Jack Howard

You’re known for introducing the balayage hair technique to the UK – how did you get into it?

I started out in a hairdressers as a Saturday boy at the age of 14 doing the lunch runs and sweeping up hair. I then moved onto shampooing and neutralising perms before attending full time at the age of 16. I got the opportunity to move to the US to work and was sent on a balayage course – I found it REALLY difficult at first especially as I was making so much money foiling highlights but I’m so glad I persevered as the results are so much better. I’ve now built my whole business as a colourist and educator around balayage – it’s a technique, not a trend, and once you know it a whole world of opportunity opens up.

What are your top tips for colourists looking to grow their column.

Firstly, money isn’t a dirty word! Yes, we love our jobs, but that’s now why we go to work – we go to earn a wage, and it should be a good one. Clients want to trust their colourist to give them beautiful results that they couldn’t get at home. So, always use more than one colour, otherwise, what are you offering that they won’t think they can do themselves over the bath?! They don’t want to spend more time than is strictly necessary in the chair, so balayage is a great technique – low maintenance with beautiful bespoke results every time. And communicate in a way that clients understand, so don’t use numbers, I always use makeup, fabric and food colours to engage and help my clients understand

You’re very active on social media – is this an essential marketing tool for salons these days?

YES! I include tips on social media in all of my courses as it’s one of the best ways for any salon to find its audience, and because that’s where clients are looking – Instagram is the obvious place for them to look at your work. When you’ve established your brand values, make sure your feed reflects these – keep it relevant, don’t post personal imagery, and make sure you’re using hashtags properly.

You’re going to be teaching a permage course for Curlformers – what can delegates expect?

Permage is a technique I’ve devised to perm and colour simultaneously, it’s just a really nice service to offer to give a gentle beach wave with a few face-framing lights. I used to perm back in the day and so I was excited to discover Curlformers because they’re such an interesting way to perm – they’re modern, they look good on the client, they don’t have the old connotations of winding and endpapers and they really are easy to use – even your juniors can get the hang of perming like this. So delegates can expect to come away with the ability and confidence to perm and to add in some colour at the same time if they wish. as a technician I think it’s a no-brainer to offer perming – all salons straighten hair, why wouldn’t we permanently curl?

What else are you working on at the moment?

Well, it’s a busy time – I work out of Paul Edmonds where I see clients, I run Jack Howard Education offering classes globally so people can book onto a course or host one at their salon. I’m Schwarzkopf Professional Global BlondMe Ambassador which I really love, the products are incredible; I’m launching a new range with Denman shortly and I’m also working on some extensions with Gold Fever.