Hairdressers across the north of Scotland are preparing to go a cut above with hygiene measures to help the public get rid of their lockdown “mullets, bowl-cuts and home-shaves” following the Scottish Government’s confirmation they can open from July 15.
Yesterday’s announcement in the Scottish Parliament that people will finally be able to get a hair cut with “enhanced hygiene measures” after 13 weeks without resulted in a round of applause from MSPs on all sides of the political spectrum.
For Mark Reilly, Roo Mackinnon and Laura Cowie of Hometown Barbers in Aberdeen, it was the news they had long been waiting for.
The three barbers are now hard at work ensuring their business on Claremont Street will be ready to reopen with strict hygiene measures in three weeks.
As well as using certain personal protective equipment such as masks and visors, the business will be taking additional time between clients to clean tools and chairs.
Mr Mackinnon, 30, said: “A lot of time is going to be needed for cleaning, so we’re thinking we’ll be adding an extra 15 minutes to every appointment.
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“Even if it’s not in the guidelines, we want to be as careful as possible because we want to make a positive case for cutting hair.
“We had a lot of people asking if we could do home cuts during lockdown, but I mean we’re not allowed to see our grandparents, so we’re not going around to cut the hair of someone we barely know for the sake of a quick buck.
“We know of a few barbershops that have been doing sneaky cuts this whole time, and a suspicious number of people walking about with fresh trims – but we wanted to be a part of the solution and not the problem.
“The first month will be very busy, so we’re just going to work as much as we can, maybe extra hours here and there.
“We’re just so excited to get back to cutting hair and serving the good folks of Aberdeen, and sorting out all of their mullets, bowl-cuts and home-shaves.”
And Miss Cowie, 28, said: “I just can’t wait to actually have real chat, real conversations with people face-to-face.
“It’s such a social job and to go from talking to all these different people all day to nothing has been hard.”
James Cameron Hairdressing in Elgin will reduce the number of chairs it has from 10 to six, with the waiting area also used to create more space between clients.
Owner James Cameron expects to be offering late appointments for as long as necessary to clear the backlog of lockdown cuts.
The businessman explained clarity is still needed about what protective equipment may need to be worn – but was excited to be reopening after spending recent weeks adapting his premises for Covid-19.
Mr Cameron said: “There are no official guidelines at the moment other than ‘increased hygiene’.
“I’ve ordered an obscene amount of PPE to make sure we’re covered because the safety of staff and customers is paramount, while still making things as normal possible.
“It may be that we have to have a 15-minute or so gap between appointments to allow equipment and gowns to be sterilised and for chairs and mirrors to be washed down.”
