"Demand has been huge" Hairdressers gear up to re-open from July 4

Hairdressers are now allowed to reopen from July 4 - and salons across Preston are preparing for the big day.
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The Prime Minister continued the easing of the lockdown after more than three months by announcing that hair salons could re-open their doors this weekend.

In his speech, he said: "Almost as eagerly awaited as a pint will be a haircut, particularly by me, and so we will reopen hairdressers with appropriate precautions, including the use of visors."

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New guidelines will be announced soon and are expected to include use of protective screens and hand sanitising facilities.

Nicola, owner and manager of Flame and Urban Spa, Preston.Nicola, owner and manager of Flame and Urban Spa, Preston.
Nicola, owner and manager of Flame and Urban Spa, Preston.

It comes after Mr Johnson announced sweeping changes to the lockdown restrictions, including relaxing the 2m distancing rule.

This news will impact businesses like Flame Urban Spa, in Preston, who will have to keep their nail and beauty salon out of bounds when their hairdressers opens again on Saturday.

Nicola Dickinson, owner of the salon, on Garstang Road, has spent thousands of pounds on more towels and gowns for customers.

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"We have taken the time to refurbish the salon and maintain it during lockdown. We are excited to open our hairdressers, but disappointed that half my staff aren't able to return because we can't offer beauty treatments," she said.

Flame can reopen with face shields and plastic screens between work stations.Flame can reopen with face shields and plastic screens between work stations.
Flame can reopen with face shields and plastic screens between work stations.

"It's a shame because we are actually one of the most sanitary industries, it's much cleaner in a beauty salon than in a pub or restaurant. Everything is sanitised between clients and all my staff have PPE provided. If you are waxing someones leg for example, you're further away from them than when you are cutting their hair."

After winning the award for Lancashire Hair Salon of the Year in March, the salon now has a list of 370 clients to schedule in for a haircut.

"It was a kick in the teeth winning an award and then having to close because of lockdown. We made sure to keep a list of clients who had kept appointments and who have supported us. We are lucky that we have a spacious salon, because we have two metres between every station," said Nicola, who managed the salon for 17 years before buying the business in 2019.

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"It's not going to be the same luxury experience for people, as there's no access to drinks or magazines, but we've still made sure to create sanitising stations and made everywhere that little bit more spacious."

At David Thomas Hair, each client gets a bag with gloves and hand sanitisers provided.At David Thomas Hair, each client gets a bag with gloves and hand sanitisers provided.
At David Thomas Hair, each client gets a bag with gloves and hand sanitisers provided.

In Penwortham, David Thomas Hair have had personal protective equipment in place since the beginning of lockdown, and have taken their precautions "very seriously".

"We have had PPE planning in place for months, and have acrylic screens at each station. We have hand sanitiser available and a bag for each client with a freshly laundered towel and gown", said David Thomas, owner of the Liverpool Road hairdressers.

"We are open seven days a week, for 12 hours a day to make sure we can spread out our staff hours and have reduced the amount of stations in our salon for social distancing measures.

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"We have taken hundreds of bookings just in the last few days. This is the first bit of normality for people to go back to as many have been locked in their houses for weeks. We want to still maintaining that experience that hairdressers can offer by making people feel confident."

After Boris' announcement on Monday, it was revealed that although hair salons were given the all clear to open their doors, other beauty services, including professional make-up and nail salons, will be unable to resume for the foreseeable future. three training sessions for staff on PPE, making them confident.

Joseph Hoggarth, salon manager of Jo and Cass Preston for three years, opened their phone lines again on Tuesday for bookings and says demand has "been huge".

"We've got people working from home taking calls and are in the process of launching our new app for clients to make their own bookings," he said.

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"Demand has been huge. Since opening our phone lines again, we've almost filled up availability for July because we have been so overwhelmed with calls. We have extended our hours when we open to meet the demand.

"We have got all the precautions in place to meet government guidelines and, with being a big salon, we have made some modifications and taken away half of the chairs."

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