UNLESS you are lucky enough to live with a stylist, haircuts may be on hold until the current lockdown measures have eased.
Following new government guidelines, hairdressers and barbers across Northern Ireland have pulled down the shutters for the forseeable future as the nature of their work makes it difficult to implement social distancing.
But one Belfast barber is coming to the rescue of those in need of haircut assistance over the next few weeks.
Sean Lawlor, right, who runs Cambridge Barbers, said he will help “guide you through” the styling process as people take on the important hair tasks themselves.
“The idea came from a customer who has been coming into me ever since he was a kid,” he said. “He’s 19 now, but he’s in on a regular basis, like many young people in particular are. Some kids like to get their hair cut almost every week.
“So this kid came down and he’d bought a pair of clippers and said he’s going to get his mum to cut his hair over the next few weeks and wanted me to give some tips. “So I said any problems, I’ll do a video call and I’ll talk his mum through it, guide her through what she has to do.”
Mr Lawlor, who has been a barber for more than 30 years and has salons on the Lisburn Road and in Stranmillis, warned against people cutting their own hair. “It’s not easy thing to do. A basic haircut could be done OK, but fades are another thing altogether,” he said.
“My main tip would be, get someone else in your house to do it for you – it’s so difficult to cut your own hair.” But for those people with longer or coloured hair, the options may be a bit more limited. However, numerous hair specialists are now taking to the internet and social media to offer tips on keeping tresses under control.
There are numerous online salons offering home haircare tips, including Peter Mark Hair, which has salons across Ireland. Some of its stylists have been providing online tutorials on Instagram to walk people through different processes.
The hair company is providing help to some of the most pressing hair dilemmas such as colouring, cutting and maintaining good hair.
Alongside the hashtag ‘homehairhelp’, it said: “Let us know if you have any questions or queries or if we can do a specific styling video because although we are not able to look after you in our salons right now if we can help you pass some time and help you feel a little bit better about yourself then we’re here to help.”
