When I went in for my last haircut before my baby was born, I wasn’t expecting to not get the next one until she was 3 months old. I thought that after I gave birth I’d use a hair appointment as an excuse for some me time, but with hair salons deemed nonessential (shock horror) many of us were left to get back to our roots…quite literally.
When it came to my husband and son’s hair, I dug out some old clippers from the basement and I watched a few YouTube tutorials. I wasn’t the only one, Blake Shelton did an interview with Jimmy Fallon, while his girlfriend Gwen Stefani touched up his mullet. And with school meeting remotely, some of my friends got creative and gave their son’s mohawks. After my 3rd haircut, I’d gotten pretty good at edging and fading, but my own hair was a big, shaggy, hot mess.
Once Gov Baker made the announcement, I immediately messaged Hilary immediately to find out how I could reschedule my missed appointment. So many people are itching for salon services, but when you book there are a few things you should know.
Your Appointment Process may be different
How you book and who you see may have changed. Normally I would log into a system and choose from a list of available appointments, but in this instance my hairdresser worked to reschedule the previously cancelled appointments and tried to fill appointments with existing clients before accepting new clients. The demand is HIGH! Other salons, like Salon 700 in Hyannis, disabled online booking systems and asked people to email so that they can fulfill requests in the order they were received. In addition, your appointment might not be with who you normally see. In order to reduce the number of people in the salons, not everyone is working every day and some workers don’t feel comfortable returning to work just yet. Please know making an appointment is imperative. The days of walking in and waiting are over for now while businesses are doing everything they are doing to limit the number of people in a closed space.
The New Normal Haircut
Wherever we go we are reminded that things are different now. No reusable bags in the grocery stores, take out only at restaurants, and standing 6 feet apart are all becoming the new normal. There is a new normal at the moment at the hair salon: no blow drys. I once rocked mid length long locks that my previous hairdresser described as Real Houseswives level hair. And even though having a toddler and a newborn means I’m rocking a much more manageable mane, I still love a salon quality professional blow out. Under the new guidelines blow drying hair is not allowed. On the upside, appointments go faster which means you’re more likely to get an appointment.
Facemask Criteria
Obviously face masks are required anytime we are in a place where we can’t practice social distancing. It wasn’t until I received my confirmation email that I noticed something I hadn’t thought of before: they type of face mask you wear matters. Make sure your face mask has earloops instead of going around the back of your head. It seems like common sense, but not everyone will remember to grab the correct face maks when heading out the door.
Double Check the Protocol
After making my appointment, I was given a set of instructions of what to do on the day of my appointment. Everyday errands that we once ran now have so many additional steps and it’s causing us all as a society to experience higher levels of stress. Lower your stress level and make your trip to salon an enjoyable one by reviewing what’s expected before you go. In my case I was told to call from the car and they would tell me when to come in. Once I came in I was expected to immediately wash my hands and keep my face mask on at all times including while having my hair washed. One salon in Chatham asked that you arrive with your hair freshly washed and wet. Other salons are requesting payment online in advance to cut down on time in the salon and time spent at the reception desk. Know before you go and your appointment will run smoothly.
The new guidelines can seem like a hassle but not if you take a bit of time to know what’s expected of you and what you can expect. I’m so grateful for my hairdresser and appreciate her so much! Thanks to her I’m now enjoying my hair which is too short to grab by a child laying on a changing table and getting a reprieve as the family barber.
Now when I can someone tackle these bushy brows…..
About Rebecca Romo
