Groom for improvement: What's happening in the male grooming world
Male grooming is booming. Beauty treatments have gone from being a once neglected service to the norm amongst the male population. A number of surveys have been released over the past year, which demonstrate the popularity of pampering and male beauty treatments. In fact, men have now surpassed women on the amount they spend on beauty treatments per year.
Men are still spending more money on haircuts per year than any other service but treatments such as facials, manicures, massages and even scalp micro-pigmentation are also proving to be popular. In addition, another survey showed men are splashing the cash on male hair removal services too.
Why are men getting more beauty treatments?
There’s a school of thought that argues economic insecurity and the stresses of daily life have changed the way men function and how they want to appear. As competition for jobs becomes fierce and social media decides how we should look, men are searching for products and services to make them look and feel better. “Gone are the days when a man would go to the pub to escape the daily stresses of life. Men are now heading to the barbers to relax,” explains Georgie Wynes-Delvin, co-owner of The Wild Hare in the United Kingdom. However, Gina Conway, who recently opened The Barber Shop, believes it is the power of celebrity that has made male grooming appeal to the masses. “Celebrities such as David Beckham and Zac Efron have made metro-sexuality mainstream. Keeping a tidy beard, having facials and getting waxed have become normalised.”
It is true that there is less stigma around men getting treatments. Carlie Firth, barber and manager at Ruger in Lytham Saint Annes, adds: “I used to be a beauty therapist at a spa and I personally saw a huge rise in men wanting beauty treatments. I knew I had to jump on this trend before anyone else.” Inspired by the gap in the market, Carlie worked with Alan Beak to add beauty treatments such as facials, massages, anti-ageing eye treatments and manicures to the service menu.
Wax lyrical
A male grooming discussion wouldn’t be complete without addressing the sticky subject of waxing. Andy Rouillard, men’s waxing specialist believes exposure to hair removal through social media, images in magazines and reality TV has seen the smooth trend go mainstream. “Take last season of Love Island – I don’t think the male contestants had a solitary chest hair between them,” he points out. Andy cites back waxing as the most popular request, followed by facial waxing and intimate waxes.
Andy reports that a trim and a tidy is regaining popularity. This is good news for barbers and men’s hairdressers, as it’s a savvy way to get extra value from your clippers.
Hair today, gone tomorrow
It’s not just the body that is on the receiving end of hair-removal treatments. The number of men removing hair from their eyebrows has risen from 33% in 2016 to 42% in 2018. Meanwhile, a fifth of Brits reported removing hair from their noses in 2018. The Wild Hare has also jumped on the trend, adding nose waxing to its menu last year. “Men are nervous about nose waxing at first but when they see other clients having the treatment they want to give it a go. Plus, they love to see the wax stick with the hair that’s removed on it,” adds Georgie. This visual element of hair removal is something that can’t be ignored. Inspired by the popularity of pimple-popping and in-grown hair removal videos on YouTube, The Wild Hare post waxing videos on their social media channels to help market their service.
Hair loss SOS
Scalp micro-pigmentation (SMP) is also growing in demand. A no-risk, guaranteed solution to hair loss, micro-pigmentation is a hairline tattoo administered by a trained SMP specialist. “SMP gives you the opportunity to earn between 2,000 AED and 5,000 AED per client,” explains Micheal Koumis, owner of Scalpology, an SMP clinic that offers training courses. “It is great for a barbershop or salon because it provides extra revenue and increases client loyalty. You are changing a client’s life and boosting their confidence. They’ll be visiting you for two or four sessions to begin with and top-ups are advised every three to five years.”
