"What do I do with my hair?"

I often get asked for advice about hair. But now more than ever I get asked, “What do I do with my hair?” Legendary hairdresser Christiaan recently posted on his Instagram, “Just let it grow for once. That way one may see something new and more relevant when this is all over…” I couldn’t agree more. Before all this I used to wonder why some people would cling to the idea of a haircut even if it didn’t suit them. This also reigns true with their hair color. We are creatures of habit and we cling to ideas and things whether they are good for us or not. Now is the perfect time to let it grow and welcome change. It’s liberating really.

Years ago when I was taking clients I used to be so excited when they would come in after letting their hair grow out, or even better, when they had gone to see someone else and the haircut was a bit f*cked up. It was a challenge for me and it also gave me an opportunity to be more creative. I know a few hairdressers out there who will rise to the challenge once we can go back to seeing one another safely. 

And on that note: Right now all hairdressers globally are suffering economically. Here are some of the ways you can help your hairdresser during this time:

First check on them to see how they are doing.

Offer to pay for your haircuts or color services in advance via Paypal or Venmo.

Buy gift cards from the salon. 

Find out if they are a part of an affiliate program with a hair care brand like Hairstory or Reverie so they can get commissions for products you purchase. 

They may also be selling products for contactless pick up.

If you must trim your bangs or color your hair ask for a FaceTime coaching session—this is also a fun way to reconnect with your hairdresser.

Lastly, if you take my advice on growing it out perhaps arranging a digital consultation to plan a future haircut or color is another way to connect with your hairdresser without having to use the kitchen scissors. 

I wanted to add one more note here: When the salons do re-open, be patient and understanding. The owners and hairdressers will need to educate them selves of the safest practices. They may need to make decisions like taking less clients or limiting their staff time in the space and extending their hours of operation. Once business restrictions are lifted hair services will be in an overwhelmingly high demand and with that demand comes a high risk. Be patient. I know many hairdressers cannot wait to get back to work and are looking forward to seeing you. Just understand that it may take some time once things have lifted for them to book you in for an appointment.

For hairdressers, now is a perfect time to invest in your careers. I’ve been contacted by so many hairdressers lately who have been watching the Vidal Sassoon movie, revisiting their Hair Heroes books, and hairstories from Bumble and bumble. Find inspiration, dig up your old stacks of magazines and deconstruct the hair...How would you cut it or style it or color it? It’s how I’ve been spending most of my time these days—digging up my archives and getting inspired.

My next piece of advice is to unfollow uninspiring Instagram accounts and start following people who can spark your creativity. Those who make you excited to get back out there and try something new. Right now I love following @hairbros and @losthairdressers for inspiration, and when it comes to education I highly recommend you check out @ponyeducation.live and @hairbrained_official. 

Some restrictions may be lifting soon, but it will take some time to fully understand how to safely run your businesses moving forward. From what I am seeing there will be a lot of “disposable” PPE being added to ensure the safety of the hairdresser and client. This is a personal conflict for me and I am sure many of you reading this. Adding more “disposable” to an already wasteful industry is a conflict for those who are seeking to limit the waste they are already creating. This is not to say you shouldn’t be following the safety precautions outlined but it poses questions and opportunities to seek better solutions: is there an alternative and safe way of moving forward that wouldn’t require so much waste?

It also seems contradictory considering there is a shortage of PPE supplies in many hospitals. At this point, why and how would a limited resource like a mask be available for a hairdresser and not a doctor? I could go on but I think we should all be asking questions like this.

And my advice to everyone:

More important than hair care at the moment is self care (even though I don’t like that word). The amount of stress and anxiety during this time is very very high. This is an opportunity to consider new habits we can incorporate into our lives. If you don’t have a meditation practice, I recommend you try 5 minutes in the morning and evening to help ease some anxiety you may be experiencing. Be safe and be well.