The Beauty Parlor
If you can recall your mother or grandmother telling you they were off to their appointment at the beauty pallor, then you are of an age where you will find that this site was designed for you! Grandma, of course, went to see her hairdresser/beautician, likely to get a permanent or curlers and bobby pins or perhaps to become a blue haired grandma (something called Fancy Faux I’m told) which was the tradition. Along the way she’d receive healthy dose of gossip which, prior to the internet, she could only get at the beauty parlor or by spending long hours on a rotary phone, which at the time, may have had its own room, nook or phone chair, which additionally held the Yellow and White Pages.
Now of course, we have salons instead of beauty parlors and stylists instead of hairdressers. Yes, and we have flight attendants as opposed to stewardesses. It’s all good. There is nothing wrong with evolving. In fact, such an evolution is important.
Very few things in the beauty industry have evolved at the pace of men’s beauty/grooming, as the increased attention men, and their potential/actual partners pay to grooming. Your evolution may have been slow in coming. Perhaps your journey began with a moisturizer or sun block. Perhaps your journey has yet to commence. Well, men’s grooming is a revolution and it’s time to join in. Here’s why. There are some amazing brands out there which will improve not only your skin and your hair (including regrowing hair – more on that in future blogs posts) but which will improve your outlook, your confidence and impact how others see you.
I am fortunate. Due to my wife’s beauty products consulting business, a great number of brands (some which have not yet reached the market) and their associated samples pass through our home each month. I am expected to try each, critique them and to provide feedback. Over the past 15 years, I’ve learned what to look for in a product; performance, price, scent, packaging, all dependent on the anticipated end market (salon, medical, retail, on-line, prestige, etc.). The market is saturated and highly competitive, so differentiation can either drive success or lead to failure. There are hundreds of examples of characteristics affecting success. Let’s just take one, shampoo and conditioner viscosity. If the stuff is too thick to get out of the bottle, no one benefits and the frustrated customer or the stylist will soon move on. Conversely, if it’s so thin that most of the product leaks through your fingers before making to your head, it’s just wasteful.
This is my first publication in quite a while. I took Covid off, but I’ve been wanting to critique many of the products I’ve tested over these past few years and have wanted to share my results. My goal is to educate those out there who with might really benefit from my meager guidance. I plan to continue to publish with my patented side of humor.