Lockdown locks were finally tamed today as scissors, clippers and blow dryers were back in action in barbers and salons across the Republic.
Queues formed outside several hairdressers from early morning as people waited for much-needed trims.
Some were seeking hasty repair jobs, having suffered DIY misadventures during the four months of closure.
Laura Grufferty, a star of Googlebox Ireland, was back in her salon, House of LA, in Athy, Co Kildare.
"There were definitely lots of botched jobs done during lockdown," she joked.
"We are high-fiving the women who didn't do the botched colouring."
Mrs Grufferty said the last number of weeks had been "hectic" as she prepared for reopening, with a range of new safety measures implemented, including screens and PPE.
"It's been very expensive," she said.
"It's crippling for a business when they've not been making money but for the safety of my staff and also the customers that come in here, it was a no brainer, we had to take that hit and just put that in.
"Realistically you can't run your business and make sure everyone is protected and make sure your staff are protected without stuff like this so it was really difficult, but it has to be done."
She said customers would notice many differences, including an appointment-only system.
"We also can't give them a hug now," she added.
Mrs Grufferty's sister-in-law Kathleen was one of the first back into one of the salon's chairs this morning.
"I'm very excited to be back and feel normal again," she said.
"I was in at 9am this morning, it was great - one of the first."
Bryant Jordan was also there early doors.
"I got my last hair cut about a week before they declared everything was shutting down," he said.
"I haven't let anybody else cut my hair - I thought I'd just wait it out."
