“To grow in this industry, education should be a part of one’s lifestyle.”

"I have been following the Hairdressers Journal Magazine from the UK for a long time. And I was amazed and happy to see it here in India as well because it is not just any other magazine, but is an inspiration. It has kept me up-to-date and has served as a source of pertinent information throughout the pandemic. Also, the magazine focuses on multiple elements and gives me an eagle vision of what’s happening in the industry."

Vivek Shyam Bhatia, Director, Shyam’s Salon and Mantastic Barbers, shares his secret to offering healthy and lustrous hair texture for clients, tips to create a makeover look for the clients, importance of focusing on skills and more…

ANY TIPS THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE WITH YOUR INDUSTRY COLLEAGUES WITH RESPECT TO HEALTHY AND LUSTROUS HAIR TEXTURE FOR CLIENTS?

The bridge for healthy and lustrous hair has to be built from both the sides: Hairdresser and the client. The hairdresser is an expert who should be able to assess the level of damage in the client’s hair and provide them with a relevant treatment such as a protein treatment or keratin treatment. There are multiple treatments and they all work on a different level depending upon the requirement, which needs to be identified by the hairdresser. That’s the one side of the bridge. The other side of the bridge, which is the client, also needs to take care of what has been delivered by the professional at the salon. For instance, if I have given my client a botox service, after which she goes back home and uses a shampoo that has heavy sulphate contents, it is all going to wash off. So, healthy and lustrous hair is a two-way street. Additionally, the hairdresser needs to educate the client regarding products that can and cannot be used after a treatment.

WHAT ARE THE KEY ASPECTS THAT YOU KEEP IN MIND WHILE CREATING A MAKEOVER LOOK FOR YOUR CLIENTS?

I look at three points: consultation, lifestyle and acceptance of fashion. The most important point is consultation. For a four-hour hair colour service, I spend 30 minutes on consultation to understand what exactly the client is looking for. The lifestyle of the client also plays an important role in taking a makeover decision, and hence, we frequently ask questions such as do you leave your hair open or not, do you get time to shampoo and cleanse you hair often or not, do you style your hair when you are going out for an event or not and so on. These questions help us understand the lifestyle of a client and then make a makeover suggestion accordingly. If I know that my client has a busy lifestyle and does not shampoo her hair often, I would not give her a makeover that requires high maintenance. Point number three is acceptance of fashion, that is, how much of a fashion can a client accept. Some might prefer something bold, others might prefer something subtle. For this, I use pictures to showcase to the clients the kinds of looks I can create for them. And during this process, I try and analyse their facial expressions and words to understand their thought process. This helps me guide my client in decision-making.

IN CASE OF A LOOK GONE WRONG MOMENT FOR A CLIENT, HOW WOULD YOU ADVISE THE ARTIST TO APPROACH THE SITUATION?

Look gone wrong is a subjective term for me because it entails two scenarios. First is, many a times, the clients ask us for something subtle maybe because they are trying hair colour for the first time. Then due to various reasons they change their mind and come back to us requesting for something bold.

The second scenario is where hair colour did not turn out the way you expected it to. Hair colour is an artistic, complicated subject and not everybody can crack it. In this case, we call the client for a consultation once again and ask them to come back for redoing their hair. We also do not want to damage the hair by colouring it three times in one day, and so, we request a few days gap and ask them to visit us again once the pH balance is back to normal to achieve the desired look.

WHAT DOES IT TAKE FOR AN ARTIST TO KEEP IMPROVING HIS OR HER SKILLS? AND HOW IMPORTANT ARE CONTINUOUS EDUCATION AND HANDS-ON TRAINING?

Three tools necessary for an artist to keep improving his or her skills are education, execution and improvisation. Education is a two-tier tool. Here, one educates themselves with what another artist is doing or by learning something new or taking a master class and then coming back and continuing practicing the same. Once you execute, you realise that some things work and others do not and then you improvise. Once the cycle is complete, it needs to be practised again and again to be mastered.

Education has been the biggest factor for the growth of the hairdressers’ industry in the last 10 years and I have grown through continuous education. Every year, I set aside a budget for education. Between the months of January and March, I visit London or enroll for a course organised by a hairdresser from London to sharpen my skills. To grow in this industry, education should be a part of one’s lifestyle.

WHAT DEFINES VIVEK SHYAM BHATIA IN THE SALON AND BEAUTY INDUSTRY?

If I have to define myself, I would say that I am a consistently evolving artist. This is the only way I look at myself.

WHAT’S GOING TO BE EXCITING FOR THE BEAUTY INDUSTRY IN THE YEAR 2022?

The two most trending categories right now are makeup and hair colour. I do believe that the beauty industry grows when all its categories grow together. Hopefully, we will all grow together in 2022 and the pandemic would be a news of the past.