Hair we go as Jim’s salon ready to reopen
A hairdresser has revealed a snippet of life after lockdown after he splashed out on safety equipment in the salon.
Jim Higgins, of Ayr’s Headstart Hair Studio, has spent over £2000 making sure he’s ready to open when the government gives the green light.
The 55-year-old - who has owned the salon for over 30 years - has had partitions installed to create booths, invested in personal protective visors and the old back corridor has even been transformed into a waiting room.
It’s a glimpse into what hairdressers could look like after lockdown – but Jim insists the cubicles he’s had installed are just a return to the old ways.
Jim said:“When I was a 17-year-old apprentice there used to be cubicles in the hair salon I worked in.
“If I hadn’t done that I would have had to take chairs out the salon which would have limited the amount of clients I could have had in the shop. I think a return to the old ways will now keep everyone safe and give them the confidence to return to a hair salon.”
Jim decided to use guidelines from the National Hairdressing Federation and copying Germany’s salons which have already reopened.
Jim believes the whole experience of going for your haircut is about to change and added: “For many of our older clients coming into the shop is a day out and for socialising but that will stop now. Apparently the virus can live on the hair so we’ll have to shampoo everybody’s hair with our gloves on. That will probably mean an end to any dry cuts.
“When it comes to getting a colour on, I’ve created two waiting areas in the back of the shop where people can sit socially-distanced before they’ll be brought back through to have the colour rinsed off.”
Jim will also ask clients to bring their own towels and will need to sanitise each cubicle prior to the next arrival. Jim stars in the cult hairdressing show Mirror, Mirror – which returned to our screens last Friday.
The 12-part documentary features wacky hairdressers and their eccentric clients – but as it was filmed before lockdown the scenes on the hit BBC Scotland programme may never be seen again.