Izzy's interview with Joel

Phone interview with Joel Silverman (Jo Hansford Stylist)
Friday Oct 29th 11.23am
Interviewed by Izzy Wayling

IW: Hi Joel thanks for agreeing to do this interview. Can I start?
JS: Yeah that’s fine babe go for it.
IW: Ok thanks, firstly just a couple of personal questions about your own grooming routine. Which products do you use mostly?
JS: I use Fudge Shaper. That’s about it really.
IW: Do you use any moisturiser or anything?
JS: No not really.
IW: What do you usually use in the salon?
JS: I use Fudge products in the salon they are really good. I also use L’Oreal elnette hairspray for finishing. A Kerastase product erm cant remember what its called. We use L’Oreal Techni Pli too that’s really good.
IW: Whats that?
JS: It’s a root spray for blowdrys.
IW: Are there any current trends in the men’s grooming industry that you can think of at the moment?
JS: There are a lot more men in salons. Men come to salons all the time now they don’t care what people think anymore and a lot of men want to look good. They care about their image.
IW: Would you say more men are getting hair and beauty treatments or is it more about massages?
JS: Yeah a lot of men ask for head massages.
IW: Could you describe what your dream product would be?
JS: A wax that looks dry but lasts a long time. You want it to look like theres nothing there. So yeah something you can put on but it doesn’t look like you have got anything on your hair. Because for women you can put a product in, blow dry the hair and it lasts all day, we could really do with that. There needs to be a men’s product you can put in and it really lasts.
IW: What would you say are the best products available at the moment?
JS: Erm
IW: You mentioned Fudge before is that something you use in the salon?
JS: Yeah to be honest most salons are sponsored by brands, so like you have L’Oreal salons. We are a L’Oreal salon, and you use those products. But yeah Fudge is really good and we use Kerastase products.
IW: What do you think about L’Oreal products from an industry perspective?
JS: Greasy. The waxes can be a bit greasy so it makes it harder to work with. They are alright though.
IW: What do you think about the packaging?
JS: It’s a bit boring. Think it could be brighter, well it depends on the market really if your targeting the 30+ I think it should be a bit more premium looking.
IW: Ok so a bit more masculine and expensive looking?
JS: Yeah I mean a lot of men are thinking more about their appearance and they want to spend more money on better products. So if you have a brand that looks quite premium then they will go for it. The younger customers want brighter stuff with colours, something cool. It depends who your targeting.
IW: Which services and treatments do men ask about most frequently?
JS: Massages mostly. When they come in they ask if a junior can give them a head massage when they get their hair washed.
IW: Anything else?
JS: Not really.
IW: What about a sort of consultancy service? Where you could get advice on which products to use and how to use them in your hair. Do you think that would work?
JS: Yeah that would be really good. People don’t know how to use products, even hairdressers. I think there should be more training for hairdressers on how to use specific products then they can teach the customer about it too. But people are always asking questions when they come in on how to do their hair. So yeah.
IW: What are the best salons at the moment would you say?
JS: For men or?
IW: Yeah I mean is there anywhere you think men would be attracted to or specifically cater for men?
JS: Well all salons are unisex now. Men can go in anywhere and they don’t care anymore either. Men will go to salons because they want to look good. The Refinery is good for men though if you want something traditional. Its in Harrods.
IW: Ok cool. So the unisex thing that’s quite new isn’t it?
JS: Yeah definitely in the last few years it has changed and men are going in more. People like Beckham have made it ok for men to look after themselves more with their hair and treatments.
IW: So do you think salons have adapted to suit male and female needs?
JS: Yeah it’s the best of both worlds.
IW: What are the most prestigious events within the hairdressing industry? Are there any?
JS: Yeah hairdresser of the year.
IW: Is there anything else?
JS: Yeah you have got men’s image award and you also have male hairdresser of the year. I won that actually.
IW: Oh well done.
JS: Yeah I won it for south east London.
IW: Is that just for industry then or can normal consumers go to it?
JS: Its just for industry. There’s Salons International though, anyone can go to that. You get tickets. They have demonstrations and how to do kind of thing and you can buy products. That’s good. Look on the website HJI.com and you can find out more about stuff like that it will tell you about the events.
IW: Ok thanks that’s really interesting.
JS: Yeah theres a lot of stuff about. Let me know if you want me to ask in the salon for you. I can ask these questions to the customers?
IW: Yeah that would be really good thank you. Well I think that’s all for now but thanks so much for your help.
JS: That’s ok babe let me know if you need anything else.

Contact: hair@joelsilverman.co.uk