Selfies have become a thing of the past as South Africans find innovative and trendsetting ways to maintain their hair during the lockdown.
Retailers like Game, Dis-Chem and Clicks have sold out on hair clippers as desperate men and women turn to cutting their hair at home.
Social media user Grayson Thangalan tweets that he can’t wait for the lifting of the lockdown. “I last had an afro in 1985 when Michael Jackson was still black. Now it’s grey, looking like tinsel,” reads his post.
It has even caused comedy among couples who rely on each other to groom their crowns. “I had my girlfriend cut my hair. I told her two fingers and then snip. But as you can see, the result is a staggered look. As long as it’s short, I couldn’t be bothered,” says Alex Moses.
Social media user Peach writes: “My brother’s wife gave him a lockdown haircut and it’s genuinely grounds for divorce.
At the start of lockdown, comedian Tumi Morake shared in a live Instagram post how she had to watch a YouTube video to help her cut hubby’s hair — and she was pleasantly surprised by the results. She even joked about opening a hair salon post-lockdown.
Even rugby captain Siya Kolisi had to shed his much loved dreads after a family member’s attempt to trim his head turned out to be an epic fail.
Many women have also braved themselves by sporting buzz and bald cuts. Singer Nandi Madida and PR guru Farah Fortune are among these.
Desperate salon owners, who rely on their hair-cutting skills to put bread on the table, have signed petitions and are going to court to get government to permit them to open their businesses before the proposed Level 1 of the lockdown. Some desperate stylists and barbers have gone the black-market route and are offering backdoor cuts at double the price. Many locals have admitted to taking up this service, because they simply couldn’t survive with their grown-out cuts.
“I support my barber. He sent me a SMS asking if I would like to cut my hair at R200. I normally pay R100. He takes customers by appointment and lets them enter his premises through another door – not the main entrance,” says a 47-year-old, who asked not to be named for fear of being arrested.
“He is desperate to feed his family and I feel for him. How must he survive? He also takes precautions in making sure the place and equipment are sanitised. He wears gloves and a mask and insists that customers don’t come more than one at a time.”
But the Employers Organisation for Hairdressing, Cosmetology and Beauty (EOHCB) has warned that hairdressers caught breaking the law will be arrested and fined, and will be issued with a criminal record by the police.
Popular Legends Barber owner, Sheldon Tatchel, had the rug pulled from under his proposed solution to groom clients at their residence for R800. He had secured an essentials certificate after consulting with the EOHCB to use his pimped-out bus, kitted out with all the necessary hairdressing equipment, to continue offering hair services. “It was going to include a haircut, facial, and manicure — not just a cut and fade,” Tatchel said. However, he was forced to shut down the service after his certificate was revoked following a flurry of complaints on Facebook
