Hairdressers & their clients just dyeing to stay open
HAIRDRESSERS all over Ireland closed their doors for another six weeks last night with many working 12 hour shifts to squeeze in clients.
Customers were critical of the closures with some stressing they believed the businesses were safe.
Petals Hair and Beauty, which operates beauty salons in Castle bar and Westport as well as a hair and beauty retail business, closed its doors at 9pm.
The popular Co Mayo business was extremely busy for 12 hours catering for eager clients keen to get their hair done before the Level 5 lockdown.
Customer Sandy English, from 35km away in Charlestown said: “It’s crazy. The stylist Graeme [ Fisher] is the only one that can do my hair properly so I drive over here.
“I was going to come on Friday but I brought it forward because of the lockdown.
“I didn’t want to go through what I went through the last time[ in the spring]. I just chopped it myself for two or three months then.
“I think the lockdown is a bit of an overreaction to be honest because look at all the precautions they take and I don’t think the coronavirus is being spread by hairdressers, I think it’s more in bars.
“Everyone is wearing masks, there are sanitisers and they’re taking temperatures of customers here.”
Salon manager Saoirse Gibbons, who has worked at Petals for four years, said: “We’re trying to sort out all of our regular clients so they’re happy.
“I think they’re disappointed that we’ve had to close again but hopefully we’ll be back open again in a few weeks’ time.
“Hopefully it won’t go on too long and we’d be hoping that we’ll be open [ in December].”
“We have a lot of elderly clients that come in once a week, maybe for their blow- dry and that’s their outing and it’s hard on them because now they have nowhere to go.
“They rely on that trip every week to town and it’s their treat and I suppose it’s their way of meeting people and having a chat.
“They enjoy coming in.” Maria Dillon of Platinum Hairdressers, also in Castlebar, is now selling products on her @mrs dillons-diary Instagram. She said: “Safety has been my No1 priority.
“I just feel as a small business we’re just being absolutely shafted.
“I would love to see some evidence why shutting us down is going to help.”
I just feel as a small business we’re being shafted
MARIA DILLON CASTLEBAR YESTERDAY