Everyone loves a good makeover; witnessing someone’s transformation never seems to get old. From local news shows and Oprah to “The Biggest Loser,” “Beauty and the Geek” and the ultimate—“What Not to Wear”—makeover episodes always draw fans. Why don’t people instinctively move toward hair, make-up and fashions that flatter them? Not everyone has your eye. While I think as hairdressers you have to tread carefully on makeover turf, you’re probably your clients’ best bet for getting valuable makeover advice. You’re the professional.

After “Good Morning America” tapped stylist Louis Licari to do “ambush makeovers” on surprised “victims” who end up eternally grateful to him, Louis explained in an ivillage.com interview why doing makeovers get him “juiced” with his adrenalin flowing: “I know this sounds corny, but think of it from my point of view: I don’t know what’s to come. I don’t know who the makeover is until I go to the Plaza to look over the crowd. I look for a diamond in the rough or a woman who doesn’t make the most of her God-given looks.”

You probably don’t have to look far. I’ll bet that at least half the new clients who sit in your chair could use someone to be their taste police. You don’t want to insult them, and sometimes a drastic change is most gently achieved over several appointments. But don’t be afraid to lead them there, because makeovers are fun for you—and potentially life-changing for your clients.

Photo courtesy of Color America.

Salon owners I’ve been speaking with are extremely worried that the newly seated U.S. Congress will approve the Employment Free Choice Act (EFCA), also called the “card check” bill. The Professional Beauty Association (PBA) has issued a formal position against this bill. While I’m not going to try to persuade you one way or the other, our “Learning by Heart” blog is all about education and, appropriately, I urge you to educate yourself about EFCA because it can directly impact your employment in the salon industry.

Typically, salon employees do not belong to a union. Until now, it has been costly for a union to send representatives to go through a lengthy process of signing up each salon’s staffers. That’s because in order to become unionized, first more than 30 percent of the staff must request an election to determine whether the salon will be represented by a specific union, and then a majority of the staff must approve that union in a secret ballot election. EFCA simplifies the process, requiring only a “card check” procedure that establishes union representation if a union organizer signs up more than half the staff without having to hold a secret ballot election.

This brings up a host of issues, including: employee privacy; possible employee intimidation by either the union, the employer or both; and potential overhaul of salons’ compensation structures. For more information, look up the bill on Wikipedia or check out articles on cnn.com and usnews.com.

Attend any salon business seminar for hair stylists, and you’ll hear about the virtues of rebooking. This concept—booking your guest’s next appointment before she leaves the salon—has become the darling of income-boosting strategies for a reason: it works. It’s the most effective way to turn a guest who tends to come in about six times a year into one who comes in eight times. What if you could see an every-five-weeker religiously every month? It doesn’t sound like a big difference, but every five weeks translates to 10 times a year, while every month gets you 12 visits a year. That’s money!

This shouldn’t be a hard sell. Many people now keep their calendars on their iPhone or Blackberry, so it’s actually handier for them to book their next appointment right then and there than to remember to call the salon before their regrowth gets out of hand. While they may not come up with the idea themselves, once you suggest booking out the next appointment or, if you can get away with it, booking through 2009, they’re likely to jump at the opportunity. For those who hesitate, you can mention that you’re getting busier and want to make sure they get the day and time they prefer.

I keep my schedule online at Google Calendar, which is fun to color-code and can be programmed to automatically schedule an item weekly, monthly or yearly. People like feeling very organized, so why not be part of their fondness for technological scheduling?

Predict as we might about 2009 hairstyles based on runway looks and economic realities, every year comes with its wild cards. All it takes is one avant-garde “American Idol” fashionista or a celebrity who gets photographed in a cut that complements lots of women, and you have a full-throttle trend going. No one really saw Victoria Beckham’s “pob” coming, so there’s no telling what will happen.

Still, who are the most likely candidates for this year’s hair trendsetter? Speaking of Lady Posh, both she and her protégé, Katie Holmes, have been seen in pixie cuts a la Sharon Stone. New mid-lengths worn by Rosario Dawson, Katherine Heigl, Reese Witherspoon, Kate Winslet and Drew Barrymore come with loose curls. There’s looseness and texture, too, in the longer looks tousled about by young celebs like Fergie, Lauren Conrad and Beyonce. So any of those could pop up with something new, and of course Jennifer Aniston and Angelina Jolie are always possibilities.

This year, entertainment celebs may have to share space in the style magazines with the political sector. First Lady (as of tomorrow) Michele Obama favors the classic Jackie O. type of flip, but what if she switches to an unusual cut? You can bet women will be falling over each other to get into the salon. Likely future Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has hair influence cred, and I noticed her daughter Chelsea wearing long, ’40s waves. So who will make fashion wave? Enjoy watching it all unfold!

Photography by David Webber for Linea Pro Titanium Flat Iron.

Where are hairstyles going this year? I’ve come up with several possibilities but no sure bet. As usual, I urge you to arm yourself for anything and everything by learning the hair how-to’s for as many looks as you can. Still, it’s fun to play the prediction game.

The dismal economy is the most obvious potential influence on beauty habits. Economists tracking Japanese women’s hairstyles conclude that hair stays long in flush economic times, while short hair comes into fashion when the economy droops. I’m not sure I’d put much stock in this observation. It was observed in Japan, not the United States, and if economists knew anything we wouldn’t be in this pickle to begin with.

I’m guessing that clients probably will reduce their hair color spending. You may find yourself dealing with emergency cases of home hair color disasters that must be corrected; clients may ask you for coloring techniques that mask regrowth so that they can go longer between color appointments; and you’ll have more demand for natural shades than high-lift blondes. For cuts, my guess is that your bobbed women will grow it out a bit, while clients with long hair will get fed up with all of the shampoo and conditioner they’ve been buying and cut off half their hair. The two may meet in the middle with a shaggy look like the one shown here, offering a wide range of options in the maintenance schedule. More next time!

Normally on the day after an awards show I want to dish about the gowns, makeup and, especially, the hairstyles, so maybe in a future post about last night’s Golden Globe Awards ceremony we can discuss Drew Barrymore’s poufed bob or revisit the topic of the increasingly casual pinning-back that now passes for an updo. But today I want to focus on one of last night’s acceptance speeches.

Honored with the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s Cecil B. DeMille Award for directing and producing many films, including blockbusters like “E.T.” and the Indiana Jones series, Steven Spielberg used his time on stage to extol the virtues of mentoring. As his own mentors, Spielberg mentioned DeMille and the man who handed him the statue, director Martin Scorsese. “None of the movies that I’ve made throughout my whole life would have been possible without somebody first believing in me,” Spielberg remarked. “I really believe that being a mentor to talented newcomers is a very time-honored tradition.”

Mentoring not only benefits the young person immensely, but it’s rewarding for the mentor, too. In encouraging the highest level of creativity from newbies, mentors additionally pass down their own methods, beliefs, observations and wisdom about the industry and life in general. If you’re new to the beauty industry, cozy up next to a talented coworker and watch and listen as much as you can. If you’re more experienced, look around. Is there a potential Steven Spielberg of hairdressing who could learn from you?

A lot of your clients probably are not yet ready to switch out from the cute angled bobs they’ve been wearing. But everyone likes to see something new in the mirror. So if you can’t vary the cut, what can you change?

This is the perfect time to introduce hair color to clients who’ve never had any, highlights to clients who have been getting single-process color and a new palette of tones—deeper or lighter, depending on where they are now—to your best color clients. In fact, the more boring the bob, the more the client could use a flash of panache through hair color. The photo here, with MODERN SALON’s October 2008 cover model, caught my eye because I can just picture this client walking into a salon. During the consultation, she tells you that she’s been happy with her style and just wants her six-week trim to keep the shape and a little root touch-up to cover regrowth. But even as she expresses her contentment with her flattering look, you can tell that there’s satisfaction without excitement. Shouldn’t your clients be excited about their appearance?

Going from blonde to red is a major switcheroo, so if the client’s not up for that level of image shifting you have many more, less dramatic color tricks up your sleeve. Keep her interested by popping in lowlights, lightening the strands around the face or putting a little more strawberry in that blonde. Proven fact: clients leave you when they become bored.

Photo credits: Hair by Suzanne Schiller-Szabo, owner of Suzanne’s Hair and Colour Room, Oradell, NJ; photography by Roberto Ligresti; make-up by David Maderich for mistermakeup.com; photostyling by Fallon Sinclair.

You hear a lot of talk in this uncertain economy about taking control of your own career. In a Fast Company article, management guru Tom Peters labels the concept “Me Inc.” He explains, “Regardless of age, regardless of position, regardless of the business we happen to be in, all of us need to understand the importance of branding. We are CEOs of our own companies: Me Inc. To be in business today, our most important job is to be head marketer for the brand called You.” So what do you want your brand to stand for? I would argue that for hairdressers, continuing education can contribute to making a brand very attractive.

When you’re the one in the salon who’s always up on the latest techniques and trends, the one bugging the owner to send staff members to trade shows (photo at left) and advanced academies, the one chatting up clients about a great hair cut that’s hot off the runway—your brand is cutting-edge and buzz-inspiring. You don’t blend in with other hairdressers, and people clamor to sit in your chair.

The good thing about this new emphasis on branding, says Peters, is that “everyone has a chance to stand out. Everyone has a chance to learn, improve and build up their skills. Everyone has a chance to be a brand worthy of remark.” Learning, improving and building up skills are about the most important things you can do for your brand as a hair professional.