With South Africa still at Level 4 of the COVID-19 national lockdown, it is possible that hair salons may only be allowed to reopen at Level 1, which is likely to be a while away.
Once salons do open, however, they will probably experience a flood of customers desperate for professional hair services, after months of attempting to tend to their own hair.
An article in Business Insider published on 26 April reports that in countries such as Denmark, where lockdown restrictions have been eased, there has been a rush for haircuts.
The Business Insider article quotes Craig Johns, owner of The Lobby Hair Shop in Cape Town, as saying that he expects a big influx of customers post lockdown. “Especially those people who’ve previously coloured their hair. And I think we’ll see lots of gents, too – I reckon there are lots of guys who’ve had a hack, and are now needing some help.”
When salons are legally allowed to open again in South Africa, it’s expected that strict hygiene & sanitation protocols will be in place, with stylists wearing face masks, visors and gloves and practicing frequent sanitisation. Salons may also be required to keep a strict record of clients for tracing purposes.