Few industries that have been hit harder during the COVID-19 pandemic than the beauty industry. Many beauty salons are small businesses that run a tight operating margin. The sudden drop-off in clients in the last few months has put many smaller and medium-sized salons in a precarious situation. The very nature of the face-to-face relationship between the stylist and the client relies on human contact. This is true across the board, whether we are talking about hairdressers, nail salons or makeup studios.
How People in the Industry Are Reacting
While some salons have unfortunately been forced to close their doors for good, others have been bravely trying to weather the storm and are keeping themselves ready for the day when they will be able to start working again. Hopefully, we are not too far away from having the possibility of taking a much-needed trip to our local stylist, but here is what they have been doing to keep their skills fresh in the meanwhile.
- Online Skill Improvement
Many dedicated stylists who have been without work during the lockdown have turned to the internet to find ways to continue progressing in their artform. Fortunately, it is not hard to find online courses and tutorials that you can enrol in to enhance your make up skills these days. There is also a plethora of other online resources that are designed to help improve your skills as a hair stylist or nail artist.
- Focus on Maintaining an Online Presence
The battle to stay in the hearts and minds of clients has moved online. Beauty salons are fully aware that people are spending even more time online than they normally do at the moment. In anticipation of the long-awaited day when they can open their doors to the public again, many salons have begun to focus heavily on building their online presence on social media.
- Planning for Reopening
The degree to which clients feel safe and reassured enough to visit their regular salon is of paramount importance. A lot of time and effort has gone in on the part of salon owners across the country to figure out the best way to get back to business in a way that maximizes safety and respects government advice on social distancing. There is still a lot to do, but the beauty industry is populated by some extremely resourceful individuals who firmly believe that where there is a will, there is a way.
What Does the Future Hold?
Even once the lockdown measures have been lifted, it is probably that we are going to have to continue social distancing for the foreseeable future to prevent outbreaks. This is going to pose some novel challenges for beauty salons and their employees. At the bare minimum, we should expect to see rules come into force which make wearing a facemask mandatory for both stylists and clients. We could also be set to see reduced capacity in many salons as seats are moved apart to reduce the chance of contagion.
The pandemic may seem like terrible news if you are an amateur with your heart set on turning your styling dreams into a professional reality. Competition for stylist jobs is set to be fierce in the immediate aftermath of the pandemic since the job market will be awash with so many stylists who have lost their jobs. Nonetheless, you must not lose hope — keep applying and something is bound to turn up as the industry gets back on its feet again. After all, there will never be a shortage of people who are in search of a skilled beauty stylist.
