Editor’s Comment

The endless advancement of technology is undoubtedly a blessing and a curse. Being constantly “switched on” means you can get the answer to almost any question within minutes; the downside being that the rest of the world expects that level of immediacy and constant availability back from you.

The result is that most of us are more stressed and sleep-deprived than we would have been 20 years ago. While this means there’s more pressure than ever on salon and spa owners to hone their web skills and stay ahead of changes in treatment technology, it also presents a huge opportunity in terms of the number of consumers now seeking out support from beauty and spa professionals, be that for simple relaxation and downtime or for the more complex skin issues that can be exacerbated by stress and sleeplessness, such as adult acne and rosacea.

We look at both sides of the technology divide this month. Our social media feature on page 109 uncovers the best free apps to help you streamline and improve your social posts. From scheduling tools that make it easier to manage your time, to apps that make creating videos a breeze, each one has been tried and reviewed by beauty business owners.

Meanwhile, our focus on sleep, from page 118, explores the effects that a lack of shut-eye has on the skin over time, offering up lifestyle and skincare advice from doctors who specialise in sleep and skin health, which you can use to help clients.

And in a bid to help salon and spa professionals too, our SOS campaign kicks off this month with a set of inspirational stories about salon owners who faced significant business challenges and came out the other side stronger. Read their stories from page 69. Then check out our Professional Beauty North preview from page 76 for more ideas to boost your business this year.