NEWS
MOVERS&GROOVERS
MP calls on salons to educate public on
straighteners A senior MP is urging hairdressers to take a lead in educating parents about the dangers hair straighteners can pose to children if left lying around or unattended. Mary Creagh, shadow secretary for environment, food and rural affairs and a former health minister in the last Labour government, has called on hairdressers to pass on their knowledge and expertise about safe-handling of straighteners. A campaign by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) has been highlighting the dangers of such devices, which can reach temperatures of 220⁰C and take as long as 40 minutes to cool down. The British Burn Association has also warned that parental “carelessness” with hair straighteners can often be the cause of children suffering “deep burns” that require “significant treatment”. RoSPA’s Too Hot to Handle campaign finishes this month but Mary told SalonFocus: “Young children can easily pick up or accidentally step on a hot pair of hair straighteners, causing MARY CREAGH: CONCERN serious burns. It would be helpful if salons selling straighteners gave a simple safety message to buyers that hair straighteners should be switched off straight after use, put away and never left lying around.” All hair straighteners pose a risk to children when their use is not monitored or they are carelessly left lying around after use. While the vast majority are sold through retail channels, increasing numbers of salons sell them too, often for gifts as well as for personal purchases. Dr Amber Young, spokeswoman for the British Burn Association and consultant paediatric anaesthetist at Frenchay Hospital Burns Unit in Bristol, agreed salons could be a useful extra channel for education and awareness-raising. “Any publicity we can get in hair salons the better because it will prevent children needing skin grafts,” she said. The manufacturer ghd, which makes the iconic styler sold through many salons as well as retailers, has also agreed salons could have an important role to play. “All salons would be wise to recommend that purchasers of any product they retail follow the manufacturer’s guidelines for use,” a spokeswoman told SalonFocus. The company emphasised safety guidance comes with all its stylers, which makes the point they are “not intended for use by children under 16 years old, persons with reduced physical, sensory or mental capabilities, or lack of experience and knowledge” without supervision and instruction. The Electrical Safety Council, while pointing out there is no requirement in product standards to provide a warning against burns on the packaging, agreed there was a “the real issue” about awareness and consumer education. “People need to be aware of the dangers of burns, particularly if children are around,” a spokeswoman said.
www.nhf.info
FRIEDA RIDE
Celebrity hairdresser John Frieda is once again this year cycling around Ibiza to raise money for Great Ormond Street Hospital. John will this year be joined by Lee Stafford and his fiancée Jessica Jane Clement as well as DJ Pete Tong. The Round the Island cycle will take place between May 3 and May 6 and aim to raise money for John’s HAIRraising appeal. More information can be found at www.gosh.org/ibiza.
in February, complete with official NVQ accreditation. The move means that, from this year, qualifications offered by the academy will be nationally recognised and the training programme extended to 15 months.
CLIPSO SUPERSTARS
NEW HABIA MD
The industry’s sector skills organisation Habia in December appointed a new managing director to take over from Alan Goldsbro, who retired last year. Rob Young is a former senior executive with internet service provider Tiscali and was an officer in the British Army.
ÉLAN AWARD
Clipso held its 2012 Young Superstars competition in December, designed to recognise talented youngsters to look out for in the years ahead. The winners were Bethany Hunt and Georgina Calvert of Clipso Watford, Sara Stockley, of Clipso St Albans and Carina Archer, from Clipso Hemel Hempstead. The overall award went to Sara Stockley.
FELLOWSHIP FAME
The Fellowship for British Hairdressing has announced its 2013 F.A.M.E team of up-and-coming hairdressing talent. William Ackerley, of Electric Hairdressing in Brighton, Joshua Goldsworthy of Goldsworthy’s, Swindon, Matthew Sutcliffe of Westrow in Leeds and Jake Unger of HOB Salons, will comprise this year’s team. They will be mentored by Bruce Masefield, UK creative director of Sassoon and managed by Bruno Marc Giamattei of Marc Antoni.
HELSINKI TEAM Élan Hair Design in Inverurie, Aberdeenshire, was celebrating in November after being named Sustainable Business of the Year at the 2012 Chamber Awards, run by the British Chambers of Commerce. The award, at London’s Guildhall, was in recognition of the salon’s commitment to energy and waste efficiency.
VAN CLARKE ACADEMY
The Michael Van Clarke salon, in London’s Marylebone, launched a new-look academy
The NHF has agreed to provide partial funding to support a new group of competitors to represent Great Britain in international competitions. The team, put together by competition motivator and trainer Stephen Coles, is due to compete in its first event in Helsinki later this month. The team comprises Steve Clewlow, Rachel McVeigh and Matt Wilson from The Coach House in Wolverhampton and Emma Saxon and Wendy Croall from Stephen Coles Hair Design in Lytham St Annes.
MARCH/APRIL 2013 SALONFOCUS PAGE 11