Mens Hair Products
As men spend more time and money on grooming products, manufactures can cater to their hair care needs.
Author: Sara MasonIts happening in every aspect of consumerism: Men are making their own decisions about products available on retail shelves. "Young men are the new generation of untapped shoppers," revealed WSL Strategic Retail's study "How America Shops" In the study, results showed that 29 percent of the 18-34 year-old men surveyed reported that they are shopping more in malls than a year ago, well above the 18 percent of younger women who also shopped in malls. In addition, 22 percent of men shop more in department stores, in comparison to only 16 percent of their female counterparts. One area where men's heightened awareness is particularly noticeable is in hair care. From gel to hair color, men are taking charge of their purchasing decisions.
Hair color
Last year, men spent more than $130 million on hair color, making men's hair
coloring one of the fastest growing categories in the health and beauty business.
Just ten years ago, only 46 percent of men surveyed thought it was okay to color
their hair. Now, according to a recent Clairol study, nearly two-thirds of men
vote "yes" to hair coloring. Trend watchers and youth culture experts
agree that highlighting and other hair effects are becoming increasingly popular
among young men, whose primary interest has always been attracting the opposite
sex. "More than ever, young guys put a premium on expressing their own
personal style, and it goes way beyond clothes," explained Sharon Lee,
a trend watcher and co-president/co-founder of Look-Look, a Los Angeles-based
research and marketing agency. "Men are spending more time on their hair
as a form of self-expression. Inspired by musicians, actors and athletes, young
men are using hair color to accessorize their overall style." They are
eager to improve their appearan ce and lift their overall outlook on life.
Now, manufacturers are beginning to take notice. Combe Inc., makers of Just
for Men[R], recently collaborated with Dennis Publishing's Maxim magazine[TM]
to develop Maxim Magazine Hair Color, a line created exclusively for young men
in response to their increased interest in hair color, highlighting and other
effects. "Men want to change how they look and are willing to act on it,"
said Michael Wendroff, vice president of hair care marketing for Combe. "They
aren't worried about doing things that might be considered effeminate."
The company's research found that men were not only coloring their hair, but
they were going into salons for other color effects as well, such as tips or
highlighting. To fulfill the consumer need, the company's product line offers
all three types of coloring. Men can use the edgy color--Bleach Blond, Sandstorm,
Black Jack and Red Rum--to express their personal style and maximize their appearance,
using a patent-pending application tool that makes it easy to add all-over color
or high lights. The Maxim line caters to men's desire to keep it simple.
Hair color not only caters to younger men who want special effects, but also
offers solutions to those interested in warding off one of the first visible
signs of encroaching age by covering gray with natural-looking color. As society--particularly
baby boomers--ages, men are seeking more ways to appear younger. "The new
corporate culture is impacting men's vanity directly," said Chad Murawczyk,
developer of Salonclick's MiN[R], a salon professional hair color line. "As
Gen Xers and women break through the glass ceiling and level out the corporate
environment, appearance has become increasingly important to succeed."
Not only is the workplace more competitive, but men are more active. Because
they don't feel their age, they don't want to look it.
Other Pages
Mens hair Trends 1
Mens Hair Trends 2
Mens Hair Trends 3
