Hairdressers federation calls for salons to reopen in June amid black-market fears
THE opening of hair salons should be brought forward to avoid a surge in blackmarket services, the Irish Hairdressers Federation (IHF) has warned.
Hairdressing salons will currently not reopen until Phase 4 of the Government’s roadmap plan, which comes into effect on July 20, because they are not deemed essential services.
However, IHF boss David Campbell said his organisation was lobbying for salons to be moved into Phase 3 of the plan, which starts on June 29, due to fears of a booming black-market economy.
He said cash-strapped hairdressers may be tempted to do call-outs to people’s homes now that travel restrictions had been extended to 5km, thereby increasing the risk of spreading Covid-19 around the community.
Mr Campbell said he had been contacted by federation members saying they had been offered lucrative cash incentives to go to clients’ homes and provide various services.
“It’s bananas, some of the stuff I’ve heard. One member said she was offered €80 just to go in and do a blow-dry in someone’s house,” he told the Irish Independent.
“She contacted me saying, ‘I don’t feel good about this’. I told her to tell her client that hairdressers won’t be going into people’s homes.
“From a black-market perspective, if they lift the radius and people can travel again as normal before the salons open, we’re going to have a huge problem if hairdressers do start going into people’s houses. It could create another spike in the virus.”
In Spain, Italy and Germany, hair salons were included in phase one of the roadmaps out of lockdown.
His organisation, which represents 30,000 workers, has been in contact with two Government ministers and is waiting for an official response to their proposal.
He is also calling on the Government to give more guidance about how salons can be reconfigured to adhere to the two-metre social distancing regulations once they can reopen.
Meanwhile, some members of the public have taken matters into their own hands when it comes to dealing with their pesky greys by purchasing takeaway colour kits that they can apply at home.
The kit includes gloves, a gown and a video on how to apply the colour.
Hair consultant Ceira Lambert, whose celebrity clients include Rosanna Davison, started selling kits this week and said she had been inundated with queries from people all over Ireland.
The Shankill-based salon owner said that it was just for grey coverage.
She insists clients must carry out a ‘patch test’ 48 hours beforehand to make sure they don’t have a reaction to the product.
They must also sign a waiver for insurance purposes.
She is also offering hair-extension removal kits because some of her clients are cancer survivors who lost all their hair after treatment.
Extensions must be removed within a certain time-frame by a professional, otherwise the hair gets seriously damaged.
“I’ve had clients ringing me up in tears, saying, ‘I can’t leave these extensions in until July, what can we do?’ They’re the ones I’d love to look after on a one-to-one basis.”
Ms Lambert has already bought personal protective equipment (PPE) equipment and has sought advice on getting screen dividers for her salon.