Welcome to the first of our day in the life series here at Hair In Motion HQ and it gives me great honour to bring you two shining stars from our industry George Oakley & Joe Stevens AKA OS Barbers.
Occupying 3 locations in the South – Easts most vibrant locations, London & Brighton the OS boys have been on a mission since 2014 to become not just a barbers, but a lifestyle. Offering their clients a laidback modern take on barbering with sustainability at the forefront of their message. Since becoming an ambassador for the likes of Leaf scissors there is nothing I enjoy more than to welcome more eco-conscious brands into the spotlight to spread their message to the industry. Top-notch trims are just a scratch below the surface with these boys. Expect an effortless approach to contemporary men’s hairdressing, a un comprisable ethos to bettering the industry and world around us, their trend focus flare, and a good old chat in unbeatable locations.
I personally am a consumer of their brand new Sea Salt & Pine Shampoo Bar and in my personal opinion, I am more than impressed with the performance. Its foams up and cleans in all the right places, it smells great and its longevity is the gift that keeps on giving.
I really enjoyed this one from OS so I hope you do too. Be sure to check them out over at @osbarbers & @oslifestyle. Looking forward to what’s to come from this duo!
Who and what is the brand about? We started out in 2014, co-founded by George Oakley and myself Joe Steven. We are a UK based lifestyle brand that provide customers with great haircuts, and top of the range bespoke and branded products. Our barbershops have become known for a welcoming atmosphere, high quality service, and the finest playlists around.
What inspired you to take this new venture? Whilst Covid-19 meant we were unable to do what we love in our barbershops, it provided us a unique time and opportunity to focus our efforts on areas of the business we’ve been looking to grow for years. Launching a shampoo bar is something we’ve always wanted to do, and in our brand new Sea Salt and Pine Natural Shampoo bar, we’ve been lucky enough to create something that combines two of our passions – creating natural products and looking after the environment. We strongly believe that as we grow, we have a role to play in producing the best quality products for our customers, and to become more environmentally conscious in parallel with this.
Why do you think sustainability is important in the hair industry? The hairdressing and barbering industries produce a lot of waste, which is often overlooked. Recent developments on how to repurpose hair, effectively recycle foil, and use of natural alternative chemicals for colouring hair are hot topics within our community, as examples. We feel that whatever the size of your company, we all have a responsibility to take ownership of our waste and focus on ways we can be more sustainable for the benefit of our environment. We also feel that we have an opportunity as a brand to show other barbershops that they can be sustainable.
What products do you offer and what’s in the pipelines? The first product from our brand new range is our Sea Salt and Pine Natural Shampoo bar, which is available now. We are already in the planning stages for our next product, so keep an eye out for updates. Our mission is to develop a simple and easy to understand product range. All natural, all sustainable – yet not losing anything when it comes to quality.
How could the average salon start being more conscious? Start simple; switch to a green energy provider, separate your recycling, and ign up to a company like ‘Green mile’ that will pick it up on a weekly basis. You can also easily switch over to eco-friendly cleaning products and refillable ocean saver bottles. Where you see brands and other shops you admire doing the right thing, try to follow in their footsteps.
Where can people find more info on your products? For details on our Sea Salt and Pine Natural Shampoo bar, head to our website – www.oslifestyle.co.uk
