As businesses across the country start to reopen, many Americans are divided – some gleefully rush back out into public spaces desperate for a return to some form of normalcy, while others think it’s still too dangerous and we should continue to shelter in place. No matter what your opinion, barbershops are slowly being allowed to reopen and people are wondering about haircut safety.
As a shop owner and barber myself, this is a very important topic to me. I’ve spent much of my lockdown reading articles, both for and against, the idea of reopening our nation’s barbershops. The answer isn’t cut and dry – a lot of it comes down to the individual barber and his or her ability to follow established guidelines for public safety. There’s no magic bullet that’s going to make getting a haircut totally safe. But there’s also no evidence that getting a haircut from a barber following proper safety protocols is any more dangerous than going to a big-box store to pick up your sundries. Many barbers tout their rigorous safety training and certification as proof it’s safe for clients to begin coming back. Do they have a point? Let’s take a look.
FACT: The entire barber industry is one big conglomeration of public safety protocols and is heavily regulated and inspected. Barbers are probably the most knowledgeable “non-medical” members of our society when it comes to sterilization and how to protect against the spread of contact related illnesses. They are required to attend school, often over 1,000 hours, and most of that time is spent learning about safety. Did you know: The act of actually cutting hair is one of the least taught skills in a barber school? The lion’s share of their education pertains to communicable disease prevention, sanitation methods, and client safety. Before barbers can receive their license they must first pass a state exam which also focuses heavily on sanitation and client safety. They’re tested on proper sanitation of their tools, blood-exposure procedures, and how to keep the client safe from cross-contamination. Barbershops themselves have protocols they must follow to ensure client safety, and each state has a team of inspectors that make unannounced visits to make sure these protocols are being followed by both the barbers and the shops they work in.
SUPPOSITION: Barbers will apply their “safety-first” education and follow sanitation protocols to ensure client and barber safety at all times, so everything’s all good, right? Not necessarily. This is the part of the article where some barbers may get upset with me, but it needs to be said – not all barbers are created equal. Haircutting skills aside, some barbers take sanitation & client safety more seriously than others. If the shop you went to before the pandemic was filthy and your barber’s station was always a mess, I’d strongly suggest you exercise caution going back there. This isn’t a hard-and-fast rule though – many barbers will view this pandemic as a wake-up call and start taking sanitation more seriously. You just have to understand that barbers are individuals, not robots. Just because safety protocols are in place doesn’t necessarily mean every barber will abide by them. That’s why it’s so important to Trust Thy Barber (see what I did there?).
The safety guidelines that are going to be placed on our industry will only work if barbers follow them. As clients, you have to trust your barbers now, more than ever. When you arrive for a haircut here are some things you should look for to determine if your barber is taking sanitation seriously:
BARBICIDE. That weird “blue juice” you *should* see on every station will tell you everything you need to know about how serious your barber is about sanitation. Barbicide is a hospital-grade disinfectant and all combs and shears should be placed in it after every service. It takes about 15 minutes of submersion to be effective, so barbers are required to have at least 2 of every tool so they can rotate them between clients. If the liquid is cloudy, full of hair, and half-empty, chances are sanitation isn’t very high on that barber’s list of priorities – I’d suggest finding a new one.
MASK & GLOVES. If your barber looks like he’s ready to perform surgery, tell him or her “thank you.” Due to the pandemic these items are hard to come by, so your barber may not have these available. It’s not a deal-breaker, but if your barber doesn’t have these I’d hold off on a haircut if you’re trying to be as safe as possible. Hand washing between clients is the most effective form of hand-hygiene, but fresh gloves for each client adds another level of safety to the service. Masks seem to be misunderstood, so I’ll give a bit of guidance on what I’ve discovered through my research. Paper masks are not meant for YOUR safety, they’re intended to prevent you from breathing potentially harmful droplets into the air – in essence, they’re for the safety of EVERYONE ELSE. An N95 or KN95 mask, on the other hand, is meant to protect YOU, the one wearing the mask. They filter out 95% of airborne particulates if worn properly and are the best defense you have from airborne droplets. Just make sure the seal is good and once it’s on, leave it alone and don’t touch it.
I’ve ordered masks for my shop at the following link. They ship fast from California and I had my masks in less than a week. This IS NOT an affiliate link and I’m not getting paid to recommend these, just trying to help out: https://ihealthlabs.com/kn95-face-mask/
WAITING AREA: Many barbershops operate by walk-ins and take clients on a first-come-first-serve basis. This results in packed lobbies while customers wait to be called by an available barber – this cannot continue. Scheduling appointments and only allowing one client per barber will cut down on the number of people by a large margin. If your shop didn’t have an appointment scheduling solution make sure they do once they are allowed to reopen. The biggest danger of getting a haircut (as I see it) isn’t the close contact between a barber and their client, it’s the sheer number of bodies being packed into a small space. If you go to get your haircut and the shop is packed, turn around and find another one. It needs to be said, almost every barbershop understands this, so the chance of you walking into a crowded shop is pretty low.
CONCLUSION: When it comes to barbershops and haircut safety, it really comes down to the individual barber’s ability to maintain proper sanitary protocols and the client’s ability to recognize whether their barber is being safe or not.
Barbers have the same right as any other profession to earn a wage. By going back to work they face the same risks as the clients they serve – but they are uniquely trained, certified, and monitored by their state to ensure they, and their clients are as safe as possible.
The fact is, Coronavirus is still out there. There is no known cure, we have no vaccine, and going out into any public space puts you at risk of contracting this virus. As businesses begin to reopen it’s up to us to decide what risks we are willing to take with our health. Is there a risk in returning to your favorite barbershop to get a fresh fade? Yep – but I strongly feel that by following proper safety protocols, getting a haircut is no more dangerous than any other public space we would venture out into.
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