When you buy a diamond, you consider the four C’s: Cut, Clarity, Color and Carat. Our Hair Cuttery clients look for four C’s too: Consistency, Comfort, Convenience and Communication. And we all know a great hairstylist is more valuable than gold! (Those of you who have discovered the right Stylist for your hair know what I mean.)

I am committed to these concepts and have dedicated my next four blog entries to exploring each one. I am a big believer that Communication is one way we show people they come first – in fact, one of our core values is Enhanced Communications – so I will start there.

Within our family of Stylists and Associates, we educate our all our leaders so they know how to speak with their people, listen and coach them. We communicate through many new technologies – check us out on Facebook, Twitter, or here at my blog! We also have a unique Stylist Ambassador, Valerie Thibodeau, who travels all over to our salons to get a pulse on what our Stylists are thinking and feeling.

I personally stay informed about what’s going on across our organization, because I care about our people. It helps me address any challenges we’re having as an organization and also to make decisions that are a win for everyone. I am serious about the pursuit of our company Vision – to be a company of happy people!

There’s nothing more important to our clients than a Stylist behind the chair who is able to understand what they want and how they feel – so they can deliver an exceptional experience and service. A thorough Consultation that happens for each client’s visit before the service begins sets the tone for the entire salon experience. I’ll never forget one client who shared with me why she returns to a particular Hair Cuttery Stylist: she said, “She gets me.” There’s no more perfect communication than that!

I don’t know about you, but I read newspapers. It’s incredible what I learn and it’s never a waste of time. It feels a little different however when the story’s about you!

Last month, The Washington Post magazine ran an article that featured me and Ann, entitled Shear Business. The subhead for that article asks incredulously, “Can a divorced Washington couple successfully run a chain of hair salons after their marriage falls apart?”

I am proud that readers of the article discover, like Ann and I did through the years, that the answer – at least for us – is YES. The path has not always been easy, however we both made the commitment to continue as business partners – and we have not wavered from that family commitment. I guess it’s amazing that we’re still together today and I feel very fortunate to have had all my family be involved in the success of Ratner Companies.

The article made me realize what I already knew: We have created something special here at Hair Cuttery with our family atmosphere. People’s reactions to our story highlight for me how unique our situation is. I’ve even started thinking about writing a book! What do you think…do I have a story to tell? Would you read a book about our journey? I want to hear your thoughts so post a comment for me!

I am so proud to have created a family culture that is all about the people and where we put our people first. And, I am equally pleased when there’s evidence our clients are feeling it too. The Post published a response comment to the article from long-time client Jennifer Halpin of Leesburg, VA.

This loyal client wrote: “I started going to Nancy at the Hair Cuttery in Vienna 16 years ago. Nancy is fantastic as a colorist and always knows the latest techniques. The fact that it costs me one-quarter of what it would in a high-priced salon is just an added bonus. I've had people stop and ask where I get my hair cut. The Ratners have done a fantastic job developing their brand and keeping their stylists happy. I wish they would take the business public - I'd be the first in line to buy the stock!”

Now that’s a vote of confidence I like to hear, and I hope many more of our clients feel the same way.

Here’s to being one big happy family – the Ratners, our Stylists and our clients together!

I took my first trip to Japan in the spring of 2010. As the leader of a company that embraces diversity, it was fascinating to me! Our Stylists come from around the globe and speak Spanish, Korean, Farsi, Vietnamese, Russian…we are truly a multicultural family.

Detail of a diversity quilt that hangs in our Ratner Companies Resource Center.
Blocks were made by Stylists from around the world to represent their cultural heritage.

While I was in Japan, I was introduced to a wonderful family that runs a very successful hair salon business. In this particular family, the eldest son inherited everything. As the leader of a large family, this brother took it upon himself to take care of his six siblings. He gave them all the opportunity to join the family business, and today they all work together.

I see the same thing happen every day in our company. Our leaders choose to be accountable for giving our Stylists opportunities to succeed. I think I speak for all of us when I say it is because we feel like family. I think of each Stylist in our Hair Cuttery, BUBBLES, Salon Cielo and ColorWorks salons as a sister or brother. It’s all about the people behind the chair.

We take care of our families because we are loyal to them and it is part of our value system. We want the best for them. For me that means giving the Stylists in our salons support they can rely on; opportunities and potential to grow their business; fair pay and benefits so they can take care of their own families. It means giving them the opportunity to earn a “family vacation” to Cancun! It might even mean providing short-term emergency financial help if someone is experiencing extreme hardship.

We embrace our clients as family as well. In many ways, they become our extended family. We watch their children grow up. We hear about their vacations and how their jobs are going. We experience their highs and their lows. In short, we become more than just people who do their hair – we’re their friends.

What does family mean to you? I invite you to share your stories of family and heritage. They say variety is the spice of life and for our Ratner Companies family of Stylists, this definitely holds true.

I’m a big believer that if you want to grow, you have to constantly seek new opportunities to educate yourself. One of the best ways I’ve found to do this is through travel. There is nothing more inspiring than being exposed to new ideas and people in this great industry I have such passion for!

Two weeks ago I traveled to several West Coast hot spots to see what I could learn in order to continue improving our salons, and grow personally as a Stylist and business-person.

First I hit Los Angeles where I visited two specialty salons that offered shampoo and blowdry services only. This service will never go out of style and clients request it year-round. In fact, Ann knew the natural, sleek look of blowdry styles were the wave of the future back when we started Hair Cuttery over 35 years ago, and the women in DC were still wearing their hair teased and sprayed. I would love to hear from our Stylists how this business concept could be incorporated into our service mix if possible so if you have an idea, post it here to my blog!

My next stop was Las Vegas to attend The Gathering 2010. This conference and education event is hosted by Paul Mitchell and an estimated 3,800 industry professionals were in attendance. The theme this year was "What Inspires You?", and the stage show including Angus Mitchell and Robert Cromeans certainly delivered on inspiration. What a show it was! I enjoy learning and am always inspired by great Stylist talent.

I also attended workshops and learned about trends and new, fresh ways to attract clients and build our business. Our Ratner Companies President, Susan Gustafson, was with me and it was great to have the opportunity to meet with John Paul DeJoria, the JPMS president Luke Jacobellis, Wynn Claybaugh, and all of our friends at Paul Mitchell. Mostly, I enjoyed being surrounded by so many professional, inspiring Stylists!

While there, we learned about the launch of the Paul Mitchell Awapuhi line and went to a salon to experience firsthand the new Paul Mitchell Awapuhi experience and try their new products. The products are sulphate free and have keratin too. Our merchandising team was on hand to discuss what this new line could bring to our business. I always love to try new products, just like our clients!

When you consider how far you may have to go to learn and grow, seize any opportunity in your path. It is always valuable to get new perspectives. For me the miles to California and Nevada were well worth the trip!

I look forward to hearing from you,

I do not use the word try.  To me, it leaves room for failure.  “I’ll try to make more money this year.”  The word commitment, on the other hand, leads to results.  “I commit to making more money this year.”  Said this way, you immediately ask yourself, “How much more? How will I get there?”  And the next thing you know you have specific goals and a plan in place.  The level of commitment you put towards your goals is commensurate with the results you get – effort equals reward. 

Commitment is a sure path to success.  In our company, our number one commitment is to our people and it has evolved into a “pay it forward” model of success.  Our company culture is designed around a commitment to putting our people first.  We provide comprehensive leadership training to all our leaders to ensure they can follow through on this by supporting their people’s personal and professional growth.  In turn, our Stylists are committed to providing an exceptional salon experience to our clients, and we hope our clients are so happy they stay committed to our company and come back time and time again.  It’s a beautiful circle where everyone wins!

The circle widens to include people in need in our communities.  As we head into the end of summer, I look forward to one of the great opportunities we have created to make that commitment come alive for children.  Our signature Share A Haircut program is a simple program where we donate a child’s haircut, for every child’s haircut purchased between August 1st through the 15th.  It warms my heart to know we continue to have this opportunity to give thousands more haircuts, not to mention proud smiles, to children throughout our communities.  Since 1999 we have been fortunate enough to share over 500,000 haircuts and you guessed it – I am committed to giving as many as we can.

In everything you do in life, don’t just try. Make the commitment, and get it done! What are you committing to for yourself, let me know.

Dennis & Ann Ratner, co-founders of Hair Cuttery, were featured in a Washington Post Magazine article this past weekend.

The story describes how Dennis and Ann started with the model of convenience, price & consistency to provide quality, affordable haircuts. They began by opening the first salon in West Springfield, Virginia in 1974 and have grown the Hair Cuttery brand into the nation's largest chain of family-owned salons.

Dennis and Ann also discuss the challenges of being business partners after divorce.

You can read the article here: Shear Business: Can the divorced founders of Hair Cuttery run their salon chain together?

Last month I traveled to New York to attend a CEO conference sponsored by Yale University. It was a tremendous networking opportunity and it opened doors to my continued education on social media and what other companies are doing with these new communication tools. I am so excited about the online presence we have already created with our own Facebook pages, Twitter accounts, You Tube pages and so many others – it prompted me to start the blog you’re reading right now! At the conference I learned even more about the opportunities with social media that impact business, bring clients in and how we can utilize it for our success. It was a great experience, to be amongst peers and true experts in the field and seeing first hand that our brands are on the right track when it comes to the internet!

I was invited because I had lectured at the Business School at Yale on the Universal Laws of Success. I speak for these principles all the time to our people, and it’s not just talk. I have practiced these fundamental laws for years both personally and professionally. I am a living breathing example that they work.

These laws, consistency; good attitude; positive thinking; cause and effect; and the attributes of effort equals reward, are so simple, yet many colleges and universities today do not teach them. I find that students are fascinated when they hear me speak about these laws. They are especially interested when I explain that, time and time again, those who apply the principles do better than those who don’t!

I spread the word about these Universal Laws of Success because I am personally committed to having our people succeed. As a company that puts our people first, I am accountable for providing as many tools and opportunities possible for our Stylists! That means supporting their career growth, their personal quality of life and their overall development as human beings. If you’re a Hair Cuttery Stylist, one of the great tools we offer you to build your business is our free Brand Ambassador system on HC.com. We make it easy for you to take advantage of free education of all kinds, technique, operational, marketing, you name it, to enhance your business and build your client count.

To clients and Stylists alike, I want the best for all of you. I urge everyone to apply the Universal Laws I mentioned here– they are for sure to make a difference in your life! What laws do you go by to live a full and rewarding life? Have you always lived with these principals or did you one day just have an “A-HA” moment? I can’t wait to hear from you.

Thanks to all our caring stylists and clients for showing overwhelming support for our hair collection program and being committed to making a difference in their communities. Because of you, Ratner Companies, with the help of Fedex, has been able to ship six thousand pounds of hair to the Gulf Coast. Matter of Trust, the nonprofit organization that makes hair booms and mats that soak up oil, has warehouses full of hair booms ready to be deployed if needed.

We have learned that, at this time, BP does not intend to use the hair booms to help clean up oil in the Gulf. However, we have been assured by Matter of Trust that they will be used to clean up less disastrous oil spills that occur with great frequency in the US.

On behalf of the Ratner Family and all Ratner Companies' associates, thank you for supporting this effort to protect and preserve our environment in the face of this eco-catastrophe.

>>Read The Rest of the Entry

Hello Everyone! This is my first official blog entry and I couldn’t be more excited! To me, it represents a whole world of possibilities for enhanced communications, one of our core company values. There are so many things I want to talk about and share.

Early last month we returned from our Hair Cuttery National WOW Celebration in Cancun, Mexico. This is our annual recognition event we hold for approximately 300 of our top performers and every year is better than the last! The Ratner family was there to celebrate with us this year, it was a very special moment for me. I was most proud of our Stylists and how hard they worked to get there. I was thrilled to spend time with each and every one of them.

Our companies continue to prove over and over to me, we are companies that are truly all about the people. A perfect example is Jessica, a Stylist in our North Florida region, who wrote to us about her “best day ever”. One of Jessica’s clients told her that he had joined the Navy and was being sent to school in Virginia for six months. Jessica wished him well and sent him on his way. Six months later, the young sailor returned to her Hair Cuttery and told her that he had driven back to Jacksonville just to have Jessica cut his hair one more time before beginning his two-year deployment to the Persian Gulf. He told her how much he not only appreciated her talent as a stylist, but how much her friendly disposition meant to him as a client. As Jessica said, “That day was not only my best day ever but also my best WOW moment ever!”

Stories like this remind me of the love that is in our Ratner family supported by our unique culture and backbone of values. Self Confidence, Building Relationships, Teamwork, Quality of Life, Integrity, Enhanced Communications and Accountability are at the very essence of who we are. So post your comments and tell me about the best days and WOW moments in your life.

Ratner Companies, parent company of close to 1,000 Hair Cuttery, Bubbles and Salon Cielo salons, is devoted to its partnership with MatterofTrust.org, an environmental non-profit organization to clean up the Gulf oil spill. Ratner is collecting tens of thousands of pounds of hair by the truckloads from their salons across the country.

In this video, Ratner Company associates discuss the company wide effort to contribute to this vital cause.

Last month we reached out to our Hair Cuttery Facebook Fans to participate in a Redken product sample opportunity. We offered a choice of the following Redken products to try out and report back with their results:

1. Aerate 08: http://www.redken.com/products/styling/volume/aerate-08-bodifying-cream-mousse
2. Soft Spin 05: http://www.redken.com/products/styling/curl/soft-spin-05
3. Redken for Men High Rise Hard Wax: http://www.redken.com/products/mens/styling/high-rise-hard-wax
4. 
   Body Full Volume Amplifier: http://www.redken.com/products/haircare/body-full/body-full-volume-amplifier 

The feedback we received was incredible. Here's what they had to say about Aerate 08. (Aerate 08 bodifying cream-mousse is a revolutionary aerated texture for extreme volume-boosting power. It has the lightness of a mousse, the moisturizing properties of a cream and the volumizing benefits of cellulose.)

 "Aerate 08 is awesome. I started to use this product 2 weeks ago. My hair is soft and shiny. I had surgery on my elbow last week and it has been very hard to do my hair. I decided to see what my hair looked like without blow drying. It was great my hair was still soft and after air drying I tried to straighten my hair.  It was easy and my hair looked great for only having one arm. I will continue to use and buy this product."
-Susan Z.

"Fantastic product. I use it daily and love how it makes my hair smell and feel.  I will continue to use this product...LOVE IT."
-Mary W.

"I absolutely love this product. I have been using Redken products for years. This was the first time I had used this product and I loved it. I can't stand when I use a product and the next day my hair feels like it has been a month since I washed it. With this product I actually forgot that I had product in my hair. I will continue to use this product on a daily basis."
-Tabitha M.

"I have been using Redken products probably ever since I started highlighting my hair when I was 13 or so. I am not one into putting a lot of styling products into my hair, but I have to say his one made my hair full of volume and also feel good to the touch. The smell has a slight scent of masculine, but guys love it on a girl!! I actually had strangers on the bus ask to smell my hair and compliment me on how good it smelled. I will definitely tell everyone I know to try this product!!!"
-Monique C.

"I have been using the Aerate 08 and absolutely love it. The next day after using it when I took my shower I didn't even have to use a conditioner because of the conditioning properties of the Aerate 08 and it's not at all heavy and doesn't weigh the hair down. I would highly recommend it!"
-Kathy A.

"I would highly recommend this product.  My hair thick and in a short modern style and it gave volume and control that last all day. The product is generously concentrated that a little goes a long way and it has an awesome clean scent. I have spent a lot of money on several products from cheap to expensive and found nothing like this one that does the job.  Thank you Redken for making this product."
-Virginia C.

"When I first put this product in my hands, I was very skeptical. The product felt very greasy. I used the product and I have to say I like it a lot! After I dried my hair it was not greasy, it had a lot of volume and most of all there were barely any flyaway hairs. I was the like the best of a mouse along with a smoothing lotion. I would most definitely buy this product if available. I have color treated hair and my hair is wavy, but I straighten it with a straightener. This is by far the best all in one product! No more having to use mousse and a smoothing lotion for me! Thanks Redken!"
-Erin H.

"WOW!!!!! I love Aerate08. I have a lot of hair and it made it sooooo soft, shiny and manageable... I barely had to use my flat iron... the container will probably last me to the expiration date (if there is one) because I just used a dab on my fingertip for all my hair... Yay!!!! Love it!!!!!  If I had to list things I couldn't live without this would be one of them!"
-Amber V.

On April 10th, 2010, Hair Cuttery teamed up with the Buzzing for Change Foundation (www.buzzing4change.org) to 'cut for a cause'.

Hundreds showed up for a trim from 30 Hair Cuttery Stylists at the "buzz-a-thon" on Boston Common.

Each participant raised money in order to get their haircut. All proceeds go to the Starlight Childrens' Foundation of New England -- an organization that helps children battling serious illnesses.

View photos from the Buzzing for Change Charity Fund Raiser event on our Flickr page:

Aerate 08 bodifying cream-mousse is a revolutionary aerated texture for extreme volume-boosting power. It has the lightness of a mousse, the moisturizing properties of a cream and the volumizing benefits of cellulose.

We recently asked Hair Cuttery Facebook Fans to give us their feedback on this multi-tasking product and here's what they said:

I really love AERATE clients are loving it as well. Great new product doesnt leave hair sticky or heavy just great body and shine!!
~Nancy S.

I love this product; leaves the hair bouncy and really soft.
~Richard R.

It adds volume, and shine, and doesn't make it heavy. Three wonderful things when you are trying to make big hair.
~Lauren C.

Really great for blowdrying fine hair,especially when its used after body full shampoo and conditioner.
~Jean M.

LOVE IT! Very light, great volume & body! I was the first in our salon to use this and am determined to get everyone else hooked on it!
~Tina L.

Great product for scrunching, air dry for a messy look or blow out straight for volume.
~Caryn B.

Great product, smells good!! Don't want to overuse it. It just takes a little bit. The results are gr8. ~Gaye R.

This product is fabulous. Works really well, without the hair drying out like a regular mousse .
~Carole L.

It has a spa-like aroma.....clients love that & I do too!
~Darlene R.

Purchase this product from a Hair Cuttery salon near you. Visit our Salon Locator for directions.

Also, please visit out Facebook page to read more testimonials, become a Fan and contribute to the the discussion of fabulous hair and more: http://www.facebook.com/haircuttery

Last week, we received the following letter from Joyce Taylor, a District Leader in our Mid-Atlantic Region, who was blown away by the power of Social Media. As you will see, Joyce's daughter, Brittany, is a Hair Cuttery Stylist who is using Social Media to her advantage:

Last week, my daughter, Brittany, realized her book had only few appointments for the weekend. Brittany wanted to be pro-active and ensure that her clients could be taken care of in an organized fashion so she turned to Facebook. On Thursday, she posted her status to say: "Britt Taylor has openings this weekend for anyone who would like their hair to look fabulous, Call the Salon to Schedule." Brittany said she had a huge return of client responses to this post. By the following night, Brittany went to work with a full book for that Saturday and Sunday. Her weekend numbers for the two days was around $700 in services, $100 in retail and over $200 in tips.

Hair Cuttery Stylists, if you're not using Facebook to promote yourself and your business, take a page from Brittany's playbook and watch your business start to grow. Hair Cuttery Clients, find out if your favorite Stylist is on Facebook to make looking great even easier! Also, if you're not yet a Fan of Hair Cuttery on Facebook, click here to visit us right now!

Some people love winter, and some people don’t. This particular winter continues to be very unusual yet spectacular for its intensity. As the snow begins to melt and temperatures start to rise, we are beginning to emerge from semi-hibernation. (Florida, this is where you get to gloat!)

For most of us, it’s time to put aside the hot chocolate and head to Hair Cuttery. Our Stylists are waiting, ready and willing to give you a spring look NOW! Let that groundhog from Pennsylvania see his shadow all he wants, our Stylists are ready to provide 100% WOW Service 100% of the time. You’ll also find our shelves stocked with the professional products that will help you maintain your spring look at home.

So come in now, Hair Cuttery is ready to spring you into Spring! Visit your favorite Stylist today and bask in the sunny glow of our Salons. Visit www.haircuttery.com for a location near you.

P.S. Which Spring look is right for you?

Since starting Hair Cuttery in 1974, Dennis Ratner, our Founder and CEO, has worked tirelessly to foster a culture of leadership. "Managers tell you what to do, how to do it and when to do it", Dennis says. "However, in our salons, we prefer our people to lead by example and demonstrate to those around them how to be more professional and, in doing so, help them to achieve a better quality of life.

”We've found over the years that great leadership almost always seems to result in well-run salons which generally means happy, returning clients." Just listen to a few of our Stylists as they talk about what being a good leader is all about.

Did we mention that we’re very proud of our Stylists? We’re proud because our people hold themselves accountable for their own success. Each and every day, our Stylists strive to provide a special experience for everyone who sits in their chairs. By providing exemplary WOW Service, our Stylists are able to achieve their goals and dreams and, in doing so, enhance their Quality of Life. At Hair Cuttery, we’re all about our people and these stories of success will demonstrate why Accountability is such a win for our Stylists, a Win for the Company and ultimately, a Win for the Client.

Our latest commercial TV Spot features Paisley in three vibrant hair colors. See the actual commercial spot here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75s0JAYsFe4.

In this video, you'll get a 'sneak peek' behind the scenes of the video shoot and learn how the commercial was made and how we were able to change Paisley's hair as if by magic. SPOILER ALERT: It didn't involve PhotoShop!

Our Stylists strive to provide WOW Service every single time to every single client. WOW Service is our way of saying that we appreciate your business and we want to do everything we can to make you look better and feel good while you're in our Salons. In this video vignette, Hair Cuttery Stylists from across the country talk about what WOW Service means to them and how they go about making the Client first in everything that they do.

Becoming a hairstylist is a deeply personal choice. As we discovered during a recent video shoot, it usually begins at a very young age and grows out of a desire to help people. As you'll hear, most of the Stylists we talked to expressed a desire to make people happy - to help their clients look good and feel better about themselves! We're proud of all the Stylists who work for us because they care about what they do every single day, touching people's lives from behind the chair. Just listen to these Stylists from around the country as they share how their dreams began and what their profession means to them.

Hilary Hawkinson (center) poses with the band, Hey Monday, prior to their show at the House of Blues in Chicago on Nov. 24th, 2009. Hawkinson entered our Facebook sweepstakes contest and won free tickets and the opportunity to meet the band in person.

Says Hawkinson, "I'm not a Stylist but I am a fan on Facebook and in real life! A very good friend of mine works at the Yorkville, IL location and she's the only person allowed to touch my hair. I also have three other good friends working at a few locations in my area. My friend is Taylor Stewart and I've known her since she was born. The show itself was a lot of fun--the only bummer was when I got elbowed in the kidney by some brat. But, I knocked her one right back :)."

You too can get in the mosh pit with Hilary by entering our Grand Prize Facebook sweepstakes where our lucky winners will be given two tickets to the Hey Monday Beach party in Ft. Lauderdale, FL on December 27 along with air fare and hotel accommodations. Hurry, because our sweepstakes closes soon; click here to view the details on the Hair Cuttery Facebook page and enter to win!

Pictured from left to right are: 1). Alex Lipshaw 2). Cassadee Pope 3). Hilary Hawkinson 4). Taylor Stewart 5). Mike Gentile and 6). "Jersey" Moriarty

The National Zoo will not be hibernating this winter. Instead, we will be hosting the biggest, brightest event of the year: the third annual ZooLights! See more lights, great entertainment, exotic animals, and more! This family event of the season is guaranteed to bring your holidays to life.

ZOOLIGHTS

• December 4 - 13 (Friday-Sunday nights only)
• December 18 - January 2 (Every night except December 24, 25, & 31)
• FONZ members: $5 Nonmembers: $8

And don't miss HAIR CUTTERY NIGHT on December 26!

Actor Richard Dreyfuss is in the area to speak at the University of Virginia about the importance of teaching civic education.

During his trip to Virginia, he stopped in at the Hair Cuttery at Barracks Road in Charlottesville, VA for a trim.  The actor has appeared in dozens of films, including "Jaws," ''Close Encounters of the Third Kind," "What About Bob?" and "Mr. Holland's Opus."

Pictured in the photo are (from left):  Patty (Client), Lou Ann Freeman (Stylist), Richard Dreyfuss, and Kim Toulouse (Salon Leader).

Celebrities at Hair Cuttery are hardly rare; our stylists have reported several other sightings on our Hair Cuttery Facebook page.

So keep your eyes open the next time you're in a Hair Cuttery to style or be styled...you never know who you'll bump into!

Hair Cuttery is pleased to announce that we're partnering with Sony Music Entertainment to provide an opportunity to see the power pop group, Hey Monday, in concert. Their debut album "Hold On Tight" is full of infectious, radio-worthy pop anthems popular with a wide variety of fans.

Visit Hair Cuttery on Facebook, click the 'Sweepstakes' tab to enter for a chance to win 2 tickets to one of three Hey Monday concerts in Chicago and Boston or enter to win the grand prize trip to see Hey Monday in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida on December 27th, including airfare and lodging.

Listen to Hey Monday's latest single, "How You Love Me Now":

Want to hear more? Hey Monday's debut album Hold On Tight is available for $7.99 on iTunes.

Concert Ticket Sweepstakes Concert Dates:

1. Monday, November 23rd, 2009 concert in Chicago, Illinois at the House of Blues
Official Rules: http://apps.facebook.com/sweepstakeshq/contests/9001/rules

2. Tuesday, November 24th, 2009 concert in Chicago, Illinois at the House of Blues
Official Rules: http://apps.facebook.com/sweepstakeshq/contests/11361/rules

3. Thursday, December 3, 2009 concert in Boston, Massachusetts at the House of Blues
Official Rules: http://apps.facebook.com/sweepstakeshq/contests/11369/rules

Grand Prize Sweepstakes:

Airfare, lodging and tickets to see Hey Monday in concert: Sunday, December 27th, 2009 concert in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida at the Culture Room
Official Rules: http://apps.facebook.com/sweepstakeshq/contests/11720/rules

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCE OF WINNING. Open to legal residents of the U.S. who have reached the age of majority in their state of residence. Sponsor: Ratner Companies, L.C., 1577 Spring Hill Road, Suite 500, Vienna, VA 22182. Void where Ratner.

  Best Men's Haircut: Hair Cuttery

The winners of the "Express Night Out | Best of 2009" were recently announced on the Washington Post Express Night Out website. Click here to check out the story on the Connecticut Avenue Hair Cuttery salon, winner of the "Best Men's Haircut" category. Thanks again to all who voted!

Welcome to the *NEW* Hair Cuttery website!

We’ve redesigned our Web site, all with you and our customers in mind. Among the exciting changes we've incorporated are two new blogs, more video, more images and stories about you and your successes. The Official Hair Cuttery Blog will be the place to turn for salon openings, product specials, company news, videos, and other exciting updates. Our Style Blog will feature tips and tricks from our beauty experts, makeover stories, stylist and customer videos and more!

In addition, our Salon Locator tool is better than ever! We’ve incorporated a Google map feature that allows you to find the salon you’re looking for without leaving www.haircuttery.com; we’ll also be highlighting each of our grand openings.

Hair Cuttery is also joining the Social Media movement and we'd love to connect with you and your networks!

Become a fan of Hair Cuttery on Facebook or follow us on Twitter We'd also love to share great photos displayed in our Gallery and we’ll be adding videos from HairCutteryTV on YouTube We're open to your comments on our individual blog posts, any suggestions you may have for future entries. If you are interested in being a subject in a future story or makeover, or want to be a guest blogger for one of our columns. You're part of the family and we want to hear from you!

-Hair Cuttery