Scotland have published that “retail services including hairdressers” will be allowed to open in ‘Phase 3’ alongside pubs and restaurants as part of their ‘COVID-19 – Framework for Decision Making’ although no dates have been announced alongside these phases.

Full details of the Scottish Government’s COVID-19 recovery strategy can be found here.

The Government will determine the date you may return to work. Do not be influenced in anyway by fake news!

Currently the return to work date for all sectors of our industry, including mobiles and freelancers, in England is 4 July, but is conditional on the ‘R’ number remaining below 1 in the period to the 4 July.

In the continued absence of any formal Government guidance regarding what the industry must have in place for health, safety and hygiene purposes for returning to work, this Back to Work Plan will help you plan for re-opening, in a way that will give your staff and customers the confidence they need to know that you have taken all the precautions you can to protect them whilst on your premises. If the Government, in the meantime, gives the industry formal guidance on what they require of us, that will take priority in the parts they mention over this plan.

Prior to Re-Opening Checklist
Producing a Risk Assessment would be an excellent start to preparing for the Re-opening your business. These are simple to prepare; outlining the potential risks and hazards to the premises, the staff and customers of Covid-19, what the risks are, at what level and what you can do to reduce the level of risks to the best of your ability to anyone entering the premises.

Hygiene

• Employees must wash their hands thoroughly before and after each customer service, in addition to other general hand washing duties/times.          
• Thorough cleaning of all equipment (salon owned or personally owned) before and after each treatment and a plan for general cleaning and disinfecting of equipment should be in place. (Barbicide or another industry-approved product can be used).
• Thorough cleaning of surfaces such as handles, handrails, light switches, tables, computers that are touched by many.         
• Laundry, such as towels and gowns (although disposable towels and gowns would be a good option), to be washed on a hot temperature following each usage. If using washable gowns, they should only be used once, with disposable capes over the top of those gowns.

Premises          
Whilst we await any firm guidance from Government, it is fairly safe to assume that social distancing will be necessary to have in place to ensure staff and customer’s health, safety and peace of mind.

• There should be at least 2m distance between customers’ locations. (However, the exact distance required to be disclosed/advised by Government guidelines)
• Any waiting areas should be closed or arranged so that it is possible to keep a minimum of 2m distance if space is available. If not, forming a line outside the salon/shop could be an alternative, together with possibly asking customers to wait in their cars if they have one, and customers are then called to advise when they can come into the salon/barber shop.
• Magazines, toys etc. must be removed from the premises.
• Hot water and soap must be available to customers and employees. In addition, hand sanitiser should be available if possible as well.
• Staggered or extended opening and appointment times could be used, to prevent too many employees from working at the same time and to reduce the amount of customers to ensure distancing between workstations.
• In addition, asking customers to attend their appointments alone would help the overall safe and smooth running of the salon/barber shop.

Reception and retail Area

• Discard old magazines and other non-essential items in the waiting area that cannot be disinfected. 
• Clean and disinfect all hard, non-porous surfaces such as the reception counter, computer keyboard, phones, door handles, light switches and point of sale equipment – make sure to follow contact time for all surfaces (Barbicide or similar industry-approved products can be used).
• Consider online scheduling in place of written appointment cards. 
• Clean and disinfect all shelving, glass and display cases; keep product containers and perspex partitions clean and dust free. 
• Ensure you communicate to your customers and staff that you have taken all possible precautions to look after their health and safety whilst on your premises. This can be done by placing a sign in your window, via social media and on your salon/barber shop website. (See draft example letter of reassurance at the end of this plan which could be used/implemented/adapted).
• Use card transactions rather than cash whenever possible.
• Consider taking payment in advance for hair or barber services.
• Place a hand sanitiser on reception desk for clients to use when entering the salon and barbershop. 

Work stations

• Clean and disinfect all non-porous implements used in your salon and services, as required by Government and to support your own diligence in supporting health, safety and hygienic premises (immersion, spray or wipe). 
• Store properly disinfected implements in closed containers if possible, that have also been disinfected (wipe or spray).
• Clean and disinfect all electrical implements used in your services. 
• Prior to initial re-opening, clean your chairs – consider barrier methods on chairs such as disposable paper drapes or similar.
• Clean and disinfect each work station, trolleys, drawers and any containers used for storage.  

Bathroom

• Clean and disinfect all surfaces. 
• Replace any soft goods (toilet paper, paper towels etc). 
• Consider upgrading to touchless soap dispensers, if you are unable to do this ensure liquid bacterial/soap is available and paper towels where possible.
• Consider adding touchless, automatic hand sanitiser dispensers. 
• Ensure there is a rubbish container in the room. 
• Remove any products that do not belong in the bathroom – nothing should be stored in a bathroom that isn’t needed.

Staff Room

• To be thoroughly cleaned prior to re-opening, with all surfaces cleaned and disinfected throughout the day. Amount of times dependent on level of usage.
• Only allow one staff member at a time in the staff room, only allow more if the room is big enough and they can be at least 2m apart conforming to social distancing.
• Staff members to be encouraged to bring their own cups/mugs for their own personal use, or better still to use disposable cups or bring in bottled water and/or soft drinks etc.

Practical changes

• In the short term, consider staggering appointments so that waiting areas have minimal congestion. 
• Staggering of appointments also gives adequate time to properly clean and disinfect in between customer visits (this could take approximately 10-15 minutes).
• Even if you haven’t used an appointment system before, now may be the time to implement one. If you continue to take walk-ins, be conscious of how many people are in your waiting area (dependent on the size of the salon/barber shop) and be responsible about keeping those numbers low. It may be necessary to ask customers to line up and wait outside, dependent on the size of the premises whilst ensuring a practical distance is maintained between salon chairs. 
• Consider not doing ‘dry cuts’, only cutting hair once it has been thoroughly washed and cleansed.
• Consider how to make your point of sales terminals safer: If you are using an iPad type system, asking the customer to read you their card number means that you are the only one touching that screen. 
• Encourage contactless payments and only take cash as a last resort.
• Encourage the use of applications like Apple Pay that do not require any interaction between your consumer and your surfaces. If you must touch any type of pad, this should be disinfected frequently. 
• In the short term, do not re-introduce things like magazines, self-serve refreshments (coffee and tea etc) or sweets in containers. Either use disposable paper cups for in-salon beverages or suggest that customers bring in their own drink containers/bottles.
• Disinfect reception counter, door handles, phones and writing implements at the beginning of the day and every 1-2 hours, based on traffic through the salon/barber shop.
• Discontinue the practice of shaking hands or any unnecessary contact between customers and staff.
• Decline services for any customer that exhibits signs of illness and make customers aware of this before they attend for their appointment by asking them not to attend if they are showing any symptoms/signs of illness. This also applies if anyone in his or her family household has been ill or is displaying symptoms of illness.
• Consider holding consultations prior to the appointment. 

Laundry

• Any linens that may have been left in the salon prior to lockdown (clean or dirty) should be washed on a hot temperature with detergent and dry until “hot to the touch”
• There should be no moisture or dampness in any linen. 
• Launder all towels and capes.
• All linens should be stored in closed, covered cabinets if possible until used.

Shampooing stations
Clean and disinfect where possible all bowls, handles, hoses, spray nozzles and shampoo chairs after every client. 

On-Going Safety
ALL health, safety and hygiene precautions MUST be followed at all times. The steps below are best practice and may go above and beyond what is officially required.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE):

• Ensure any Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) used is single use wherever possible and must be changed after each client ie gloves, masks, aprons etc.
• Use face protection ie a facemask, or a visor (depending on Government guidelines and your own business requirements).
• Use gloves and aprons (disposable if possible) wherever possible and certainly whilst washing hair. 
• Hands must be washed after removing gloves following every service.

Hand Hygiene

• Wash hands with soap/water for 20-30 seconds before/after eating, smoking and using the bathroom.
• Wash hands immediately before and after providing a customer service, and in between the service where necessary (keep hand sanitiser available as well where possible). 
• If possible, provide hand sanitiser at reception desk and all stations for customers to use.

Cleaning and Disinfecting

• All implements (non-porous) being used on more than one customer must be cleaned and disinfected for the full contact time advised on the disinfectant label before being used again.
• Stations, chairs, trolleys and any other storage containers disinfected throughout the day to ensure vigilance.

Freelancers/mobiles

• When visiting customers in their own homes, it is imperative that the hairdresser/barber follows the same rigorous hygiene regime with regards to equipment, gowns, and towels and in accordance and with the commitment and co-operation of the customer.
• It would be sensible to contact the customer prior to their appointment to outline what you expect of them to protect you and them. 
• It would be prudent to put together whilst preparing for coming out of lockdown, a ‘Risk Assessment’ based upon the risks you perceive to both parties with you visiting their homes, and sharing this with them prior to your visit.
• Asking them to tell you if they or anybody else in their household has been ill in the last 7-14 days. 
• Requesting that during your visit, there are not any other family members, children or animals in the same room as you and your customer whilst carrying out the hair service. 
• Asking that all surfaces prior to your arrival are cleaned and disinfected. In addition, to inform them that you will call them when you arrive outside their home, to then be asked to enter once all the necessary hygiene, health and safety aspects of your visit have been properly taken care of.
• This is somewhat of a partnership between you and the customer, both looking after each other’s health, safety and well-being.
• Consider taking payment in advance of the appointment. 
• Consider holding consultations prior to the appointment. 

Consumer Responsibility
This plan has been about looking at what you can do to protect both your staff and customers, once we are allowed to go back to business, in whatever guise that might be in the future.

However, the customer too has a role to play in this and should consider your health and safety requirements when entering your premises.

New 2-piece Hair Gripper accessory gives great hold to enhance cut precision.

Now that you’ve got the right Andis clipper and trimmer for every technical cut, the new 2-piece Hair Gripper pack from Andis is the perfect accessory to refine every style.

Quick and easy to use, the Andis Hair Gripper allows barbers and stylists to hold hair in place, and longer hair out of the way, so you can focus on clipping and trimming each section without interference or distraction. More convenient and effective than hair clips, Andis Hair Grippers are reusable and easy to clean in between each use.    

Price: £7.95 for a 2-piece Hair Gripper pack

Discover at www.andis.com Call SPUK on 01635 279 824 for your nearest stockist or buy online https://bit.ly/Andis-Gripper

Having provided the hair and beauty industry with ongoing advice and insights throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, NHBF has published to the public its ‘Back to business’ guidelines for barbershops and hair and beauty salons.

This in-depth guide is based on government guidelines and includes NHBF recommendations for how these guidelines can be put in place in barbershops and salons, is free to download for anyone in the industry and will be updated accordingly should any government guidelines change.
The guide covers everything from what to do before reopening, to health & safety, taking financial control and advice for chair, space and room renters.

This advice is crucial to getting the hair and beauty industry back on track and gives shop and salon owners and their employees clarity moving forward.

The guide has been developed thanks to the ongoing conversations between the NHBF and the government, helping MPs and government officials see that it is possible for the hair and beauty industry to return to work in a way that is safe for both client and colleague.

The full guide is available to view now: https://bit.ly/3g0Uo4J

In a world gripped by the Coronavirus pandemic, the impact on barbers and hairdressers is profound. As businesses remain closed, incomes continue to be affected and with the industry facing uncertain times, Andis Company was keen to help those falling on hard times. To support the industry and show solidarity with fellow professionals at this time, Andis is delighted to become the newest Sponsor of the Hair and Beauty Charity and boost their Covid-19 Relief Fund on JustGiving with a £1,000 donation.

As the industry’s recognised charity, the Hair and Beauty Charity is perfectly positioned to support professionals in particularly challenging circumstances. It has responded to the Coronavirus pandemic by setting up a Relief Fund on JustGiving and, as Andis Senior Manager – Corporate Communications Bruce Bock says, it’s just what Andis was looking for. “As a company we invest in charitable programmes and projects that make a difference to local communities, so we were especially looking to contribute to a Relief Fund in the UK to help barbers and stylists affected by Coronavirus. The Hair and Beauty Charity does incredible work in support of professionals who find themselves in challenging situations and their initiative to set up a specific fund for businesses affected by Coronavirus is a perfect fit for us.”

Andis joins many leading brands, media partners and industry professionals in their support of the charity and those who are striving to reach the Covid-19 Relief Fund’s £20,000 target.

“In addition to our support of the charity and the Covid-19 Relief Fund, we will be helping to raise its profile through our PR and social media to make barbers and stylists aware of the charity and what it does,” says Bruce. “We very much look forward to working in partnership with the charity and their team.”   

Visit the Hair and Beauty Charity visit https://www.hairandbeautycharity.org 

Support the Hair and Beauty Charity Relief Fund visit https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/relieffund  

For more information on Andis visit www.andis.com 

We want to do our best to help you find your new normal once restrictions have been lifted, and safely prepare for the re-opening of your salon for future visits. That’s why we’ve introduced a new feature that will help you easily notify your clients when it’s perfect time to come back into your salon and everything has been prepared to safely start the appointment. Introducing, I’m Ready!

Picture this: the COVID-19 lockdown has been lifted and you’re ready to re-open your business. As the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we think about health, safety and hygiene procedures, you’ll want to make every effort to make your clients feel safe during the visit. Many of your customers are looking forward to using your services again, but may still be afraid of being in contact with a large number of people in a small space. That’s why we’ve introduced I’m Ready, a new feature that will help to make your clients comfortable while visiting your salon, knowing that you’ll be ready to give them your undivided attention in a safe space.

Thanks to the new I’m Ready feature, you can easily notify your clients via the Booksy app that they can already come into your salon and start their appointment. Now you can minimize footfall in your salon and reserve some padding time between appointments to sanitize the tools and workspaces, while your client waits outside your salon until you’re ready to go. So if they want to avoid the busier spaces and don’t want to cross paths with other people inside your salon, they can wait until you ask them directly to come in. 

I’m Ready! How does it work?

1. Choose an upcoming visit in your calendar and go to the appointment details.
2. Click the “I’m Ready” button at the bottom and send a confirmation to notify your client that you’re ready for the appointment.

3. Clients using the Booksy app receive an SMS or Push notification telling them that you are ready for their visit and they can now come into your salon.

And it’s as easy as that. With our new I’m Ready feature, you’ll be able to give your clients some much needed peace of mind when it comes to heading back out and enjoying their health, beauty and wellness treatments. 

Check out what other safety steps you can take to re-open your salon once restrictions have been lifted. Discover our new features like online services and custom forms to help you prepare yourself to bounce right back into business.

The £1.7 Million Haircut tells a personal story about a global issue – men believing that they can’t or shouldn’t talk about their mental health and feeling that there is no way out other than to take their own lives. This is the story about one man’s mission to change this and to saves lives, one haircut at a time. 

‘The £1.7 Million Haircut’ documentary recounts the story of a life lost to suicide and an ambition to create safe spaces for men to talk, open up and work towards a world free from suicide. 

After the death of his friend Alex, Torquay based barber Tom Chapman founded the charity ‘The Lions Barber Collective’. Its mission is to create non-clinical, non-judgemental safe spaces where men feel comfortable to talk about their mental health and to signpost them to support and information.

Recognising that barbers and hair professionals are often a trusted confidant and friendly ear to their customers, the documentary shows Tom’s efforts to develop a clinically backed training programme (BarberTalk) for hair stylists to support their clients and communities. 

With someone in the UK taking their own life every 120 minutes, 75% of them being men, the need for change is more crucial than ever. ‘The £1.7 Million Haircut’ follows Tom taking the challenge head on, to break down the stigma around men discussing their mental health. Tom meets with influential leaders in the South West to expose the stark reality the impact suicide has on communities, healthcare services and the economy. 

Tom Chapman said “The economic impact per suicide is something I had not really considered before, loss of earning, loss of employment, inquests into the death, it amounts to so much more than we could ever imagine. It now makes what we are doing as a charity even more important, to save lives and make a difference to families out there who have been subject to such tragedy. I am now making it my mission to create a world free from suicide, how could we ask for anything less?”.

Tom Chapman said “The economic impact per suicide is something I had not really considered before, loss of earning, loss of employment, inquests into the death, it amounts to so much more than we could ever imagine. It now makes what we are doing as a charity even more important, to save lives and make a difference to families out there who have been subject to such tragedy. I am now making it my mission to create a world free from suicide, how could we ask for anything less?”.

Made by ‘Films by Wonder’, the film is produced by Lisa Gardiner, directed by Josh Pratt and demonstrates the charity’s obvious impact on people’s lives. We meet the official ambassadors of the charity, Dan Davies, Darren Birch and Wez Jones who help deliver the BarberTalk training across the country and beyond. Each share their story of helping their clients as well as close personal accounts of the reality of coping with mental health issues – from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder to experiencing suicidal thoughts. 

Due for release in May, the documentary builds on the charity’s momentum to become a global movement by training barbers all over the world to recognise when someone is struggling and support them to find further help. And, despite the positive aspects of meeting Prince William, The Duke of Cambridge as well as Tom receiving the Points of Light Award from former Prime Minister, Teresa May, it also shows the reality of the challenges of running a charity. The viewer sees upfront the ever-growing burden of trying to acquire funding and the tough decisions that Tom must make to secure its future.

“Tom’s work has saved so many lives. Suicide is the biggest killer of men under 45. Our fathers, our brothers, our sons. I’d urge everyone to watch this film – not only to hear about Tom’s important work but to also be inspired by the impact that one person can have.”

Dr. Sabrina Rachel Cohen-Hatton, Psychologist and Writer.

“Like Professor Green passed the baton to Tom Chapman, who has run exceptionally, beautifully to the finish line, inspiring thousands in the process.”

Eddie Temple Morris, Producer and Virgin Radio DJ.

“I defy anyone not to be moved by this film or fail to be inspired by Tom’s passion and the commitment of those he has motivated to follow his lead. We must not ignore him. Tom and his Lions Barbers Collective have never felt so important and I wish them heart felt success in going from strength to strength.”

Dr. Annie M Procter MB BCh MSC MD, Director of Mental Health Services, Cardiff & Vale University Health Board.

‘The £1.7 Million Haircut’ is released on 18 May 2020 on Vimeo on Demand. View on Vimeo on Demand: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/millionpoundhaircut

Visit the Documentary website: www.the1point7millionpoundhaircut.com

Following the publication of the Welsh Government’s roadmap out of lockdown, the NHBF has welcomed their clarity for hairdressers within their traffic light guidance system.

There are four possible phases to the Welsh system: Lockdown (Black), Red, Amber and Green. Although no dates have currently been allocated to when each phase will play out, the government has listed ‘hairdressing’ as a ‘personal service under appointment’ in the Amber Phase of their roadmap. This is alongside non-essential retail and accommodation businesses (without shared facilities).

The NHBF has already written to the government about its decision to include ‘personal care’ services in Phase 3 alongside hospitality in England.  Hairdressing, barbering and beauty are usually included in with retail, for example for the purposes of business rates.  Many salons benefit from the retail business rates relief.  We have written to the Scottish government in similar terms.

Much like the UK Government’s Covid-19 recovery strategy that was released earlier this week, the Welsh roadmap is subject to continued progress in containing the spread of the virus, and each phase has its own social distancing measures. The Welsh Government has also said that things will not move ‘wholesale’ from one phase to the next, and that changes will be made slowly and with great care.

The NHBF represents 234 salons in Wales, and has already volunteered to support the Welsh Government by calling on their Members who want to take part in any pilot schemes.

Hilary Hall, chief executive of the NHBF says, “The safety of our industry has always been our top concern. We welcome the Welsh Government’s clarity that hair and beauty sits alongside retail and accommodation businesses. We will continue our conversations with the UK Government and the Scottish government about where hair and beauty should sit within the plans for lifting lockdown in England and Scotland. We have recently released robust guidelines to our Members and government contacts to show that salons and barbershops can operate safely whenever it’s time to re-open.”

Takara Belmont’s National Sales Manager Katie Wrighton explains how leasing can transform your barbershop, expand service opportunities and boost business income.

Takara Belmont is famed for timeless, iconic design, unrivalled performance and durability. But did you know that our range can be lease purchased, and that we offer a free Salon Design Service for barbershops looking to create an inspirational interior and deliver the ultimate service experience?

With a national distributor network, barbershops can get the best chairs and equipment whilst managing expenditure by leasing. Leasing ensures that you can maximise your service and income potential whilst managing cashflow, as well as benefiting from tax efficiencies. You need to invest in things other than equipment, so buying outright or taking out loans can divert money away from things like training and recruitment. Leasing not only frees up cash resources for other priorities, it enables you to benefit from premium furniture and equipment in a manageable, low interest and tax efficient way with fixed monthly payments.

Leasing also makes sense because buying inferior equipment can cost more in the longterm. The cost of repairs or replacement equipment not only means barbershops typically spend more over time, business can suffer from lost revenues due to service disruption, downtime and equipment failure. 

In addition to equipment, Takara Belmont has also designed some of the world’s most inspirational interiors. Our free* concept-to-completion design service ensures your dream of the ultimate barbershop is realised! 

Now is the perfect time to look at your equipment options so visit takarahairdressing.co.uk/leasing or email hairdressing@takara.co.uk for your nearest distributor

* Salon Design Service is free subject to equipment purchases and T&Cs. See website for details. Leasing is available through our distributors and not directly with Takara Belmont.

Hair and Barber Council registrar Keith Conniford reassures the industry he will be looking for clarification from Government this week on whether hair and barber salons are classed as non-essential shops. 

Keith reacted to the Prime Minister’s latest lockdown announcement, which saw Boris Johnson stress that the lockdown is still in place, stating this is not the time to make any changes, but to take small steps. 

Steps announced were: 

From May – If you can’t work from home you are encouraged to go to work 

From June – Some primary schools may be allowed to reopen along with some non-essential shops 

From July – Hospitality sector may be able to open together with other public places 

All the above are conditional on the R numbers remaining low. 

Keith Conniford says: “The announcement was very disappointing and ambiguous. I was expecting more than what was announced, such as restrictions on households and families being lifted. The Prime Minster says he will be going into more detail this week so will be interesting to see what he says. 

“Concerning our industry, he stated that from 1 June non-essential shops will open – so does that include salons, barbershops and beauty salons? I will be speaking to Government and our APPG this week as to whether we are classed as non-essential businesses. For business, this was a disappointing announcement and we are left with no more information that we were last week. My biggest concern was his statement that if you can’t work from home then go to work – I believe that was aimed at manufacturing, construction and medical rather than our industry and we urge hairdressers, barbers and beauticians to wait for further clarification, which we will endeavour to get as soon as possible.” 

Find out more about The Hair & Barber Council: www.haircouncil.org.uk