After finding that over half of hairdressers in Brazil express concern about their mental health, L'Oréal Professionnel launches an initiative with training and awareness on the subject.
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Since 1909, L'Oréal Professionnel, a brand of high-performance products and services that combines technological innovation with the expertise of the best beauty professionals, has been a partner and strong ally of professionals, elevating, enhancing, and supporting the professional beauty industry. Today, the brand goes further by launching the global campaign "Head Up," which aims to bring more visibility to mental health, especially for beauty professionals such as hairdressers. The initiative includes training through a series of videos divided into four modules, focusing on raising awareness about the subject.
The "Head Up" campaign, with content co-created with hairdressers from around the world, focusing on mental health, was globally developed by the brand in partnership with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), following studies conducted by the brand that revealed mental health as the 13th challenge for salon professionals. In Brazil, according to a study conducted by L'Oréal Professionnel with 257 respondents, the data is even more concerning, as mental health is the second biggest concern for 59% of the respondents.
Being a hairdresser also means being a listener. On average, professionals spend 2,000 hours¹ per year listening to their clients and providing a service that goes beyond just hair. In fact, these professionals offer social and emotional support, with 75% of clients considering a visit to the hairdresser as a form of self-care. These listening professionals also need to be heard.
"We know that mental health has been a significant issue for everyone during the pandemic, but when we look at the beauty market and all the challenges that were experienced, it is clear that those who worked in it needed to reinvent themselves and develop great resilience. We have always been partners in all aspects, from professional training to supporting the business, and today we want to continue taking care of the business, and more than ever, after everything, we have a 360-degree perspective on those who touch and care for our consumers on a daily basis. We need to look at and take care of those who care," says Mariana Salgado, Director of L'Oréal Professionnel in Brazil.
With the aim of raising awareness about mental health, the content has been made available on the brand's YouTube channel and on Access, L'Oréal Professional Products' educational platform. The content is divided into four certified modules, each eight minutes long, presented by Hayley Jepson, co-developer of Head Up, and Daniel Mason Jones, educator at L'Oréal Professionnel and co-developer of Head Up, covering the following topics: Introduction (Head Up Keys Résumé), Mental Health Matters, ME: Self-Care, and YOU: Setting Boundaries. In addition to online content, each country will have a local NGO as a partner for organizing meetings and creating a specific agenda for each country. In Brazil, the responsible NGO will be Movimento Saber Lidar, which aims to promote the mental health of professionals who directly interact with the public.
"In recent years, the recognition of the importance of mental health has grown rapidly. Therefore, collaborating with L'Oréal Professionnel for the mental health of hair professionals was essential. I am proud to co-develop this free training program," comments Katrina Gay, Mental Health Specialist from the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), co-developer of Head Up.
