Month: August 2022

It is estimated that dyslexia affects as many as 1 in 10 of the population to some degree. One in 25 is severely dyslexic. 

Dyslexia refers to a cluster of symptoms, which result in people having difficulties with specific language skills and reading. Many of those who suffer with dyslexia experience difficulties with other language skills such as spelling, writing, and pronouncing words. The disorder affects individuals throughout their lives; however, its impact can change at different stages in a person’s life. At KIT we just want to understand more — the word itself  is thrown around too often, and there is no true understanding of the cause. AND there isn’t enough discussion on how those with dyslexia have SERIOUSLY AMAZING TALENTS that are OVERLOOKED. 

“People with dyslexia think and learn differently from others. They sometimes feel as if their mind is ‘differently wired’”

One of the more advantageous qualities in many dyslexic people, is their ability to think outside of the box: UNORTHODOX IDEAS that can pave the way for great business strategies. Another trait that many dyslexics possess, is their ability to use logical reasoning and critical thinking. GCHQ (Government Communications Headquarters), has said, the result of a drive to recruit those whose brains process information differently. One in particular, says those with dyslexia have valuable skills spotting patterns that others miss. 

It is also fundamental to the growth of businesses to cater for those who struggle with dyslexia so they CAN reach their full potential. These are a few ways to navigate support:

• Make sure employees are not restricted in being able to adjust text and background to a style or format that best suits them

• Use text-to-speech software to have chunks of text read aloud

• Explore Digital Tools – a digital recording device.

• Ensure important documents for meetings are distributed in advance and not just handed out in the meeting.

• FONTS. Choose clear fonts. Some fonts are easier to read than others and, for employees with dyslexia, a poorly chosen font could add unnecessary difficulty to their work. SIDE NOTE: Ariel is statistically the favourite.

• Demonstrate a SUPPORTIVE CULTURE.

Millions of adults may suffer from SAD. SEASONAL AFFECTIVE DISORDER.

Although many may not know they have the condition. SAD occurs much more often in women than in men, and it is more common in those living farther north, where there are shorter daylight hours in the winter.  Seasonal affective disorder can induce feelings of sadness, fatigue and lack of motivation. Trouble concentrating. Loss of interest in activities you usually  enjoy. Difficulty with sleep (either sleeping too much or too little). Feeling hopeless and worthless most of the time. Feeling irritable or cranky. Withdrawing from friends and family.  Suicidal ideations. Loss of appetite or overeating. BASICALLY, you feel utterly depressed, and can’t usually work out why… 

 Support for seasonal depression 

• FOCUS on one small thing but significantly change your nutrition each day.

•  A high quality multivitamin

• Acupuncture treatments

•  Ensure you are getting adequate levels of vitamin D.

•  Get fresh air, bright light therapy, or sit in the sunlight near a window.

•  Full suite of B vitamins in bioavailable ideal forms

• You’re not alone.

We’ve all heard people go “AH I’M SO OCD”, or “LOOK HOW OCD MY FRIDGE IS”. The fact is, OCD can be debilitating, and really hard to work through and recover from. We should also be aware that there are many different forms of OCD. We just have to stay aware and educate ourselves more. Then we can all grow together.

There are infinite types of OCD — it can impact any thought, any subject, any person, any fear, and frequently it fixates on what’s important in a person’s life. 

Common manifestations of obsessive-compulsive disorder:

• Checking
• Contamination
• Mental Contamination
• Hoarding
• Ruminations
• Intrusive Thoughts
• Symmetry and Orderliness

The above list categorises the more common forms of obsessive-compulsive disorder and some of the fears associated with them. But this is by no means an exhaustive list and there will always be other OCD types not listed here.

Regardless of the type of OCD a person may be suffering with, the following three components are generally present: triggers, avoidance and reassurance.

Here are a few ways to help yourself or someone else who suffers from OCD.

*Reminder* Since there is an exhaustive list of OCD types it’s important to remember that there may be different paths that will work better for you but here are some ideas… 

• Exposure response prevention therapy — focusing on exposing oneself obsessions in order to provoke anxiety and teach how to not engage with compulsions. Taking the control away from your obsessions and intrusive thoughts.
• Acceptance — GIVE YOURSELF PERMISSION for thoughts, images and feelings that may come up and cause distress — you’ve got this.
• Self compassion — treat yourself with the same kindness you would extend to someone who came to you without judgement or shame recognising the recovery is not linear and there will be ups and downs.  

BRACE YOURSELF. We just wanted to bring this FUCKING UNREAL new app to your attention. It offers coaching, access to a community, education – honestly, the list goes on. 

Handsome App is a free career and advice sharing app providing beauty and barber pros with access to mentorship and resources to advance in their careers. Recently, Handsome launched an elite mastermind space where 10 of the industry’s top educators are kicking off by offering free Mastermind Coaching directly to pros and artists in the industry. On this list are the new Handsome Accredited Educators (and some of the industry’s finest): Jessie Klaus, J Ladner, Nina Tulio, Presley Poe, Travis Parker, Drew Schaefering, John Mosley “Popular Nobody”, Corinna Hernandez, and Mira Chai. These educators directly coach  their communities through the app on all things business, technique, and mindset. 

OK SO WAIT WHAT IS IT:

• A digital community for feedback and career coaching, directly from educators.

• Educators post challenges to masterminds.

• Masterminds reply to challenges with a clip: this might be a video or image of a particular business or cutting technique.

• Coaches and members rate the clips to help guide pros in up-leveling their skills.

• Pros can earn rewards by listening to Micro-Doses and completing in-app challenges.

Handsome’s three values are: 

• Championing and representing the underdog to reach new career heights.

• Committing to being brand agnostic and filling a gaping void by pulling all brands into one space and creating new career pathways and income streams.

• Focusing on building trust first.

According to Handsome CEO, April Dominguez, that’s why they’ve been able to build what they have. “Our three unique values ensure we’re partnering with the right brands, the right educators, and the right pros — all of which must be aligned in mission: to bring equal career opportunities to the leading industry for women and a leading industry in diversity.  “Today, 90% of hairstylists are female and 66% of barbers are Black and Latinx, which make up a $190B industry… an industry that’s bigger than dating,” Dominguez continues. “There are more hair stylists in the U.S. than police officers or doctors, yet this industry has been shockingly overlooked and highly stigmatised.  And this is why Handsome aims to change the massive disparity in both the beauty industry and the venture capital ecosystem: where only 0.4% of VC dollars go toward Latinx, Native American, and Female Founders.

HMMM INTERESTING.  If we jump on the HYPE, maybe it’ll come to the UK – here’s hoping…

OK, so we could do another article about how you can relax and how you can do this and how you can do that, BUT, here at KIT, we’ve been looking into other ways of how you can relax without feeling the pressure to do so, because sometimes that can even make it worse.  Food for thought…

Can we please stop acting like relaxation is the way to heal – because currently I feel like we think we’ve got to work, and then we have to relax. We are almost obliged to relax when actually there are other ways you will be able to calm yourself. So much of healing is not simply about being able to relax. Of course that’s our main goal:to stay calm and  peaceful. But actually life, technology screens, and news can be so exhausting, that we don’t even know how to relax anymore.

MAYBE relaxing isn’t actually what you truly need. 

MAYBE what you need is to:

• Be able to stand up for yourself. 

• Be able to hold the charge of your anger. What you need is to learn how to feel safe in your own body. 

• Find safe ways to discharge the excessive activation of your nervous system after all the shit that’s been happening. 

• Connect to your power and autonomy without submitting to shift out of that feeling of helplessness you’ve been carrying way too long 

• Stop putting other people’s needs and desires before your own 

Relaxation is not the golden apple of healing. Maybe once you attend to these concerns, you’ll be able to relax. Just a thought. 

Do you have ways that allow you to grow?

OK SO let’s start this off: what the fuck is the Metaverse and what is the hair industry’s take on it? 

BASICALLY, the metaverse is a set of digital spaces. You then get the chance to be in any of these spaces, doing things, VIRTUALLY. But how will it affect hairdressing? 

And what about hair? What could this mean for the hair industry?

Could the metaverse present an opportunity for clients to try on new colours and cuts without commitment? AND could it be as useful as social media now – the future of marketing tools? EDUCATION is a game changer too, perhaps? Literally without geographical borders 

SO, here are just a few people’s opinions on what this could do for the industry – some good, some bad, and some damn right UGLY. 

VAGARA BLOG: “Salons could use the Vagaro booking software in virtual worlds and have customers book appointments directly. Whether they’re in between gaming sessions or hanging out in a chat room with friends, having your brand pop up and allowing simple appointment bookings could make a huge difference in the number of customers that sign up for your services.” 

Jennifer Leng: “There is so much possibility – honestly you can teach anything in the metaverse – there are no borders – you can do it on your own accord, and since COVID there has been a lot of difficulty within the world of education, the metaverse offers a place where you can be on your own, and actually in so many ways is far more neurodiverse – the only thing at this point is being aware of which would work for you – AR, VR? SPATIAL? The possibilities are honestly endless. 

AND Kadir Alkan, who carries his hairdresser to Decentraland, where Samsung also opens a store, states that this step is only 1 percent of what they plan to do in the future. “The first goal of this virtual store is to present the developed hairstyles to the users and to receive appointment requests.  Stating that he wants to develop technologies that will lead the world of hairdressing with AR and VR, Alkan said, “Today, I am another friend of mine, tomorrow we will build the future by developing each other.”

What do you think? Are we seeing a total game changer or just a FAD?

WATCH THIS SPACE. MORE EXCITING INFO COMING SOON…