Bootle firm on shortlist for small business awards

The shortlist for the North West FSB ‘Celebrating Small Business Awards 2018’ has been announced and a Bootle company is among those nominated for a title.

The North West area finals of the national FSB contest will be held on March 22 in Blackburn and will celebrate the achievements of small businesses that play such a vital part in making the North West such a vibrant area to live, work and invest.

Fifty small firms from across the North West have been shortlisted for one of the 12 gongs up for grabs, including Family Business of the Year, Green Business of the Year, and Best Start-up Business.  The winners from each category will automatically go through to the FSB’s UK national business awards, the final of which is in London this May.

Local firm Harrison Hair Studio has been nominated for Micro Business of the Year (award for companies with under 10 employees). Business owner Tanya Harrison said:  “It’s a real thrill to make the shortlist, to be recognised for our customer service and work we do in the community makes it that much more special, we can’t wait for the finals. Running a small business is tough, so it’s fantastic to see the judges have recognised that we go the extra mile on a regular basis. Fingers crossed we’ll be leaving with some silverware on the day but even if we don’t just to get shortlisted is a honour.”

Simon Edmondson, FSB North West Regional Chairman, said: “The sheer scale and diversity of the entrants who have taken part in our awards is a real testimony to the vibrancy of the business community here in the North West.  There’s no doubt that this is an area full of fantastic small firms and a rich culture of entrepreneurship, so it’ll be great to crown many of them with a trophy in March. I am particularly looking forward to seeing the cream of the crop then take on the rest of the country at our national finals in London.”

Tickets for the North West final, held at the Mercure Blackburn Dunkenhalgh Hotel and Spa, on March 21, can be purchased by registering at https://fsbawards.co.uk/entry/north-west

L'Oreal Tecni.Art - Is It Worth the Hype?... 💁🏽💁🏼‍♂️

When it comes to hair styling products, many people are sceptical, and for good reason! Not everything does what it says on the tin, and for most you pay much more than they're worth due to the hype built around them. Everyone wonders if they should really buy the product or if it would just be a waste of money. But we know a range that really is as good as it says, and we work at Harrison Hair Studio hard to prove this!

L'Oreal Professionnel's 'Tecni.ART' styling range has been around for a while, and it just continues to get better in our eyes! We decided to do a little digging and see if we could compare what L'Oreal say about Tecni.ART products to what our stylists think of them, so that we can show you how honest their advertising is. (P.S. we only did this for the products we sell in the salon - otherwise the results wouldn't be fair!) We asked the stylists a few questions about each product, and we weren't disappointed with the answers...

Air Fix

What They Say: Extra strong fixing spray. Fix range, force level 5. Suitable for all hair types, extra strong hold, enhanced shiny look, quick dry, no visible residue.

What We Think: Couldn't agree more! As an extra strong fixing spray it is key in holding those styles into place, and with a force of 5 out of 6 is proven to do it's job. As L'Oreal's website says, it dries quickly and leaves you good to go!

Fix Anti-Frizz

What They Say: Anti-frizz hairspray. Fix range, force level 4. Suitable for hair prone to frizz, strong fixing results, controls the look of frizz, no visible residue, controls the look of frizz for up to 24 hr*, ensures enhanced shiny look.
*Instrumental test.

What We Think: Fix Anti-Frizz is a must for those who have untrustworthy hair in that pesky weather that ruins your 'do. We can completely vouch for all that L'Oreal says about this product, right down to the shiny look it gives!

Fix Design

What They Say: Strong hold spray. Fix range, force level 5. Suitable for all hair types, fixing, gives hold, gives texture, no visible residue, natural looking result.

What We Think: Fix Design is one of our best-selling products, and for good reason! Holding a style into place, particularly on shorter hair, is hard to do and this does it - no wonder it's so loved! For a product to have a force level of 5 and leave no residue is very hard to find, so we're glad it's on our shelves.

Fix Move

What They Say: Light hair gel. Fix range, force level 4. Suitable for all hair types, gives hold and control, light-weightless movement, sculpt and texturise effect.

What We Think: This gel is the closest we come to sculpting products, as this is all we need! Fix Move is as light and weightless as L'Oreal tells you it is, because you don't need any more weight than this for the job to get done properly! While weightless, it still adds plenty of texture for that 'done-undone' look.

Full Volume Extra

What They Say: Strong volume mousse. Volume range, force level 5. Suitable for fine hair, gives extra volume effect, strong hold.

What We Think: If it's volume you want, then it's volume you'll get! With added strength, this supplies your hair with the body you want that'll last all day. All the effort is applying the product to wet hair and Full Volume Extra does the rest of the work for you!

Liss Control

What They Say: Smooth & control gel-cream. Smooth range, force level 2. Suitable for unruly hair, gives smooth effect, volume controlled, 24 hr* anti-humidity protection.
*Instrumental test.

What We Think: Exactly what it says on the tin, for 'unruly hair' that just won't do as it's told. By adding volume and smoothing the hair simultaneously, but without feeling like there's product in it, it's such an easy product to use and is so rewarding! We love Liss Control.

Liss Control+

What They Say: Intense smoothing serum. Smooth range, force level 1. Suitable for frizzy, wavy or rebellious hair, gives smooth effect, volume controlled, 24 hr* frizz look tamer.
*Instrumental test.

What We Think: At force level 1, you can't even tell there's Liss Control+ in your hair, but it still works it's magic! Similar to it's sister product, it tames hair that misbehaves, and gives you a solid day's worth of wear before you need to tackle the mane once more. We love this for a good, tame blow dry!

Morning After Dust

What They Say: Invisible dry shampoo. Texture range, force level 1. Suitable for all hair types, style reviver with up to 24 hours* of time release perfume.
*Instrumental test.

What We Think: We swear by Morning After Dust exactly when we need it - the morning after! While we don't always need this as a dry shampoo in the salon, you can bet we use it when a client wants some texture for that extra messy look (and the stylists can vouch for using it on lazy days, too!)

Pli

What They Say: Thermo-modelling spray. Volume range, force level 4. Suitable for thick hair, shape fix, grip and hold, perfect for bouncy curls and wavy hairstyles, volume finish, help with root lift.

What We Think: Pli is a complete holy grail product here at HHS, as we can firmly say we couldn't do what we do without it! It's a hit with stylists and clients, because it does absolutely everything - it's heat activated so it works wonders in a blow dry, it gives volume, it lifts roots, it holds EVERY style we do, we can't fault it! It sounds like we're just listing L'Oreal's qualities for Pli, but it really does do everything they say!

Super Dust

What They Say: Volume and texture powder. Volume range, force level 3. Suitable for all hair types, volume and texture effect, gives grip, strong bodyfying effect, matte finish, enriched in texturising powder.

What We Think: Super Dust is another firm favourite for volume and texture at HHS, it's a shame we don't get to use it as often as we'd like because it's such a best seller! It's a brilliant product to use when your hair needs that boost, and even better because you can use it on the go. We don't know anyone who doesn't love this one - it's foolproof!

Volume Lift

What They Say: Root lift spray-mousse. Volume range, force level 3. Suitable for all hair types, fine or flat, gives root life and volumised effect, supple and light feeling lengths and ends.

What We Think: Volume Lift is perfect for those who find themselves giving their hair a little ruffle when it's styled. We use this as often as we can to show people how much of a confidence boost it is to have volume at your roots! It might not seem the most exciting, but in our eyes it's definitely a game-changer.

We were thrilled with these results! It goes to show that not only is L'Oreal a reliable brand, but they're trustworthy and don't try and tell you a product does something it doesn't! It also proves that we sell some of the best styling products on the market right here at HHS, and now we have the evidence to back up our claims - it's a yes from us! 😁

Pick up your Tecni.ART products from our salon now* - we even price match internet giants LookFantastic so you get the best deal around! You can't pass that up! 🛍

*Available while stocks last.

🎊 Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year! 🎊

Since we're fast approaching the end of the year, we wanted to take this opportunity to thank all of our wonderful clients for an absolutely brilliant year! 😁 We honestly couldn't have asked for more from 2017, and looking back we have so much to celebrate, including our 10th Birthday. We hope you all have an amazing time over the Christmas break and you've got your appointments ready for January to get back into a good routine! 😉

We've posted when the salon will be open over the festive period, but just in case you missed it you can find that here.

Sending our love and best wishes to everyone for Christmas & New Year, and we'll see you all in 2018! 🎉

Team HHS x

Back in the Headlines... Team HHS Strikes Again!

There's nothing better than the feeling of being proud! Being proud of who you are, what you do and what you've achieved is everyone's aim in life, right?
When we reached 10 years old back in October, we thought this was an achievement more than any other that deserves recognition and celebration. We wanted to celebrate HHS, the community we've built as a business and a brand, and those around us who have supported us over the years. So back in November, we planned an event to do just that.

While we were planning, we realised celebrations of achievements just don't happen enough, and there's so many people who deserve recognition who we also wanted to hold a celebration for! There were two people in particular we believed deserved recognition and achievement for what they did for the community above all else...
First was Pete Reynolds and second was Barbara Rouse. You know these names well enough by now, but if you need a refresher, click here for Pete's journey and here for Barbara's! For both of them, involving yourself so heavily in such a cause is something that we find inspiring. So we incorporated the two into an event, and the event was a hit. We were thrilled with the turn out and couldn't be more thankful for the money we raised for Pete and his fundraising #TeamReynolds journey for charity. More than this though, we were happy the word was being spread. About HHS, about Barbara and her work, and about Pete and his journey. People were meeting and talking to one another, and new communities were being created right before our eyes. During the build up to our #HHS10YY event, the Bootle Champion even printed our story and this brought more of the community together, and that's what's brought us to write this post this week.

Recently, we were printed by the Champion for a second time relating to the event. We're so lucky to be in the headlines twice for this, but we've also worked so hard and we're glad the word can be spread about how wonderful the journey has been! The best part is that the article isn't all about us, it's about someone else who we've brought to the attention of others, and this could do wonderful things for her! We've made a friend in Barbara, we've also brought her work and Pete's journey to the attention of others and we've shown how we really wouldn't be where we are without our community. So, after all this, why are we proud of a simple article in the local paper? Being proud of an achievement like this may not seem like much to others, but it shows how far we've come, and what simple appreciation can do. HHS has expanded in Bootle via Harrison's Tea Room and HHS Luxury Chauffeur Service, and Bootle as a community has welcome HHS as a brand with open arms. From this we've created our own little community and we wouldn't change it for the world. So, this is just a quick thank you from all of us, for the recognition of our hard work and for the appreciation - it's what keeps us going! It's also a quick reminder to keep supporting each other. Something small to you could be massive for somebody else!

Here's to the next 10 years.

Team HHS x