I usually try to use this space for a heavy topic, or opinion.
But frankly, I am tired of heavy right now. So, yes, this isn’t a deep column.
You got me.
But, what the heck to do with our hair while we wait for hair salons to open back up is what most of my friends are talking about, when we aren’t texting OMGs about how many people have died and the terrifying prospects for the economy post-COVID.
During the May 3 COVID-19 briefing, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said salons and barbershops won’t be part of the first phase of reopenings.
And so the wait will continue as the roots grow out, the cuts become disheveled and the curls lose their luster.
Thus I turned to an expert, my Squamish hairdresser, Fiona Von Hahn, for pandemic hair advice.
I am not the only one, multiple clients have reached out to her, she said.
“They are panicking,” she said.
For roots that are growing out, Von Hahn has a few stop-gap measures.
“Waterproof mascara works great,” she said, adding colour dry shampoos do the trick, too.
Scarves, bandanas and ball hats are obviously great in a pinch.
The worst thing to do is make extreme changes, she said.
“Box dye — and I have seen them,” she said.
If you do succumb, hairdressers can fix it, but it will cost more, and it is likely going to be hard to get an appointment when salons are first up and running again because it takes a longer session to colour correct than for other services.
If you just can’t resist doing something with your colour, why not go a little wild, such as a semi-permanent pink, purple or blue, Von Hahn added.
For bangs, Von Hahn says if you are careful, you can trim them yourself.
“Take that bang section and twist it together above your nose and trim a little bit,” she said, adding it is better to cut too little than a lot.
For split ends, she says a nail clipper will work and not do too much damage.
“If you have to do it, go for minimal.”
And guys, if you are going to take clippers to your head — or ask your partner to do it — going bald is easier than trying to leave a bit of length using a shaving guard. (We have all seen those social media posts of patches buzzed out of husbands’ heads. Yikes.)
As you shave to a dome-like finish, go the direction opposite of the hair growth — for sides and back shave upward; on the top, go from front to back.
And like for everything else with this pandemic, Von Hahn’s advice is also to just be patient. “It will end soon and afterward, it is a great time for a big change.”
