New wave of hairstyles as hairdressers, barbers reopen

COVID19 has resulted in changes in the way people live and work and for those wanting to enhance their beauty, pre-ordering hairstyles is an option.

It is one of the many changes in services being offered by hairstylists in south Trinidad as they prepare for the Government's fourth phase of reopening the economy on Monday.

Roxanne Harnarayan, the owner of Roxanne's Beauty Salon, said electronic consultations will be among the list of new services offered to clients amid the coronavirus pandemic.

This service allows clients to send photographs or videos and request the styles they desire.

“A client can send photo or video of what their hair looks like so we can determine how much time would be needed for the task. We would be able to see and have dialogue with clients before they come in. It will give guidelines on the booking time,” Harnarayan said.

She spoke to Sunday Newsday at her salon at the Cross Crossing Shopping Centre, San Fernando, on Thursday as she prepared for business for the first time in over two months. She rearranged furniture, got rid of some old items, painted and cleaned. The established salon has been operating for the past 35 years.

Harnarayan, who is a Paul Mitchell educator, said all services will be strictly by appointments now.

Since March, when the stay-at-home orders came into effect, beauty industry experts/service providers had to close their doors.

Despite the financial strain of having no income, she kept busy by advancing her skills through webinars and online training sessions relating to the John Paul Mitchell Systems brands. One such webinar was hosted by Behindthechair.com, which is considered the world's largest community for salon professionals.

“Some of the webinars addressed our bio, psycho and social needs. Last month we had a lot of business classes. It is technical skills enhancement and social media training. It is not confined to beauty practitioners. I shared info on WhatsApp. I shared and learned. It has been a growing time."

Adhering to international and local health and safety guidelines for the virus, Harnarayan said she and her four staffers will use face shields and masks. They will also use a thermometer to check clients’ temperatures on entry. Additional sinks and informative signs about the virus will be installed.

“We are relieved and happy about our operation resuming. We will be rotating staff. We need flexibility in the planning. It has been a financial strain on the practitioners and it continues to be," she said.

“Unfortunately, some practitioners may not be able to open, so there may be more people in my industry looking for jobs, to relocate and for alternatives.”

Harnarayan called on clients to be thoughtful about the "new normal", saying it is not only about what the practitioners are expected to provide but clients' being responsible as well.

“Stay home if you are unwell. If you have an appointment for 10 am, be there for 10 am because that time was allotted to you. When you book an appointment, stick to it.

“It will take a little getting used to but John Public must be willing to work with us so everyone wins. Clients must be aware that we are doing what is in the interest of everyone. Work with us.”

Clients are as young as “seven days” and due to the high volume of requests for services, she is preparing a day dedicated to children.

As part of Muslim naming ceremony (Aqiqah), newborns' heads are shaved on the seventh day after birth.

Her sister, Debbie Ishmael-Baksh, who is a hairstylist at the salon, noted that they have already received numerous calls for service.

“We did not encourage it because we did not want to put ourselves and other people at risk,” Ishmael-Baksh said.

But good business is caring and not even the stay-at-home measures prevented the staff from touching base with their loyal customers.

“We wanted to know if they wanted anything like items from the supermarkets. We would buy them and drop off to their homes. That is normal for us and it has nothing to do with the pandemic. That is how we function."

The salon also sells the Paul Mitchell line and the staff publishes step by step tutorials on various techniques like hair colouring on their social media account.

“We tried to drop off products for them to maintain, for instance, their hair at home. It was a struggle for us as we had no income coming in.”

To mitigate the financial challenges faced because of the pandemic, the Government has offered the $1,500 salary relief grant to cover three months. She said she applied for the grant but was yet to get feedback.

During the holy month of Ramadan, April to May, she used the time to deepen her Muslim faith.

“One of my daughters and I became more involved with the mosque. We were doing hampers distribution and curbside pickups. I reconnected with my faith.”

She admitted she missed aspects of social interaction, especially with clients, many of whom she shares special bonds.

“But with social media and WhatsApp, we were able to communicate with the people, especially with our older clients.”

At La Romaine, Tristan St John, the owner of Shutters Cut Barber Saloon anxiously awaits the reopening, having faced uncertainly about a home for his business.

St John said he was late in paying his rent for the first time in about four years since he began renting at Duncan Village. After attempts to reason with his landlord for an extension of time, he packed up and left two weeks ago.

“I tried to reason with him. I told him to use my security deposit as payment, but he was not taking that. On May 21, I went to the shop and took my equipment,” St John said.

He managed to secure a space at the Southern Main Road, La Romaine, where he was preparing for business.

“I used my savings to survive and the pandemic exhausted most of it. It was a financial challenge, but I got the chance to spend more time with my wife and two children,” he said.

“My clientele has always been good since I started off professionally in 2000.”

Going forward, he will no longer be accepting walk-in clients. He will be sharing the salon with another barber and they will be operating by appointments only.

“Appointments have always been $100, for a trim, cut and anything else. This will remain so. For those who cannot afford it, we will not turn them away. We do not turn away customers.”

However, St John said his business will be continuing with its $30 special for people 65 years and over.

“That has been common practice. Sometimes we do not even charge them.”

Walk-ins for the same services pre-covid19 cost $35 for children. A cut for an adult was $50 and $60 for a cut, shave and other enhancements. Women’s eyebrows cost $20.

He emphasised: “There will be one customer per barber. Other customers will have to wait outside, maybe in their cars."

Like other practitioners in the beauty industry, he vowed to adhere to proper health and safety guidelines.

“I already ordered a thermometer. I have a reusable spare mask for any client. Clients have been calling and I am excited about reopening.”

At KDB's Anointed Cuts, a short drive away at Southern Main Road, barber Kareem Trent Alexander anticipates a rush for the opening based on the large number of calls he received from his customers and potential customers.

The 21-year-old who lives in the area has been operating at the compound for the past three years. He is sharing the facility with another barber and the landlord deferred payments.

“We got ease with the rent for two months. We will be doing appointments only. We used to have a combination of walk-ins and appointments,” Alexander said.

Like others, he experienced tough financial times in the past few months. He too used savings to pay for his living expenses including food and transport. He is not married and does not have children.

Regarding preventative measures to combat spread of the virus, he said that clients without masks will be turned away.

“We have all the basics already like masks, gloves, sanitisers and cleaning products. Before the Government announced the closing, we already had things in place to make the place more aesthetically pleasing,” Alexander said. “We will be changing furniture and doing some work on the interior.”

He is also a budding producer and plays the keyboard and the drumset. He utilised a lot of his time to enhance his musical skills.

As he played on the keyboard, Alexander said, “Financially, it was hard. But I got to focus on music, which I have a passion for.”

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a list of guidance for barbers and cosmetologists. It encourages customers to stay home if they are sick and avoid visiting barbers and cosmetologists if they are at higher risk for severe illness.

The CDC further encourages customers to practice physical distancing and avoid touching their eyes, nose, or mouth.