MIDLAND, Texas — Cutting, styling and coloring your hair is usually left to the professionals.
But ever since 12:01 a.m. on Thursday, April 2, hair salons and barber shops have been closed.
This decision from the governor during COVID-19 has prompted some of us to turn our bathrooms into our very own hair salons.
With that being the case, all of us have been running to the store to buy shiny new hair clippers among other hair products.
Local stores say the closing of these salons is why demand for clippers is so high and they’re feeling the pressure to keep up.
Sally Beauty is down to their last box of hair clippers. They sold all their pairs except one last week.
Q Mart has also been selling hair clippers by the shear.
RDA Pro-Mart Beauty Supplies has almost sold out too, selling four to five sets of clippers on their busiest days.
Beauty supply stores say they’re trying their best to keep up with demands by ordering new products as soon as they can.
So be warned.
If you go out looking for hair clippers, you might just get cut off.
________________________________________________________________
Here's what professionals advise when it comes to maintaining your hair:
The biggest pieces of advice for both men and women maintaining their hair without their stylist or barber is less is more and natural is the best look for now.
"I would use this opportunity to just give your hair a break, so don’t flat iron it if you don’t have to, don’t curl it if you don’t have to, don’t even blow dry it if you don’t have to. Read the instructions of these restorative, deep conditioning, bond building, protein-filled masks, follow those directions and do it every day if you want to," Katrina Guidry, Reset salon hair stylist said.
"Most important is to not cut your own hair and not get somebody who doesn’t know what they’re doing to cut their hair. I think it’s best to just leave your hair alone, let it grow out, make sure you’re washing it, keeping it clean. Even if they have facial hair, I recommend you don’t try and line yourself up unless you absolutely have to," Emilio Mendez, owner of Garage barbershop said.
Here's additional advice from them:
- Contact your stylist for a color kit
- Don’t cut your own hair
- Don’t get store bleach to highlight hair
- Use sprays or brush-ons like the brand wow for a temporary fix
- FaceTime your stylist if you really need a haircut
- With bangs, never go above your eyebrows
- When barber shops open, it’ll be easier to fix overgrown hair than a pushed back hairline or pushed down beard
- Be patient
- If you have to cut your hair or beard, buy some clippers or edgers
- Don’t cut it super short, less is more
________________________________________________________________
Now it’s also a hairy situation for cosmetology students because before COVID-19, they were getting hours of face to face coursework and practicum application. Now, that looks slightly different at the cosmetology school at Odessa College.
"Normally the practical work is 75 percent and normally we’re working on clients. The advanced students are working on clients. So we’re backtracking now. They’re able to work at home if they’re at home with family members and so the assignments we give them, they’ll either perform the services on a mannequin or someone from home," Cheree Shepardson, cosmotology chair Odessa College said.
Odessa College said lots of beauty companies have offered supplemental online materials for their students as well and instead of traveling to various trainings, cosmetology professors have been involved in webinars and zoom meetings.
Odessa College has been providing beauty supplies for cosmetology students to come pick up at the school to use for their assignments.