While beauticians are taking necessary steps to ensure safety at their parlours, many cosmetic companies are modifying their products to empower salons to be touch-free
Perhaps a visit to the salon for some self-grooming was the only thing one never felt lazy about in the pre-COVID era. However, over the past few months, with a pandemic at hand, the touch therapy involved was enough to scare many of us into depending on household hacks. But they have not been salon-perfect.
With salons getting back to business post an ease in lockdown restrictions, many have been waiting to return. However, risk-averse as we are, there is certainly a great feeling of anxiety. So salons too are responding to the changed mindset and bringing in a major transition in their set-ups and functioning to assure that their services are safe. New hygiene protocols have been developed to ensure safety of the customer as well as that of the technician’s. New tools and accessories are being used for contact therapies. Here are a few ways how salons have gone for a makeover themselves before throwing the door open.
The zero-touch facial
The don’t-touch-me policy has become the new normal in public spaces and is here to stay. Which brings many to the question — how will salons do their usual chores without touching the customer? For instance, while combing the hair or a facial clean-up.
Experts suggest that a new safety protocol — zero-touch facial — can ensure that the beautician doesn’t touch your skin with bare hands. Rather, the beautician needs to be enabled to deliver the same kind of service with the same efficiency by using certain professional tools and techniques. Many brands are coming up with specially customised products like disposable applicators, gloves and a mask, which can ensure that skin problems are attended to in a hygienic manner. The sanitised tools also allow for advanced exfoliation and radiant skin.
Vaijayanti Bhalchandra, co-founder, CTO Head HR YLG Salons, YLG @ Home, talks about her use of new zero-touch products. She says, “The past few months have been extremely tough for the business and we have missed work. The Cheryl’s cosmeceuticals have helped us adapt to the new normal with its zero-touch facial kit. Since gaining confidence of customers for facial treatments is a major necessity in these times, we also make sure the beautician maintains a certain distance from the customer while working and minimise talking at all times. It has been only a few weeks since we have re-opened and now, we are increasingly getting responses for clean-ups and exfoliation facials.”
New way for hair colour
DP Sharma, director, Professional Products Division at L’Oréal India, says, “Our network of salons is key to our business and we have always believed in them to offer only the best of services to consumers. As salons have slowly begun re-opening across the country, we have trained and upskilled our network with the strictest of hygiene and safety norms to be followed while interacting with the consumer. We have also introduced Express Hair Color Services, which not only support our salons to get back to business safely but also offer an innovative professional hair colour solution with sophisticated techniques to our consumers.”
As per Sharma, the service only takes 60 minutes, which is as less time as it could take to colour the hair. It not only “minimises a customer’s time at salon” but also “erases all signs of the bad hair days you may have faced in the last few months.”
The safe salon initiative
Beauty brands like Matrix have also introduced programmes to ensure the safety of consumers, anxious about returning to a salon. Its ‘Safe Salon’ initiative begins with an increased sanitisation and fumigation of salons arranged by it. All partner salons are equipped with a comprehensive hygiene practice guide that includes the pre-booking of an appointment, temperature checks, sanitisation of surfaces, regular washing of hands by staff, contactless and digital payments, sterilisation of tools before and after a service, availability of sanitisers and clean masks and gloves worn by the staff.
Virtual skin diagnoses the way out
To minimise contact, experts have recommended a virtual consultation session via smartphone with your beautician that should be mandated for every customer, prior to stepping in the salon. Through this practice, if the service isn’t provided on the given day, an unnecessary visit could be avoided and in turn, crowding. Also, one can always get the technician to diagnose the issue through an online consultation.
Niraj Killa, owner of Head Turner’s Hair Spa & Beauty Salon, Kolkata, says, “All our staff has taken part in the Salon Hygiene and Safety E-Learning module offered by the brand to ensure we can adapt to the newer requirements of the changing world. It’s better if we now move towards more digital practices while customers consult us.”
Safety training
Many salons have also used the lockdown period to upskill and train their network to be equipped with all the required protocols, to enable them to get back to business, following proper guidelines. Digital educational training has helped salon owners and their teams prepare a detailed hygiene checklist that they must adhere to while re-opening.The distribution of safety kits by many cosmetic brands include disposable masks, gloves, bed sheets, shower caps and bed gowns to make the facial service hygienic and safe.