Today, December 1, is WORLD AIDS DAY.  L'Oreal Professional Products Division is mobilizing its network of hairdressers to get out the message that AIDS still exists and is as deadly as ever. Worldwide, 33 million people are HIV positive and 60 percent don't even know it. Here in the United States, 1.1 million people are living with AIDS. Every 9 ½ minutes, someone in the United States is infected with HIV, and 21 percent of those who have been infected, do not know that they have been infected.

More than 500 high profile salon professionals met yesterday at the United Nations in New York to learn more about the disease and to learn how to use their power as hairdressers to share the message with their clients.

USE YOUR VOICE USE YOUR POWER FOR A BEAUTIFUL WORLD WITHOUT AIDS is the campaign launched yesterday at the UN.

"There are 500 educators at this event," said Christine Schuster, Senior Vice President of Education for Redken/Pureology and Chair of the Hairdressers Against Aids U.S. program. "We have 1200 educators in our network. Our responsibility is not just to gain information, but to share that information. We are in the business of transformation. We CAN make a difference." Schuster spoke to the audience filled with hundreds of Redken, Matrix, L"Oreal Professionnel, Kerastase and Pureology hairdressers including Ted Gibson, Jason Backe, Jo Blackwell, Nancy Braun, Tracey Cunningham and Kaz Amor among others.

Hairdressers Against AIDS, an advocacy program that aims to empower the entire industry of hairdressers and salon professionals to use their unique relationship with their clients and communities to become a resource to interact, educate and help prevent the spread of HIV, is sponsored by The L'Oréal Fondation D'Enterprise in partnership with the United Nations (UNESCO) and the Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria (GBC).

The United Nations program included speakers from UNESCO, the CDC, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Linda Wells from Allure, Regan Hofman of POZ Magazine and key L'Oreal Professional Products Division executives including Pat Parenty, L'Oreal President Professional Products Division USA, Chuck Pollard and Darienne Howe. Dr. Robert Fullilove of the Columbia School of Public Health advised "This virus is wily. We are all still at risk."  Added An Verhust-Santos, L'Oreal President, Professional Products Division Worldwide, "The cure is the power of the voice. There are 7 million hairdressers in the world with the potential to generate a lot of talk."

Ending the program was Ann Mincey, Corporate Spokesperson, Redken, who took it upon herself to get at least 500 of those 7 million to use their voices on the spot. In unison, Mincey had the entire room echo: "I will use my voice, I will use my power, for a beautiful world without AIDS."

 Miguel Gomez
 Susan Robinson

<<<<<(From left to right) Ted Gibson, Jason Backe, Kaz Amor, Tracey Cunningham)