As the Chair Turns - June 2020

What day is it?
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How are you doing?  You doing alright?  As days have turned in to weeks and weeks in to months I hope you are staying healthy, not just physically but mentally well, too.

This month, again, I’ve tried to focus on stories and articles that are relevant to the current times we’re living through.

You should have received a couple emails from me last month in addition to my monthly newsletter.  In one I let you know that Bay Area salons and barbershops would be reopening in Phase 2c with a target date of July 13th.  The other one outlined what to expect once the salon is back open and that we would be working with limited schedules.  I’ll be working Sunday thru Wednesday when we reopen.  I have opened my schedule if you want to start scheduling appointments after July 13th. There are links throughout this newsletter to help you with that. 

Hair is getting out of control and not everyone has been able to get a “covid-cut” or color their hair at home.  While baseball caps might work for some, I thought I would recommend another option, head scarfs and bandanas.  I found a few sites for you with tutorials and “how to’s” if you’re wanting to try a different look for that Zoom meeting.

I’ve talked about stress and hair loss quite a bit.  Almost 3 months into this pandemic you might be noticing a few more hairs on your pillow or in your hair brush. This is normal under the circumstances.  Being mindful of your activities and mental state will help offset some of the stress and fatigue you may be feeling.  Yoga with Andriene has received some national attention so I have links for you. Meditation is another great way to feel centered.  Check out the link with podcast recommendations.

On a more serious note and please do not take the following personally.  It’s just something I need to say.

I have been asked if I would make house calls. The requests have come from clients and friends alike.  As much as I would love to see each and every one of you, this is asking quite a lot from me.  From the very beginning of this lock-down I made it very clear I would take every precautions necessary to ensure my own safety and well-being, as well as those around me.  I have no control over the behavior of others, but I can at least be mindful of my own environment and surroundings.

COVID-19 is a secret predator. The nature of my work is very intimate and breaches the 6-foot distancing recommendation, now 30 feet in some situations. This means even stricter protocols are necessary.  By asking me to come in to your home you are asking me to break the Stay-at-Home order and put a few things at risk.  First would be both your and my heath, safety, and well-being.  We are not of the same households nor have we been self-quarantining together.  Next would be my license and career, basically my livelihood.  I have invested too much to foolishly risk having that taken away.

Someone put it this way: “Asking a hairstylist to do your hair right now, when it’s clearly prohibited to break stay-at-home orders, is like asking a doctor friend to write you a random prescription for narcotics.”

I have been very vocal about other hairstylists and salons that have disobeyed stay-at-home orders and are “secretly” (some not so secretly) doing hair.  I understand the need to support yourself and your family, I do, but at what cost?  At the cost of spreading a very highly contagious virus?  Reopening the salon, even with the highest cleaning, sanitation, and disinfection protocols in place, has its own risks.  I get it.  But at least in the salon, we are doing our best to protect you (and ourselves) in somewhat of a controlled and hopefully safe environment.

I know this may seem harsh, but I’m not going to lose my license, jeopardize my career or my health for you.  Please, respect my profession and my career and know I’d never ask the same of you.

Whew...

I am available by email, text or phone if you have any questions or concerns.  Or just want to chat.

I think that's all for now.

What’s Inside This Month

The “New Normal” (for now)
Hair-Scarf Ideas That’ll Take Your “Quarantine” style to the Next Level
Is Your Hair Falling Out During the Pandemic?
√ Barbicide Disinfection Certification
Experts Say Hair Salons are a “Medium Risk” Activity
Do Blow Dryers Actually Spread Coronavirus?
‘Caution Fatigue’: What Is It and How to Fight It
How to Clean a Hairbrush and Why You Should Do It More
What is Hair Density and Why Does It Matter?
A Man’s Guide to Brushes and Combs
How to Cut-Throat Shave at Home
Quarantine Fitness: Yoga with Adriene
“Follically Challenged”
   * Does saw palmetto help with hair loss?
Homemade Hand Sanitizer
Episodes: The Best Meditation Podcasts
Amy Schumer Learns to Cook
    * Chicken Wings with Honey and Soy Sauce
The Story of Hair: Egypt’s Hairy History