He has tamed the manes of Tina Turner and Halle Berry now celebrity stylist Barry Fletcher is to share his expertise with Bermuda hairdressers.

Invited to the Island by Ozzie Hind, Mr. Fletcher will discuss hair with stylists at a talk tomorrow and demonstrate his talents at a clinic on Monday.

The owner of The Salon Store and JáNauzi's met Mr. Fletcher at a hair show in New York.

"I was inspired by his design execution, he is an excellent designer or hair cutter," said Mr. Hind.

"In addition, he also had a small line of products. I liked the feel of them and the concept of moisture. Because when you are working on black hair, especially relaxed hair, there is a constant [need for a] balance of moisture and protein and his products removed things like alcohol that was dehydrating to the hair. Two of his products that we carry here in Bermuda are Liquid and Liquid Moisture, which is a hair and body oil."

Mr. Hind said he'd wanted to bring the famed stylist to the Island for years but the opportunity had only now become available.

"He is very well renowned with many of the black celebrities in the entertainment industry," he said.

"His work is portrayed on the heads of Tina Turner, Maya Angelou, Toni Braxton and the famous Halle Berry cut that everyone was talking about, that was one of his designs as well.

"So he has been around and he is very well known in hairdressing circles."

While here Mr. Fletcher will promote two of his books: 'Learn A Man, Earn a Man' and 'Why Are Black Women Losing Their Hair?'

"'Learn A Man, Earn A Man' has nothing to do with hair," said Mr. Hind.

"But it is from years behind the chair talking to both men and women and looking at both sides of the coin. He felt that it was necessary to put it in writing to be shared with the wider community, particularly women.

"This guy is willing to detail some of the most pressing questions about our hair and add something about relationships. But the main event is 'Why Are Black Women Losing Their Hair?' and that was intended to give the consumer something, because it is a very close issue to many black women.

"It is sexual, it is financial, it is time consuming. You know hair is a whole part of our make-up, our psyche, relations and it represents so much. Our hair tends to be the most difficult to manage, but the industry is finding new ways to service and manage our hair better, so there are more options and more techniques and more importantly there are better products in the market today than we've had in the years gone by. It's an evolution."

Mr. Fletcher also intends to dispel some of the myths surrounding hair care.

He will discuss the pros and cons of locks and weaving and also how to choose a hairdresser, Mr. Hind said.

"It will be extremely informative. Barry is very energetic and he loves to talk," he added.

A clinic for hairdressers is planned for Monday.

"The local stylists can be inspired by his award-winning cutting and designing, the use of different tools and techniques to produce some of the more modern looks that we are seeing on the streets today," said Mr. Hind.

"He will be doing cutting demonstrations hopefully inspire the hairdressers to approach their finishing in a more technical or creative way through his techniques and through his inspiration.

"He is an excellent education and he inspired me back in 2000 when I saw him at a major show in New York.

"He was doing a cut and a finish of a hair weave and I was blown away by the way he used his cutting and finishing tools.

"He produced an awesome look and I have to be honest in saying that seeing him on stage was a great inspiration for me."

Tomorrow's book signing and question and answer period will be held in the Bermuda College auditorium between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. Tickets are $30.

Admission to Monday's 10 a.m. clinic at the Cathedral is $55. All tickets are available from the Salon Store, 81 Reid Street, or at JáNauzi's on the corner of King and Front Streets. For more information ring 295-0177.