First, it was toilet paper and Clorox wipes. Now people who are in desperate need of hair cuts and coloring are taking matters into their own hands.  

As we enter week 5 of sheltering in place, sales of hair clippers have risen by 166% and hair dye has risen by 23%. In a recent interview on the Today Show, Walmart CEO Doug McMillon said, “You see more beard trimmers and hair color and things like that. You can definitely see that as people have stayed home, their focus shifted.”

There is that false sense of confidence that comes from watching one youtube video and thinking you are an expert on the skill. Being bored and stuck at home only fuels the urge to cut or color your hair. 

No matter how desperate we all are for a haircut and getting out roots done, salon owner Connie Hunt of Classic Cuts states, “Don’t box color your own hair, especially if you have never done it before.” Hunt further explains that using box color can be a costly mistake. Color can go too dark or too orange, and when you come back to the salon, it can be very expensive to fix. 

Oftentimes, when people color their own hair for the first time, it doesn’t come out the way they expect. When this happens, the color has to be stripped from the hair, and it can take more than one trip to get it all out, leaving your hair with significant damage. 

Hunt recommends that until people can get back to the salon, folks should “Wear a ball cap. Don’t leave your backyard, and you will be fine.” If you need a hair cut, just wait. 

There are some out there who can't wait though. 

The Take-Away

When we finally come out of quarantine, there are many of us who are going to look like hell. And the important lesson to be learned: Some things are better left to the professionals #Itwillgrowback