was filled with even more panels,...
Monday, September 25 was the second day of the event and was filled with even more panels, discussions, networking and more. Read about day one here.

The second annual HAIR+ Summit, produced by MODERN SALON and Bobit Business Media, started last year as a way to emphasize the importance of this category and to encourage participation among stylists and salon owners and also to introduce them to solutions from experts in the category, which includes trichology, thinning hair, scalp care, extensions and enhancements. This year’s event focused on providing more advanced education to help participants move forward as hair loss consultants and to become strong in all areas—technical, business and medical.

HOLISTIC AND NATURAL APPROACHES TO HAIR LOSS

Day two began with Dr. Candy Lewis Williams, N.D., of the Lotus concept Wellness and Tricology Clinic on how to approach hair health with holistic treatments and remedies.

Dr. Candy got her cosmetology license at Pivot Point in Chicago. She has had three bouts of Alopecia Areata (totalis, universalis) in her life, and after having help from her dermatologist who practices functional medicine in treating it, she herself dove into studying naturopathic solutions and treatments for hair loss and started her clinic—the Lotus Concept (TLC).  

Holistic and natural approaches to hair loss take into consideration body, mind, spirit and emotions, and using natural products created by nature. An integrative approach combines allopathic (western) medicine with holistic (eastern) complementary and alternative therapies. Alone, each has their limitations, but Dr. Candy says they can be extremely successful together in treating hair loss. Integrative approaches to hair loss include comprehensive consultations, scalp exams, lab testing, customized hair loss and wellness programs, and lifestyle education and services.

She explained she refers various lab tests to pinpoint what her clients should be paying attention to or targeting, whether it be stress, nutrition or medications they are on. Until those are looked at and improved, it’s almost impossible to begin the journey in growing back hair.

Lab testing helps Dr. Candy to determine the right diets and meal plans, supplements, herbs and homeopathic remedies, lifestyle changes, minoxidil, growth factors and natural topical treatments unique and individualized to each and every client.

“I’m not brand loyal, I’m client loyal,” Dr. Candy said.

Dr. Candy prescribes her clients everything from natural tea combinations and topicals, low-light laser therapy, minoxidil and natural DHT blocker, homeopathic remedies, aromatherapies, and more, all part of the integrative approach of eastern and western medicines. Lifestyle, nutrition, diet and homeopathy combine to form the TLC 360 program.

“It’s not about the plaques on the wall, it’s about the quality of life,” she said.

CONSULTING CLIENTS GOING THROUGH CHEMOTHERAPY

Sheila Wilson explains how to support clients going through chemotherapy.
Sheila Wilson explains how to support clients going through chemotherapy.

Sheila Wilson, owner of Master Design Salon and Wellness Studio, discussed the consultation before, during and after a client is going through chemotherapy. Wilson herself is a cancer survivor.

“Before I had cancer, I used to think I had to consult cancer patients like I was the Energizer bunny,” Wilson said. “When I went through it, I realized there was more to the consultation.

“Going through chemo myself, don’t think it doesn’t hurt everytime your client looks in the mirror at their hair. It’s a reminder. You are always looking at your body for another sign [of cancer]. It also effects how I talk to my clients.”

Her recipe in a successful consultation is CONSULT: Connect, Observe, Notes, Share options, Understand the fears, Listen to his/her concerns and Truthful.

Wilson says it’s important to document the client’s starting point by scoping their hair and scalp to see the scalp health and diameters of the hair. That way, after treatment begins, you and they have something to reference in their journey of hair loss and growth.

She wants to be someone her clients can depend on. In the pre-treatment consultation, give them the hair loss time line, have sensitivity toward their feelings and give them options, and educate them on hair loss in terms of their scalp, integrity of fiber and proper care. Once they start chemotherapy, Wilson even offers her clients come in on a weekly basis to cut hair shorter and shorter in various styles as it begins to fall out.

“We can’t control everything in life, but the things we can control we can make a fun journey to be on,” Wilson said.

Once chemotherapy beings, stylists should practice encouragements, know the clients’ options, continue doing scalp analyses and treatments. Treatments give them a sense of hope, Wilson said, and make them relax and feel special.

“It’s all about knowing they’re not at a dead-end,” she said. “We have control of our life by having control over our beauty.”

Post chemotherapy, create a plan by starting again with scoping and looking at their brows, lashes, nails and scalp, be realistic, document the progress or fallbacks, and educate the client how to cleanse the scalp, use hair fibers, and how often they need to come into the salon for cut, style and color as hair grows back and according to their new texture if it is different than before.  

UNDERSTANDING MEDICAL AND SURGICAL HAIR LOSS SOLUTIONS

Dr. Alan Bauman of Bauman Medical walks attendees through the latest technological innovations in medical and surgical hair loss solutions.
Dr. Alan Bauman of Bauman Medical walks attendees through the latest technological innovations in medical and surgical hair loss solutions.

Moving to the medical and surgical realm of hair loss solutions, Dr. Alan Bauman, M.D., of Bauman Medical shared the latest innovations in his field.

He showed how robots can be programed to harvest hair follicles, before and afters of hair transplant surgeries and laser therapy. Bauman also works with scalp prosthetics from Cesare Ragazzi Laboratories.

HEAD TALKS SETS #3 AND #4

After Dr. Bauman spoke, attendees broke out into to the two HEAD talks of the day.

Flora Fuentes and Angelo D'Andrea, the CEO Cesare Ragazzi Laboratories, discussed the CNC system (Capeli Naturali a Contatto) natural hair prosthetic using 3D-printing technology, which maps the scalp using 3D printing. Two systems worn on a rotation can be worn for 18 months or longer, according to Fuentes.

The other part of the company is CRLAB, based on the science of trichology, training stylists on their protocol. The CRLAB philosophy is based on the idea that three scalp care protocols are based on three types of conditions: dry skin, oily skin and hair loss. They believe they need to balance the scalp before they can combat hair loss. The CRLAB uses a tricotest to create a personalized treatment protocol. 

Platinum Seamless’ presentation was led by Brent Hardgrave going over all-things extensions. He detailed the importance of an extension consultation, his recommendations on pricing and more.

Hardgrave recommends charging per panel for extensions. He said this allows you to do a few things.

“If you’re just putting your foot into the pool [as a client], when I charge you a per panel price, the client can start small and go from there,” Hardgrave said.

IDENTIFYING PARTNERS AND RESOURCES/THINKING ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS DIFFERENTLY

Salon owner Frank Rizzieri of Rizzieri Salon and Spas and Dr. Demetri Karanzalis, D.O., A Medical Spa at Rizzieri work together in the salon to benefit their hair loss clientele and create business opportunities.

According to Karanzalis, in 2016, Americans spent more than 15 billion dollars on non-invasive and non-surgical aesthetic procedures. Indeed, it’s a booming industry.

Karanzalis also said 47% of people would spend their lifesavings to regain a full-head of hair.

“People want help; they’re starving for it,” he said.

Rizzieri thinks the salon industry should take note of these statistics. And he did.

Rizzieri Salons rents a spaces to a medical spa in its flagship. A medical spa offers services that cannot be done in a day spa. In the medical spa, hair loss services were added. Dr. Karanzalis works in the medical spa and is the co-owner of it.

The salon is a feeder for the medi spa and physician. The salon and medi spa have the same goal of helping people feel beautiful inside and out. They want to establish a new business model of a show within a shop. Hair salons have all the resources at their disposal, such as software and clientele, to create a hair loss business inside of their current footprint, it just has to set up the shop, education, training and marketing.

The two said adding a physician to your business can create credibility for your salon, can allow you as the stylist be involved in their care in all aspects of their hair-loss-treatment plan. Also, take note of the process. If clients aren’t coming to you, they’re going somewhere else, Karanzalis said.

Their relationship has been successful due to honesty.

“What made it work was patience and an honest relationship,” Rizzieri said. “If you can’t have the truth, then you can’t work together.”

So how do you move forward? Educate yourself and find a mentor, Karanzalis said. Most importantly, if you’re thinking of adding a medical side to your business, legal is paramount.

“From state to state, laws and regulations are very different,” he said. “The more you research this business, the more you will learn of facilities shut down due to failure to comply with this. If you get shut down, it drains you financially and kills your reputation.”

PANNEL DISCUSSION: UNDERSTANDING HAIR RESTORATION/HOW SALON PROFESSIONALS CAN BEST WORK WITH THIS MARKET

Members of the American Hair Loss Council Hair Restoration Specialists took to the stage to explain their market, the resources they offer, and explain how the two markets can best work together.

When asked how salons can be successful running a hair-loss business, panelist Susan Kettering of the American Hair Loss Council and the Hair Restoration Institute of Pennsylvania said when she was going through developing her hair restoration business, it started out with being financially able to.

“If you’re just starting out, make sure that you have a wonderful website and that you have enough money to back your business up financially with any sort of advertising,” she said. “Social media is great, but we worked with radio, we worked with sports announcers, and we were very successful. But know it does take your name being out there all of the time and it takes a great consultant to bring people in.”

She added that aside from money, having stylists with the passion to learn this field is hugely important. They need to have the heart and the patience and the passion for hair restoration in order to be successful.

SPECIAL FOCUS SESSIONS

A quick huddle before the extension expert panel.
A quick huddle before the extension expert panel.

Attendees were then asked to split up into three special-focus sessions targeting all levels of hair-loss knowledge. Track One, for beginners, went over how to get started in combatting hair loss. Track Two was for stylists and specialists were intermediate knowledge of the field, discussing consultation, trichology and tools and technology. For all levels, Track Three featured a panel of experts on how to build and grow an extension and hair restoration business. Read more about Track Three here.

SALON PROFESSIONAL PANEL DISCUSSION—PUTTING THIS INFORMATION TO USE: DEVELOPING YOUR PERSONAL ACTION PLAN

MODERN SALON Senior Editor Lauren Quick led a panel of industry leaders who advised attendees what to do with all this new-found information from the HAIR+ Summit. Watch the full panel here.

Publisher Steve Reiss gives closing remarks.
Publisher Steve Reiss gives closing remarks.

Stay turned for updates on next year's HAIR+ Summit, coming soon. 

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Jamie Newman

Jamie Newman

Senior Editor

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