Hairdressers hot under the collar with PPE but delighted to welcome clients back

Many salons have been booked out for the next month as customers are very eager to colour roots and get a tidy hair cut.

Yvonne Willis from High Tech Hair in Portadown is celebrating 30 years in the business and has no doubt this has been the worst period during Lockdown in her career as a hairdresser.

Hairdressers, as well as beauticians, were among thousands of businesses forced to close across Northern Ireland as the COVID-19 pandemic swept across the world.

Yvonne, who started working as a hairdresser in Portadown aged just 19, says she is very happy to be back to work.

Her High Tech Hair salon in Thomas St has been refurbished to adhere to social distancing and all five hairdressers in the salon will be wearing PPE.

Speaking of Lockdown, she said: “It was the worst I have ever experienced. At the start were were told we would be closing for three weeks and were wondering how we could cope with that. Now it has been over three months.”

She said they were all coping well since reopening but found it very hot wearing the PPE with masks or visors particularly with hairdryers on all day.

Meanwhile Nicky McKinstry who owns Hollywood Hair in Portadown’s Church Street, spent Monday on those who are vulnerable or shielding and reopened to the rest of her clients on Tuesday. “It is very important that our clients feel safe and our staff are kept staff,” she said.

Nicky had three staff on furlough and they have returned back to the salon.

She said everyone is very excited to get back to what they love doing best.

“We have gone to extreme expense to make sure the salong is safe.”

Because of the social distancing and new cleansing routines it has been an extra expense for salons and many feel they will be working just to survive rather than to make a profit.”

Nicky said it was concerning that some salons had already closed.

She said she was grateful for her loyal clients and will be doing her utmost to have the salon as a sanctuary for them.

“We will be wearing masks and PPE as our customer’s and staff’s safety is a priority,” said Nicky.

She said it is going to be difficult to survive as even the cost of products has gone up but they will continue working.

Nicky added that it was ‘unfair and frustrating’ that some hairdressers carried on working during Lockdown, some without any protection for clients.

“These people were not caring about people’s safety,” said Nicky.

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