Hairstylists: how to protect yourself from the coronavirus?

We understand that you may not be able to close your hair business, salon or shop during the Coronavirus outbreak. Therefore, if you are still open and taking clients, here are few tips to protect yourself from the Coronavirus.

As you are likely aware, the Coronavirus (COVID-19) is spreading rapidly throughout the world. The Coronavirus outbreak started in Wuhan, in the Hubei province of China. According to the CDC, as of March 13th, 2020, the virus has been detected in over 100 locations throughout the U.S. and has infected over 1600 Americans and killed 41. The virus causes flu-like symptoms, including fever, cough, and shortness of breath in more severe cases.

As a hairstylist, you come into close contact with others on a regular basis, and this makes it important for you to know how to keep yourself, your employees, and your clients safe during this trying time.

Dos and Don’ts for Hairstylists to prevent the coronavirus spread

Dos:

1. Update your guidelines for appointments

– Update your booking website: Post some preventive measures for your clients on your website. Updating your booking page will allow clients to read your new rules before they can book a hair appointment.

Here are a few preventive notes that you can post on your booking website:

• Clients, please stay home if you are sick, feeling cold or flu-like symptoms.
• We will provide the necessary accommodations to reschedule your hair appointment.
• You will not be charged to reschedule your hair appointment.
• You will not be charged to cancel your hair appointment.
• Be sure to get medical care if you feel worse, or you think it is an emergency.

– No extra people: Advise your clients not to bring additional people (including children). No guest should be allowed at the time of the appointment. You can prevent the spread of the virus by reducing the number of people that you interact with. The fewer people you interact with, the lower the chance of contamination.

– Revise your scheduling: Schedule hair appointments at least 30 minutes apart to avoid too many people showing up at your place at the same time. If your calendar is busy, and you cannot fit all appointments on the same day, you can ask clients to reschedule at no charge for additional precaution.

– No double booking: You can also reduce the occurrence of client interactions in your salon by avoiding double booking. This means you will only allow one client at a time.

Booking app for pro braiders

2. Sanitize your hair salon

• Inform: Print and display signs around your shop that encourage clients to follow the best practices, protect themselves, and prevent the virus spread.
• Clean and Disinfect: Buy disinfectant wipes, and other disinfectants and keep them on hand to keep surfaces clean. Wipe down stations and chairs after each client. To help to reduce the spread of germs, wipe down your phone, door handles, and any other high-traffic surfaces.
• Sterilize your tools: Keep sterilizing your tools and work equipment. Sanitized combs, brushes, dryers, and other tools that you use to style your clients’ hair must be clean at all times.

Keep some hand sanitizer around. Remember that the sanitizer must be at least 60% alcohol to be effective against the Coronavirus. Also, keep the bathrooms stocked with antibacterial soap and paper towels (which eliminate hand towels that could harbor harmful bacteria). I case you run out of hand sanitizer and your local store is out of stock, you can use rubbing alcohol as an alternative disinfectant.

– Wash your hands: Regularly and thoroughly clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand rub or wash them with soap and water. Wash your hands after every session, and tell your client to do the same. If you have workers, encourage them to do the same.

– Wash your tools and accessories: Machine wash capes and hair towels frequently using some bleach. This isn’t the time to skip out on washing either of these. These washing precautions will help reduce the risk of spreading germs.

– Follow social distancing: Seat clients in every other salon chair to create a safe social distance between clients. This will help them feel safer while they are in your salon.

Don’ts:

– Don’t charge customers for missed or rescheduled appointments due to illness. Instead, make it easy for your clients to reschedule their appointment. Customers may come into your salon sick because they want to avoid a fee.

– Do not take hair appointments of clients’ that are sick. It is safer to reschedule the appointment. According to the CDC, the best way to prevent illness is to avoid being exposed to the virus in the first place. If you decide that you want to do a sick person’s hair, make sure that you offer a face mask to your client or wear one yourself.

– Don’t allow sick employees to come to work. Allow them ample time to recover before coming back to work. Consider more relaxed sick policies to enable clients to take time off that they need.

While there is no way to eliminate the risk of coming into contact with the Coronavirus in your salon, you can use the above Dos and Don’ts to help you run your salon in a way that is as safe as possible.

Don’t panic; stay aware of the latest information, updates, and recommendations from reliable sources such as the CDC or the World Health Organization (WHO) websites. Follow the announcement released by your local public health authority regarding the closures of businesses in your area.

Should you close your hair business temporarily?

We understand that these times are challenging for your hair business, as it is your primary source of income. Depending on where you are located, you might be required to close your hair salon temporarily during this confinement period. If you have to close, make sure that you email to your clients to inform them of the situation. Keep in touch with your clients with updates about your business operations.

We are here to help whether it is providing advice or scheduling tips for your appointments. If you need help updating your schedule or opening hours on your Ebena booking page, please contact us and let us know.

Take care of your health and protect others.