Ever since lockdown began on 23 March, hair salons have been closed and people have been forced to come up with alternative methods to keep their locks in check.
While some have resorted to cutting, dying and shaving their own hair, hairdressers around the country have been flooded with calls from people asking for home visits – which led the National Hairdressers’ Federation of Britain (NHBF) to issue a stern warning to salons that this is illegal.
In an address to the nation on Sunday evening, Boris Johnson said a phased reopening of schools and non-essential shops in England could begin from June 1 if the spread of Covid-19 is sufficiently reduced.
Here's what we know so far regarding when hairdressers will reopen, in line with Mr Johnson's "careful steps" to ease lockdown restrictions.
When will hairdressers reopen?
The beauty and hairdressing industry employs over 600,000 people in over 50,000 businesses across the UK - but according to Millie Kendall, CEO of the British Beauty Council, hairdressers are unlikely to open before mid-June.
Speaking to The Telegraph she said: “When hairdressers and salons were initially closed in lockdown, the government assumed we were part of the retail sector.
“I think hairdressers will be grouped in this sector, but as Boris said there will be a gradual phased opening of retail from early June, I think hairdressers may be part of this latter phase of stage two re-opening, potentially by mid- to late June.
“As beauty salons are probably considered more close contact, this date may be different to the date that hairdressers open. The beauty industry is considered retail in government, not hospitality, so hopefully we’re looking at a June date rather than July.”
With minimal clarification, some have speculated the UK will follow a similar course of action to Ireland, who announced on Friday that beauty salons, hairdressers and barbers will open as late as July 20
This will be during phase four of their five stage lockdown exit plan – as they are considered high-risk. Conversely, Norway and Sweden allowed hairdressers to re-open in late April, and several other European countries are now relaxing their rules to re-open salons.
Although there is no clear answer about when hair salons in the UK will reopen, they are likely to be among the first to open their doors to the public again with the Government’s “traffic light” system.
What changes will be brought in to ensure staff and customer safety?
When hair salons re-open, it is likely that they will follow safety steps taken by other countries to stop the virus spreading.
Hair salons in Germany have re-opened, but there are no longer waiting areas, dry cuts, or magazines, as these could all aid transmission of the virus.
Both customers and hairdressers wear face masks to prevent Covid-19 infection, and customers wear disposable cloaks and wash their hands before entering the salon.
Customers must also stay 1.5m away from each other.
Blow-drys are discouraged and gloves must be worn until a customer’s hair is washed.
When hair salons open in the UK, most of these regulations will likely be followed.
Conversations between hairdressers and customers while hair is being cut may be forbidden to keep people safe.
