Trade bodies have called on the Government to rethink how it taxes small labour-intensive businesses in the wake of the rise in VAT to 20%.

The National Hairdressers’ Federation, which represents 7,000 salons, has argued that the rise, and the way VAT is structured, puts businesses whose main cost is staff wages and labour at a disadvantage.

In a report to be published tomorrow it calls on the Government to scrap the single rate levied on goods and services in favour of a variable levy, with labour-intensive businesses and sole traders paying 10%.

It also wants a reduction in the registration threshold from turnover of £70,000 down to £40,000.

It believes this will prompt more small businesses to become VAT-registered and reduce the ‘cash-in-hand’ grey economy.

Federation president Mark Coray, 42, who runs Cardiff hairdressing salon Coray & Co, says: ‘It is about levelling the playing field and having a system that responds better to the needs of individual businesses rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.’

Nineteen construction bodies, including the Builders Merchants Federation and the Association of Plumbing and Heating Contractors, have formed a Cut the VAT Coalition to press for similar changes.

But organisations such as the Federation of Small Businesses have argued for precisely the opposite approach.

In December, it calculated that as many as 35,000 additional jobs could be created if the VAT registration threshold was increased from £70,000 to £90,000 turnover.

The good news for men is that ­scientists have ­discovered a cause of baldness — the failure of hair-producing cells to develop properly.

The bad news is that effective treatment could be a decade away. While your genes play a major role in hair loss, what many men don’t realise is that their everyday habits could be exacerbating the problem.

Here, Britain’s leading hair experts reveal the simple steps to help ­minimise it:

DON’T BRUSH TOO HARD

This can scratch the scalp and pull the hair out at the root, ­damaging the hair follicle.

It’s important to treat the scalp gently when shampooing, and never tug at your hair with a brush or comb, says Dr Bessam Farjo, a hair restoration surgeon from Manchester.

Dandruff, eczema or dermatitis (characterised by an itchy, flaky scalp) are linked to hair loss; they trigger ­inflammation, which has an adverse effect on hair follicles.

EAT A COOKED BREAKFAST

Hair is composed of keratin, which gives it its strength. Too ­little protein (red meat, fish, eggs, chicken) affects keratin levels; your hair will lose its strength and stop growing, says Philip Kingsley, consultant trichologist.

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day for boosting your hair follicles, he says.

AVOID PETROLEUM-BASED WAXES

There is some evidence that petroleum-based styling waxes (look for paraffin or petroleum on the label’s list of ingredients) can block hair follicles and cause them to stop growing, says London-based hairdresser Jimmy Campbell.

This is especially true if it is used heavily over a long time. Stick to water-based products.

USE RELAXATION TECHNIQUES

Having an excess of male ­hormones may not sound like a bad thing, but testosterone and dihydrotestosterone (DHT) can have an adverse effect on certain parts of the hair follicle, says Philip Kingsley.

They seep down the hair shaft and cause it to become thinner, making the hairs seem further apart. Once the hair shrinks to a ­certain diameter it will stop growing completely. When men are under stress, their body ­produces more male hormones, and so tend to lose more hair.

For expert advice and salon treatments call www.revoil.co.uk and book in on 0161 950 9933 for a first class salon in Manchester.

THE COMPANY which operated the Nicky Clarke salon on Manchester’s Triangle development has been placed into liquidation. Cinis (Manchester) Ltd, which traded as Nicky Clarke Salons and was owned by Nicky and Lesley Clarke, appointed the London office of insolvency firm Leonard Curtis as liquidator last week.The company, which also has salons in London, Birmingham and Leeds that are run by separate companies and are unaffected by this closure

For professional beauty, hair and styling call Hairdressers Manchester on 0161 950 9933 or visit the website via www.revoil.co.uk – professional hair and beauty salon in Manchester.

Pop star -turned-fashion designer Victoria Beckham has argued that many slim catwalk models are “naturally thin” and shouldn’t be discriminated against.

The former Spice Girl insisted that many girls on the runways do not starve themselves and instead have a naturally small body shape, Contactmusic reported.

“Most of these girls are naturally thin. And I don’t think we should be discriminating against someone because they are too thin or too curvy or too large or whatever it is,” Victoria said.

“I had a casting last week and had some terribly thin girls come in and it wouldn’t have worked,” she added.

Victoria, who recently unveiled her fourth collection of dresses during New York Fashion Week, has signed up for the Health is Beauty campaign by the CFDA (Council of Fashion Designers of America), and believes designers are beginning to change who they cast as models.

“The CFDA have reached out to designers, stylists and casting directors not to work with underage models, girls that are too thin and to be more ethnically aware,” she had said.

“The campaign the CFDA has launched is called Health is Beauty and they are definitely encouraging designers to work with healthier sized models,” she had said.

Victoria’s designs have been worn by a wide variety of celebrities since her debut fashion range in 2008, including Heidi Klum, Madonna, Mary J Blige, Elle Macpherson and
Jennifer Lopez.

For professional beauty, hair and styling call Hairdressers Manchester on 0161 950 9933 or visit the website via www.revoil.co.uk – professional hair and beauty salon in Manchester.

Make-up artists to the stars give their camera ready tips beauty tips.

The Lancôme make-up artist Benjamin Rousseau, who works with A-listers for the Bafta awards every year, maintains that yellow-based foundations are most flattering because they neutralise imperfections and tiredness – both exaggerated by bright lights.

‘I start applying it around the nose and mouth, then blend out over the face.’ Powder is a must, he says, but, ‘it’s a myth that you have to apply it every five minutes – you just need a good, absorbent one.’ And highlighter – for layering over blush on cheekbones or mixing with foundation – gives tired skin a lift. Benjamin’s base heroes: Lancôme Teint Idole Silky Mat Mineral Foundation SPF 16 (£24, from March at Debenhams). ‘It lasts. In 2009 we used this foundation and it stayed impeccable for 18 hours’. Lancôme Photogenic Lumessence (£27.50, John Lewis).

‘Mix with foundation to make the wearer look like she is glowing from within.’ Lancôme Translucent Ageless Minérale Powder (£28, Selfridges). ‘Absorbs oil but doesn’t age a face with powderiness.’

Dressing your lips Don’t let age dictate your lip colour: if you wear dark shades less often now make a dressy event your chance to experiment. Kristin Scott Thomas’s make-up artist, Louise Constad, is a fan of the lip-pencil – ‘It stops lipstick from bleeding’, and brush – ‘It leaves a thinner layer on your lips that lasts longer,’ she says. Once colour is on, blot, then add gloss to the centre of lips.

Benjamin Rousseau discovered last year that Kate Winslet loves Lancôme Melon Juicy Tubes (£14, John Lewis). For lipstick, Try Guerlain Berry Rouge G de Guerlain Le Brillant (£27, Debenhams).

For professional beauty, hair and styling call Hairdressers Manchester on 0161 950 9933 or visit the website via www.revoil.co.uk – professional hair and beauty salon in Manchester.

A joint scheme to boost the safety of cosmetic treatments such as Botox does not go far enough, say surgeons.

The initiative from government, medical regulators and cosmetic treatment industry will list clinics with qualified staff and good facilities.

But some surgeons said it would not help to stamp out “rogue” providers.

Organisers insisted they were now working with councils and insurers to put a stop to treatments in places such as nail bars and beauty salons.

Injectable treatments, including botulinum toxin and “dermal fillers”, which reduce the appearance of wrinkles, have been one of the fastest growing cosmetic treatments in recent years.

An estimated 200,000 treatments are carried out a year at approximately 5,000 facilities.

However, even though they can cause problems if wrongly-applied, and good hygiene is needed to reduce infection risk, they currently fall outside the remit of the Care Quality Commission, which oversees medical treatment in the UK.

This means that they can be offered in high street premises such as beauty salons by staff who have no formal medical, dental or nursing qualifications.

The new scheme will offer a “Quality Assurance Mark” to clinics which meet its standards for good practice, backed by a timetable of regular inspections.

This, they say, will enable patients to be better informed about their choice of clinic.

‘Unscrupulous providers’

Dr Andrew Vallance-Owen, chair of the Shared Regulation Group at the Independent Healthcare Advisory Service, which will run the scheme, said it was “excellent news” for consumers and “properly-qualified” practitioners.

He said: “With growth of an estimated 25% of treatments carried out last year alone, the industry and the Department of Health recognised the need to safeguard patients.”

The government has provided £200,000 to help launch the programme, and health minister Mike O’Brien said it would protect the public from “unscrupulous providers”.

However, while the initiative has won support from the biggest cosmetic surgery companies, and the makers of injectable treatments, one group representing experienced cosmetic surgeons described it as a “kick in the teeth” for reputable clinics.

Charles Nduka, from Safer Cosmetic Surgery, said that the only clinics likely to sign up for the scheme were those already operating at the required high standard.

“The government has washed its hands of any responsibility for public safety by not providing an effective regulation scheme, and the shared regulation concept is no substitute.”

Sally Taber, director of IHAS, insisted that the quality mark – or its absence – would be an additional weapon against unsuitable practitioners and poor facilities.

She said that local authorities were increasingly using health and safety legislation to stop beauty salons and nail bars offering cosmetic injections, and that discussions with insurers could make it harder for unregistered clinics and practitioners to get cover.

Nigel Mercer, president of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, said he welcomed the initiative to bring some voluntary regulation to the ‘Wild West” that exists in cosmetic medicine on the high street but that regulation needed to be enforced.

“Unfortunately, the practitioners who are on the ‘fast buck’ fringe do not have to join it, because it is voluntary.”

For professional beauty, hair and styling call Hairdressers Manchester on 0161 950 9933 or visit the website via www.revoil.co.uk – professional hair and beauty salon in Manchester.

The very best cosmetics from the world’s best make-up artists.

Liquid metal eyeshadow in ‘phenomena’, £17, by Illamasqua (illamasqua.com). Pro make-up artists demand lots of pigment, which is just what you get from this brand, whose creative director is the avant-garde Alex Box. The steel colour gives glamour to lids .

Inkredible pens in ‘mauve’ and ‘gold leaf’, £21.53, by Marian Newman (mariannewmannails.com). Time is tight backstage, but that’s no excuse for sloppy nails. These ingenious pens give you perfect opaque cover, and dry in 20 seconds

Lumiere veloutee, £54, by Terry, from Space nk (spacenk.co.uk). Terry de Gunzburg, the force behind By Terry, has hallowed status in the beauty world, and her brilliant foundation both minimises wrinkles and restores radiance .

Lip2cheek in ‘smile’, £28, by RMS, from beingcontent.com. The make-up artist Rose-Marie Swift is so passionate about organic beauty that she went and launched her own line. We’re loving this mineral colour, which gives a rosy glow to lips and cheeks .

Secret camouflage, £25, by Laura Mercier, from Liberty (liberty.co.uk). The cultest of cult products. There’s a knack to applying it – you have to blend the colours on the back of your hand – but, with practice, eye bags will be history .

Dewy glow all over radiance creme, £17, by Jemma Kidd, from asos.com. From the model turned make-up artist now known as the Countess of Mornington comes this soft, subtle luminiser. It can be worn on the cheekbones, brow and shoulders .

I-shadow in ‘Aspen’, £20.50, by New ID (newidcosmetics.com). A smoky eyeshadow palette from New ID. All its products have been formulated by a team of make-up artists who will show you, online, how to apply them.

For professional beauty, hair and styling call Hairdressers Manchester on 0161 950 9933 or visit the website via www.revoil.co.uk – professional hair and beauty salon in Manchester.

Hair all about it!

Angelina Jolie showed off a brand new ‘do in Italy Wednesday.

The actress, 34, was snapped with chunky blonde highlights and sideswept bangs in Venice, where she’s filming her new movie, The Tourist, alongside Johnny Depp.

It’s not the first time she’s changed her look for a role.

In thriller Salt (out this July), she sported a dark black wig, among other disguises, while playing a rogue CIA operative.

She also sported darker auburn hair in 2008.
Jolie has said she thinks she looks better as she ages.

“Something else comes out of you when you become a parent and, as you get older, you start to see more character in your face,” she told the UK Daily Mail in 2008. “Now, when I look at myself, I just see somebody at peace, and I see a mom, and I see my own relatives in my face — and that’s a kind of beauty that exists for everybody and doesn’t disappear.’

For advice and tips on hair care and styles call Hairdressers Manchester on 0161 950 9933 or visit the website on www.revoil.co.uk – hairdressers in Manchester

FARRAH FAWCETT’s former hairdresser has been left stunned by the actions of an opportunist, who is attempting to sell off a lock of the late actress’ hair online.

Mela Murphy, who styled the Charlie’s Angels star’s famed blonde locks for 20 years, has called plans to sell the sick memorabilia to fans for $1,000 (£625), “scary”.

The “one-time novelty item from the 1970s” has been put up for auction on website HunkWithJunk.com, but Murphy will not be among the bidders.

She tells the Globe, “I am stunned.”

For advice and tips on hair care and styles call Hairdressers Manchester on 0161 950 9933 or visit the website on www.revoil.co.uk – hairdressers in Manchester

There is Lady Gaga, a woman who has fascinated the music and fashion world with her catchy music and interesting choice in clothes, and then there is Amy Winehouse, a woman who has also fascinated the music world with her voice but has been in the limelight for all the wrong reasons.

But according to Lady Gaga, she could have been compared to Amy when she was starting out and the only way she could stop the comparisons was to dye her hair to the blonde we all know her for today.

Talking to AngryApe: “You know, its not a bad thing. I think Amy is beautiful, but when you’re trying to make imagery for yourself in the world.”liner before Amy came out- then (when she got famous) I thought ‘Oh s**t’ so I dyed my hair.”

What do you think? Are Lady Gaga and Amy Winehouse cut from the same deck?

“(When I dyed it) I wasn’t even signed, I was making music in bars. Then everyone had dark hair and I used to wear my hair big and wear lots of eye

For advice and tips on hair care and styles call Hairdressers Manchester on 0161 950 9933 or visit the website on www.revoil.co.uk – hairdressers in Manchester