A Day Without a Hairdresser
A Day Without a Hairdresser
Author: Jenna White | San Francisco Hairstylist
April 15th, 2020
April 15th, 2020
COVID-19 has led to Shelter-in-Place mandates across the USA, and is preventing stylists/barbers from providing services to their clients. The idea of not getting your hair done for a while may sound like torture, but you're better off waiting and trying to take advantage of the time you have out of the public eye. Read on to learn how to cope, and what your hair professional is doing during your time apart.
What are clients doing?
As a customer, you see your hairstylist/barber to feel "put together". When you step outside after having your hair done, you feel ready to take on the world. Even on your least productive day, if a hair cut, color or style is involved, you'll feel like you've accomplished something. Now, with no access to professionals, and lots of access to time, you increasingly look like you're falling to pieces with each passing day.
Faced with this growing discomfort, clients are taking matters into their own hands. Being a hairdresser myself, I have a few recommendations on do's and don'ts. Browse through them before considering touching the strands on your head, and remember, there's a reason why stylists/barbers go to school to obtain a license.
What are clients doing?
As a customer, you see your hairstylist/barber to feel "put together". When you step outside after having your hair done, you feel ready to take on the world. Even on your least productive day, if a hair cut, color or style is involved, you'll feel like you've accomplished something. Now, with no access to professionals, and lots of access to time, you increasingly look like you're falling to pieces with each passing day.
Faced with this growing discomfort, clients are taking matters into their own hands. Being a hairdresser myself, I have a few recommendations on do's and don'ts. Browse through them before considering touching the strands on your head, and remember, there's a reason why stylists/barbers go to school to obtain a license.
Do This
- Take advantage of the downtime by:
- Skipping blowdrys and color to give your hair a break
- Washing your hair less, it helps restore natural oils
- Doing deep conditioning treatments twice a week
- Growing out your hair and:
- Trying a new style or styling technique
- Jumping on this grey color trend
- Opting for braids instead of your usual ponytail or bun (switching up your style strengthens hair and prevents breakage)
- Check out my blog post from April 2nd, 2020, Zoom Call Hair
Don't Do This
If you really can't wait, then try:
- Use box dye or any DIY hair color without talking to your stylist/barber.
- All of these use high amounts of pigment and ammonia, which is majorly damaging to your hair.
- Painting over hair that was already colored by your hairdresser/barber can cause breakage and leave bands or stripes that take months to go away, even when you eventually have it professionally fixed.
- If you've never used it, avoiding opting for Henna hair color during the wait. They contain metallic salts, which are not receptive to lightening products, even professional ones used by your stylist/barber. The chemical reactions that can happen when lighteners are put on top of hair previously colored with Henna may include smoking and extreme breakage. Translation: if you don't like the results from the dye, there isn't much you or your stylist can do about it, making it a very risky option for an interim fix. Read more about Henna hair dye here.
- Use any old scissors you have lying around the house on your hair. If you absolutely must cut it, buy cheap scissors made for hair off of Amazon. It will make a huge difference. Keep in mind, hairdressers/barbers pay $500 - $1,000+ for the shears they use. Trust me, there's a reason why. Opting for non-hair specific scissors will be noticeable on your next Zoom call for work.
If you really can't wait, then try:
- Reaching out to your hairstylist/barber to ask for their advice
- Watching these videos to clean up your haircut:
- For shorter hair, and men's haircuts, check out this tutorial on making your cut last longer
- For longer hair, check out this trim tutorial for split ends
- Using the following for your color:
- Root mascara, or spray, to temporarily cover grey or lighter roots (I like Oribe Airbrush Root Touch Up)
- For darker roots (like on blondes), try using a colored blonde or white dry powder shampoo (I like Keratin Complex Volumizing Dry Shampoo Lift Powder)
What are hairstylists doing?
Being a part of an insanely passionate industry has alway made me feel proud and a bit powerful. Reflecting on having that temporarily taken away is hard. For perspective, I watched all of my appointments for the month cancel in a matter of hours after the Shelter-in-Place mandate was announced. I empathize with the 700,000+ stylists/barbers that are going through the same thing right now in the USA.
Here's how the stylist/barbering community is making things work during the shut down:
Overall, the industry is risking degrading the quality and craftsmanship of their services by cutting corners to help clients out during Shelter-in-Place, but for many it's the only way to make an income until they are back behind the chair. I speak for the entire professional hair community when I say "we're looking forward to curing all customer hair woes as soon as the world opens up again".
Being a part of an insanely passionate industry has alway made me feel proud and a bit powerful. Reflecting on having that temporarily taken away is hard. For perspective, I watched all of my appointments for the month cancel in a matter of hours after the Shelter-in-Place mandate was announced. I empathize with the 700,000+ stylists/barbers that are going through the same thing right now in the USA.
Here's how the stylist/barbering community is making things work during the shut down:
- Selling product to our customers and having the brand ship it directly to them (we make a commission).
- Offering gift cards and packages to be used when businesses open back up. This helps us put money in our pocket today while waiting out the Shelter-in-Place mandate.
- Charging for consultations and guidance delivered via phone or Zoom. Some of us also use these methods just to stay in touch with our regular clients.
- Providing color kits to our existing client base to help with interim root touch ups.
- This option is only being used for clientele who we have formulated a color for in person.
- It only works for one process root touch ups and/or color applied roots to ends (i.e. not for foiling, an ombre, etcetera).
- Salons that are offering this use curb and roadside pick up to avoid physical contact. The kit generally contains a brush, bowl, gloves, and pre-measured components of your color formula that activate once mixed together.
- Keep in mind, businesses are questioning the liability of allowing clients to apply professional color themselves. Most color lines have packaging that explicitly forbids this, and your salon's business insurance likely won't cover any adverse health conditions (rashes, allergic reactions, etcetera) that result from color applied by a non-licensed professional. The hope is that if your stylist/barber didn't note any negative reactions the last time your color was done in person, then you won't experience one in the future.
- If your stylist/barber and/or their shop has chosen to offer color kits, remember: they're putting themselves at risk to help you out, so show them some gratitude and appreciation.
- Here are some additional articles that have come out on this topic:
- Hair Colorists Are Offering Virtual Consultations, Sending Custom Hair Dye Kits to Clients in the Mail, Allure Magazine, March 28th, 2020
- Top Stylists Offer Tips and Techniques for Touching Up Hair Color at Home, GMA, March 26th, 2020
Overall, the industry is risking degrading the quality and craftsmanship of their services by cutting corners to help clients out during Shelter-in-Place, but for many it's the only way to make an income until they are back behind the chair. I speak for the entire professional hair community when I say "we're looking forward to curing all customer hair woes as soon as the world opens up again".