The Professional Beauty Industry as I once knew it, is dead. Having spent the past forty five years in our once proud industry at every level, my purpose in writing this article is to document by decade, starting with the 60's which is when I came into the industry, the dynamics that drove that decade with the evolution of the Industry moving forward, so we can all see where everything started shifting negatively and where the industry is today as a result of the evolutionary process over the decades.
Salons, once a haven for women, have become Independent Stylists leasing space from the landlord / salon owner. Professional only products have become commodity products purchased on price and found everywhere, especially outside the salon.
The large distributors are now owned by the corporate giants, leaving a landscape