NHBF launch free self-employment checklists

Online resource available for the hair and beauty sector

by AMANDA | INFORM

The National Hair & Beauty Federation (NHBF) have launched a series of free checklists designed to support self-employed professionals and businesses across the hair and beauty sector. 

Stylists and salon owners have increasingly complained of the legal grey area surrounding freelancing and setting up rent-a-chair style collectives. To provide support, the NHBF have created four free and easy-to-use checklists, intended as guidance tools rather than definitive lists:

Designed as ‘food for thought’ resources, the checklists have been developed to help identify what’s in place, what may need attention and where to find extra support. “We’re not here to judge. We’re here to support,” said Cathy Weston, NHBF director of quality and standards. “This initiative is part of our ongoing mission to raise standards, support individuals and protect the future of our sector by giving professionals the tools, knowledge and confidence to run their business the right way.” 

The checklists are free and open to everyone working in the hair, barbering, beauty and aesthetics sectors. By visiting the NHBF website, you can complete a short questionnaire at the NHBF’s website to receive a tailored summary, followed by further guidance. 

The Hair & Scalp Tips You’ve Never Heard Before

Trichologist Mark Blake shares the lesser-known facts that could help you deliver a better scalp service to your clientele.

by HAYDN | INFORM

“It’s about getting you the hair you deserve.” Those were some of the first words of Nioxin’s UK Trichologist, Mark Blake, shared ahead of a consultation and service with me. As someone who bleaches their hair and then dyes it blue, and has been doing so for 8 years, I was sure he’d have some choice words…

As a former salon owner and now a professional trichologist, he understands the problems salon stylists are seeing from their clients when it comes to their scalp and hair health… and the opportunities that they present to business. Here are the insights that can help show your guests you’re to be trusted when it comes to scalp solutions – all courtesy of Mark!

36 Metres a Day?! The Hair Facts You Won’t Believe

Hair is the second most prolific cell producer in the body, after bone marrow. To put that into perspective, your hair needs around 160 calories to grow just one gram. We each grow between 0.3 and 0.5 millimetres of hair per day, and with 100,000 to 150,000 hairs on our head, that adds up to 36 metres of growth daily if laid end to end, which is actually incredible.

What fuels all that growth? Protein. Around 85 per cent of hair is made of protein, which makes a protein-rich diet essential. Mark recommends starting the day with a protein-rich and naturally-sourced breakfast, such as two eggs and spinach, instead of relying on protein shakes packed with artificial additives. “To grow 36 metres of good hair,” he said, “you need lots of good protein.”

Are Your Clients Accidentally Ruining Their Hair? These Habits Say They Probably Are!

Mark also revealed how everyday habits impact scalp health. For instance, if you suffer from psoriasis, which I occasionally do, it’s best to steer clear of lamb, as it can make symptoms worse. And when it comes to drinks, apparently swapping your glass of Champagne or white wine for tequila could actually be kinder to your scalp. Shots anyone?!

He also shared some day-to-day lifestyle tips that could be super valuable to pass onto clients. Forget making your bed the second you get up; leaving it unmade for 20 minutes helps stop yeast and bacteria from thriving in that warm, cosy environment. And when it comes to drying your hair, the science says don’t leave it wet; hair is twice as weak when it’s damp. Instead, it’s better to use a medium heat and keep the dryer around 15cm away from your head. A small tweak, but one that makes all the difference.

What Happened When a Trichologist Sniffed My Hair 👃

Ready to sniff your client’s hair? Yup, Mark gave my hair a good huff to check for yeast and bacteria. Using a 100x zoom camera, he examined the scalp in detail, pointing out areas that needed more attention. My scalp still showed colour from a recent dye session, proving just how porous and reactive it can be.

It can be fascinating, if slightly confronting, for clients to see their scalp magnified on screen, but it’s a great way for them to realise how vital proper care is for healthy hair in the long term.

From Thinning to Thriving

After a consultation, giving your clients a clear action plan tailored to strengthen their hair and support their scalp will help build loyalty and trust in your professional expertise. I was advised to wash my hair twice a week instead of once. Nutrition also plays a huge part – ditch intermittent fasting and instead start the day with that protein-rich breakfast to give hair the fuel it needs to grow. Adding vitamin D supplements at midday should help support overall hair health, since it’s best absorbed during the day. Combined with a few scalp care techniques, such changes should feel achievable and realistic. Most importantly, they’re about building habits that nurture both scalp and hair for the long term.

If you’re looking to invest in your scalp knowledge, the formidable Mark Blake has teamed up with Wella to create ‘The Fascinating World Of Trichology With Mark Blake’. A full-day workshop where you’ll discover the truth behind common hair myths, the effects of nutrition, illness and medication, plus the root causes of thinning and hair loss. Learn about treatments like transplants, laser caps, PRP, scalp micro-pigmentation and how to spot and address clients’ underlying issues.

Fellowship Reveals Latest Centre Of Excellence

New partnership offers fifth space in UK

by AMANDA | INFORM

Darlington College is the fifth Centre of Excellence for The Fellowship for British Hairdressing. The college will become one of the Fellowship’s spaces for hosting education and training days for their member hairdressers and barbers.  

The partnership will allow the college’s students to access a number of education events hosted by the Fellowship throughout the year. Students will also be given the opportunity to take part in the Fellowship’s Finishing School Programme, where they will work with brands such as Sassoon to gain valuable insight into the business requirements of the industry.

To celebrate the launch Fellowship president, Ashleigh Hodges, hosted an induction day at the college with live demos to showcase what support and development the Fellowship can offer throughout their careers.

L’Oréal Joins Fight Against Cyber-Crime

Company named as ambassador for national centre to help SMEs such as salons

by AMANDA | INFORM

Glen Carrie via Unsplash

L’Oréal UK and Ireland is now a National Ambassador for the National Cyber Resilience Centre Group (NCRCG), in a first for a beauty company.

The NCRCG is a strategic collaboration between the Home Office, policing, academia and ambassador partners to strengthen cyber resilience across the UK’s small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) community.

Together with NCRCG, the Cyber Resilience Centre (CRC) network is made up of nine police-led CRCs which offer free, high-quality cyber guidance and advice to SMEs in their regions, so that businesses such as salons and barbershops can strengthen their ‘cyber resilience’.

Cyber–crime – such as identity theft, phishing scams, malware distribution, ransomware attacks, cyber–bullying and cyber–stalking – poses a real threat to SMEs such as L’Oréal’s salon partners, and the move is to help safeguard their businesses, with the NCRCG partnership enabling the beauty giant to provide an extra layer of support through signposting to NCRCG resources.

“While large companies like ours invest heavily in tech to enhance our productivity as well as protect our business, it is often much more of a challenge for small– and medium–sized companies,” said Jason O’Hare, cybersecurity chief information security officer at L’Oréal Northern Europe.

“These include the suppliers we work with and the thousands of hairdressing salons our Professional Products Division partners with. By raising general awareness and signposting to the resources provided by the National CRC Group, we are helping our partners protect sensitive data, maintain customer trust and avoid costly disruptions, while contributing to closing the national skills gap in cybersecurity.”

Hair & Care Presents: Beyond Vision – Championing Inclusion In Fashion And Beauty

The fashion and beauty industries celebrate innovation, but one vital element is still too often ignored: accessibility. Beauty is meant to be a language of self-expression, a way to show the world who you are. But what happens when spaces designed for visibility leave millions unable to participate?

by ZURI | INFORM

Hair & Care, the Hackney-based non-profit founded by award-winning hairstylist Anna Cofone, has been asking this question from the very beginning. Through monthly workshops for blind and low-vision women and girls, the organisation reimagines beauty as an experience beyond the surface, something to be felt, heard and a place for community. For Anna, the work is deeply personal. Her father, who lived with retinitis pigmentosa, viewed self-care as an act of dignity and visibility. That devotion lives on in Hair & Care’s mission: to make beauty a space of belonging for everyone. 

Last week, the project took centre stage with the premiere of “Beyond Vision” at Sea Containers London, a short film and panel discussion that invited audiences to see beauty through a new perspective. 

Film by: Hector Hilleary

A Sensory Approach To Beauty 

Directed by Hector Hilleary, “Beyond Vision” invites us to see beauty through an unconventional lens, one shaped not by appearances, but by sensation. In Anna’s workshops, self-care unfolds as a fully sensory experience: the glide of a brush, the mist of a spray, the warm caress of water on the scalp. These rituals affirm identity as much as they nurture confidence and personal expression. For the women featured, the workshops offered a rare space of mutual understanding, where they could be their authentic selves and feel seen. 

The film’s gentle power lies in showing how confidence and community emerge side by side. As participants laughed, experimented, and encouraged one another, it became clear that beauty is not a privilege of sight but a practice of care, connection, and recognition. 

Image by: Hector Hilleary

Breaking Misconceptions 

That spirit flowed into the evening’s panel discussion, where the conversation turned toward dismantling stereotypes. Too often, blind and low-vision people are assumed not to care about their appearance, simply because their experience of beauty is different. Yet, as one attendee shared, “Looking in the mirror and not seeing what’s looking back makes you hyper-conscious.” It was profoundly moving, a reminder to consider: what would self-care mean if we couldn’t see ourselves? The comment reframed the issue entirely: it isn’t disinterest but rather a heightened awareness shaped by exclusion. 

Moderated by Vogue Business journalist Maliha Shoaib, the panel gathered blind broadcaster and activist Lucy Edwards, fashion designer Chet Lo, Dazed beauty director Alex Peters, deafblind social media analyst Jane Manley, and founder Anna. Together they pressed the industry to view accessibility not as an afterthought but as an essential design principle. As Jane Manley urged, “Do things from the front, not from the back.” From packaging to websites to in-store experiences, accessibility is most impactful when it is built in from the beginning. 

Image by: John Armour

A Call To Lead With Change 

The conversation carried weight beyond the event. More than 2 million people in the UK live with sight loss today, a number expected to double by 2050. This is not a niche audience, but a growing community too often underserved and underfunded. While many brands cite cost as a barrier, the reality is clear: accessibility is not charity, it is both a moral and commercial imperative. 

Hair & Care is already showing what’s possible. Through its Making Fashion Accessible programme, recognised by British Vogue and the BBC, the non-profit has brought inclusivity to London and Copenhagen Fashion Weeks, collaborating with leading designers to ensure accessibility is built into every aspect of fashion. Their workshops continue to provide blind and low-vision women with safe, sensory-led spaces to experiment with beauty on their own terms. 

The premiere of “Beyond Vision” was a reminder that change begins in moments like these: a film that sparks empathy, a panel that challenges assumptions, and a project that insists on visibility. 

The question now for the wider industry is this: the next time you launch a product, design packaging, or plan a campaign, will accessibility be an afterthought, or will you choose to lead from the front? 

Image by: Madoka Take