While we’re all thinking warmly ahead of reopening our hair and beauty businesses, we’re also wondering what that post-lockdown hair and beauty world is going to look like.
After spending weeks and months practising social distancing and thinking more than ever about the importance of hygiene, it seems pretty impossible that we’ll return straight away to our previous ‘normal’.
So, to help you prepare your business for a safe and successful re-opening, we’ve collated lots of advice and ideas. Showing your team and your clients that you prioritise their safety will inspire trust and confidence, so as well as implementing new best practices, it’s a good idea to communicate them too. We’ll also be sharing our tips for doing just that.
UPDATE: The government has announced that hair salons (but not beauty, just yet) will be able to reopen on the 4th July. The full health and safety guidelines that you’ll need to have in place can be found here.
Keeping your clients (and yourself) safe
- Remind clients that they should not attend their appointments if they’re showing any symptoms, have been in close contact with anyone else with symptoms or are in recovery from COVID-19. The World Health Organisation lists symptoms online, but this is good practice in general, not just in relation to COVID-19
- Make sure your team members don’t come to work if they’re displaying symptoms, have been in close contact with anybody who is, or are in recovery. Again, this should be standard practice, not just for COVID-19
- Ask staff and clients to wash their hands on arrival at the salon and/or provide hand sanitiser
- Provide tissues in the salon/treatment room, with no-touch dispensers
- Avoid handshakes, hugs or kisses when greeting clients
- Consider asking your staff and/or clients to wear face masks. Read the World Organisation advice on ensuring a mask is effective if you do choose to encourage using them
- Move to card-only payment in the salon to minimise cash handling and the touching of hands between clients and your team
- Consider leaving the door open to minimise surfaces people have to touch
Visit the World Health Organisation for detailed info.
Advice for hair salons
- Clean surfaces after every contact, along with handrails and door handles
- Clean styling stations and equipment between clients with antibacterial spray
- Give each client a freshly laundered gown and towel
- Ensure glasses and cups (for refreshments) are cleaned at at least 60 degrees
- Consider having a 1 client per stylist rule to limit numbers within the salon
Advice for beauty rooms and clinics
- Consider adding a generous cleanup time after every treatment, to allow time for the station/ bed to be cleaned
- If you offer water after a treatment, ensure glasses are cleaned at at least 60 degrees
Communicating your elevated hygiene practices
Our first top tip is to involve your team fully in any changes you make. Ask their ideas, get their buy-in, and ensure they’re totally comfortable with any new practices.
From a survey sent out to Treatwell customers, it’s clear that more than ever before, hygiene and safety will be part of an individual’s decision-making process when choosing which salon or freelancer to go to. To help you give customers the confidence in your commitment to elevated hygiene practices, here are some ideas:
- There are a number of free online courses you can take to refresh your hygiene practices and to show clients your workplace is adhering to guidelines. With printable certificates, it’s a great idea to display yours in the workspace
- Use your social media to reassure your followers that you’re committed to protecting the safety of your team and your clients
- Display stickers in and around the salon reminding people to wash their hands etc.
- Print out your hygiene practices and display them somewhere clients will see and ensure they are followed!
- When a client first returns to your salon, as you ask them to wash their hands or to use sanitiser, take the chance to talk to them about the other commitments you’ve made
It’s important to remember that we’re all learning, following guidance, and doing our very best to protect ourselves and others. Most of all, be open to change and listen to your team and your customers as they let you know what might give them reassurance. We’re all in this together.