Have you ever taken a hair styles photo to your hair stylist and asked for the exact same cut, only to be disappointed with the results? Many times, the reason for such a situation is that a lot of hair stylists do not have the time or money to attend hair cutting education and training programs or to purchase very expensive training videos to learn the latest techniques for trendy and sometimes complicated hair styles of today.
Francesco Rizzuto, founder of www.hair-brain.com, conducted four focus groups and determined without exception that hair stylists conveyed that they all wanted the education, but they all wanted it to fit into their lives and budget. He adds that there are a lot of single moms in the hair industry that simply cannot afford to attend high quality classes or shows, some of them even live in areas where traveling to get to a class is not an option.
Rizzuto analyzed his marketing research and decided to investigate opening a video store with affordable rental training tapes. He says, “If hairdressers had access to current hair education on a rental basis, then they would be more enticed to learn and be motivated.” After exploring the concept of a video store further, Rizzuto discovered that there would not be enough current material out there to fill a video store. The content that was available was old, outdated or very expensive.
And then a light bulb went on and the idea of a Pay Per View video hair instructional website was born. Anyone anywhere in the world could view the instructional videos online for a very reasonable fee and apply what they had learned immediately. So the website www.hair-brain.com was developed and officially launched in July 2005. Rizzuto, a salon owner, hairdresser, fashion photographer and educator, also decided to film his own content. Each 15-20 minute video takes about 3 hours to film and a few more hours to edit.
The videos, which cost $6.95 to view once, are primarily education based, and sometimes mention certain tools or products that work well with the hair styles they are creating. They last between 15 and 20 minutes and can only be viewed once. Basically what Hair-Brain offers is the ability to get the education without having to buy the video at a considerable cost. Most hairdressers agree that once they see how it’s done they have no need for the video. With Hair-Brain they can look at it as if it’s a rental, although the movie presentations are available for purchase at a very low cost, $17.95USD.
Rizzuto hand picks all of the educators that present the videos on the site based on their outstanding work in the industry. Some are well known, such as Martin Parsons, and corporate educators such as Schwarzkopf.
Currently there are about thirty video presentations to choose from on the website, and Rizzuto plans to add about 30 more by the end of the year.
Some of the topics available include the tousled look, mid length cut, retro fashion Mohawk, layers with long hair, shine and texture, Spanish look with extensions, texturizing short hair, heavy layered cut, hair color, wedding updo and 5 tail chignon among many others.
The training videos are not limited to hair instruction, as there is a video by Dr. John Arlette where he demonstrates Botox and Fillers. By observing these before and after videos, consumers can make a more informed choice with respect to non surgical procedures. Rizzuto has included Dr. John Arlette as an educator because Botox fits into the Hair-Brain.com format of education plus beauty.
Future videos will include techniques for hair extensions for professionals and consumers, perming, barbering, coloring, bridal looks, braiding, ethnic hair and straightening just to name of few. They also plan to endorse and perhaps retail quality tools of the trade that are mentioned on the site.
Although Hair-Brain was first designed for the professional hairdresser, Rizzuto mentions that he is finding on occasion that the consumer is logging on to find a look that they like. “Recently, a woman wrote us to let us know that she found the perfect look for her wedding on Hair-Brain.com (Martin Parsons “Wedding Band” updo featured on the site currently). She was going to tell her hairdresser to go to the site and learn it so he could do it for her wedding day,” Rizzuto says.
Rizzuto says so far www.hair-brain.com has been a great success. “We are getting clients from the USA, Canada, UK, Japan and even Brazil. Once of our clients recently purchased one of each of our videos,” he adds. Salon Magazine’s (Canada) publisher Laura Dunphy wrote in her editorial “Back to school” (September issue) that www.hair-brain.com is “A brilliant solution for hairdressers”.
In short, pay per view CAN help you get a better hair style. The education and training videos are available 24 hours a day, anywhere in the world and all for a low price. It is designed by hairstylists for hairstylists. For the price of a large gourmet coffee today, you can be a better hairdresser tomorrow. Is your hair stylist a Hair Brain?
Francesco Rizzuto is 44 years old and has been in the hair industry since 1978 when he started hair design school in Toronto, Canada. After graduation, he worked as an assistant at Vidal Sassoon and was awarded the position of “Junior Stylist” after one year of very hard work. Eventually he worked his way up to chief educator. Education is a very big part of the Vidal Sassoon Formula.
Francesco has fulfilled his vision of creating an affordable, accessible, and most importantly, effective educational tool for beauty industry professionals, fashion enthusiasts, and the general public. Currently he juggles his schedule as a salon owner, hairdresser, fashion photographer and educator. Hair-Brain.com offices are currently located in Calgary, Alberta in Canada.
Perriann Rodriguez is the founder of Hair Resources, http://www.hairresources.com and http://www.hairresources.net online resources for trendy hair styles, hair extensions information, global beauty salons and stylists, E-books and much more. Visit Hair Resources for better hair days!
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