“CUT IT OUT!” is suddenly much more meaningful than just being a signature catchphrase of Uncle Joey Gladstone on Full House. (Don’t tell me you don’t remember his accompanying hand gestures.)

According to their CUT IT OUT web site, it is a program of the Salons Against Domestic Abuse Fund, dedicated to mobilizing salon professionals and others to fight the epidemic of domestic abuse in communities across the United States.”

The Alabama-founded group works to build awareness of domestic abuse through awareness materials to be displayed in salons, the Adopt-a-Shelter initiative to involve salons in helping local domestic violence agencies, and training salon professionals to recognize warning signs and safely refer clients to resources. This would be a great program to implement in beauty and cosmetology schools, too!

Training sessions help salon professionals learn to identify domestic abuse and know what to do when they suspect it. Because domestic abuse victims are often held captive by their abusers, but still held to a high physical standard by the same captor, salons are often some of the few places that they continue to visit.

Kudos to CUT IT OUT for an important initiative that has already been backed by groups including Salons Against Domestic Abuse Fund – a partnership between Clairol Professional, the National Cosmetology Association, and Southern Living At HOME.

Is your salon or beauty school interested in getting involved with CUT IT OUT? Visit their site today to find out how!

Unfortunately, domestic abuse is something many of us have become all too familiar with. Countless women and children are subjected to violence within their own homes on a daily basis. Even worse, some of these victims are forced into silence, fearing retribution at their partner’s hand.

Domestic violence victims often don’t know where to turn for help. They may have controlling partners who put extreme restrictions on the everyday freedoms some women take for granted. Many victims are too afraid to seek help from the police or an abuse shelter.

This is where the program, Cut It Out: Salons Against Domestic Abuse, comes in. Cut It Out began as a statewide program in Alabama. By 2002, more than 500 salon professionals in the state had been trained to recognize signs of abuse and to connect domestic violence victims to abuse professionals. In 2003, the program went national. Today, salons across the country have access to Cut It Out’s domestic violence prevention specialists.

Cut It Out’s mission is to teach salon professionals to recognize the warning signs of domestic violence. Because of the close relationship some hairstylists enjoy with their clients, salon professionals can be an important lifeline in the fight against domestic violence.

Check out some of these websites to learn more about Cut It Out. If you ask me, this is just another reason to feel great about a career in the beauty and salon industry!

Visit Cut It Out’s website to learn more about domestic violence and to support its mission:
http://www.cutitout.org

Find a Cut It Out trainer near you with this list organized by state and city: http://www.cutitout.org/DVTrainerList.aspx

Here’s an article about how Cut It Out helped the stylists in one salon:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/20/nyregion/20salons.html?hp