With so much stress and anxiety going on in the world, we bet your clients are relieved to finally treat themselves to a visit to your salon!
So, it’s important that you make it as enjoyable as possible, and do all you can to make your clients feel safe and happy.
The government has released official guidance on how to reopen close contact services, which has the full details on how to keep clients safe – such as providing hand sanitiser, scheduling appointments further apart and keeping the area as clean and well-ventilated as possible.
We’ve put together some more tips to ensure your clients aren’t put off by anything during their salon visit…
Keep the noise down
The current scientific research suggests that Covid-19 can be transmitted through an ‘aerosol’ which is created when we cough, sneeze or speak. For this reason, it has been advised that we don’t raise our voices when unnecessary. So, when you have the hair dryer on, try to refrain from any conversation that requires you to speak louder than usual.
Don’t Overcrowd Your Clients
Before the lockdown, your clients were probably used to coming into contact with your receptionist, their stylist, someone else washing their hair and maybe even another person bringing them a cup of coffee.
Now, try and keep minimise the contact your client has with staff members – keep it to just the one person if possible.
Remember – take names and contact details of everyone in the salon
As well as using PPE, it is important that you keep a log of everyone that comes into your salon at any one time – including clients, staff and any delivery or maintenance people. Let them know that you are doing this so they are aware you are taking their safety seriously.
You still need to treat this information as you would with any data you gather from clients. If you want to use it for marketing purposes too, make sure you ask first.
If any of your staff test positive for Covid-19, contact everyone who was in the salon that day to let them know.
Related: GDPR for Your Salon or Barber Business
Should you provide PPE for clients?
One of the biggest concerns salons and barber shops are currently facing is the cost of all the new salon PPE they need to buy – both for staff and clients.
There has been much discussion in the hair and beauty community about whether treatment prices should be raised to cover PPE. Many are in favour of this, even if it is just a temporary measure until business begins to find its feet again.
However, one thing you shouldn’t do is leave clients without adequate PPE. If you want clients to bring their own face mask, then let them know in advance. With face masks now becoming compulsory in shops, it is likely that your clients will have one themselves anyway.
Regardless, it’s a good idea to have some spares ready for clients just in case they forget – you don’t want to have to turn clients away. You could consider having masks available for clients to buy if you are really worried about the cost.
What PPE & hygiene supplies should you have for clients?
At Salons Direct, we are doing our best to make sure you can get the best PPE and hygiene supplies for your business and clients..
Face masks
If you are providing a face mask for a client, a disposable one will probably be preferred so that they can be sure that it is clean and sanitary.
A disposable face mask should only be worn for a few hours at a time, so make sure your client safely removes it and places it in a covered bin before leaving the salon.
At Salons Direct we have boxes of 50 face masks for just £22.95 – which is just 46p per mask.
Disposable gowns
In the official government advice on close contact services, it is recommended that disposable hairdressing gowns are used for each client. If you don’t have disposable ones available, then your regular hairdressing gowns will need to be washed after every client, so you might need to buy some more to make sure you have enough.
You can buy packs of 50 disposable gowns now at Salons Direct for only £10.95 – just 22p per gown.
Disposable towels
Like with your gowns, every hairdressing towel you use in your salon or barber shop should be washed after each client. For barbering services, where towels are needed for the face regularly, this can put a big strain on your laundry cycle to ensure you have them clean and dry for the next day.
To keep your clients as safe as possible, you could consider using disposable towels instead. Soft and perfect for shaves, they also help reduce the amount of energy that would be needed on running hot washing machine cycles throughout the day.
We have packs of 100 disposable towels available for just £17.95 – working out at just under 18p a towel.
Wear your PPE properly too
Wearing PPE isn’t just for your protection – it’s for the protection of those around you, too. For every client you are treating, a face shield or visor should be worn to provide the best protection.
We know that face visors can be difficult to work with, so finding one that is good quality is essential.
Take a look at our SuperGuardPRO face shields – they feature a latex free foam pad, adjustable headband and fog resistant screen.
If you need any salon hygiene or PPE supplies for your salon, come to Salons Direct for a leading range with free delivery available.
More from the Salons Direct blog…
How to Use Perspex Screens in Your Salon | A Guide to Using PPE in Your Salon | How to Deep Clean Your Salon