In the quarantine era, people all over the world are attempting to cut their own hair, with very mixed results.
On Tuesday, British Columbia’s top doctor admitted to taking on the challenge.
“I did some of my own tinkering with my hair in the last couple of days,” Dr. Bonnie Henry confirmed what was already assumed. “I did not go to the hairdresser.”
Dr. Henry has been a key leader in BC’s fight against coronavirus, but when it came to her hair-cutting abilities, she took all the advice she could get from her long-time hairstylist Lindsay Lefrancois.
“I was watching those roots come in [over] the last few weeks so I was just waiting for contact from her,” said Lefrancois, a stylist at Victoria’s Studio 11 Collective.
She’d normally see Dr. Henry in her usual chair, but due to COVID-19 policies and the suspension of all salon businesses, Lefrancois has shifted to creating tutorial videos and take-home colouring kits. Dr. Henry used both, and her stylist approves.
“I’m gonna give her a 10/10,” Lefrancois told CHEK News. “She followed my instructions… she’s a smart lady.”
There are several online haircutting video tutorials and basic hair-cutting supplies are available at most grocery stores for purchase, but Lefrancois’ best advice is to leave it to the pros.
“Less is more. [You can] do a little maintenance until we get you guys back in our chairs,” Lefrancois said.
Henry goes one step further.
“The number one thing not to do in a pandemic is your own hair,” Henry said facetiously.
CHEK News also reached out to Victoria hairstylist Jessica Ramsay who agrees it’s best to keep it simple. She offered a few basic tips to help prevent any hair horror stories.
“If you have long hair, try cutting it when it’s wet or straight. You’re going to get the most-even results that way. If you’re using clippers, try using different size guards, that way you can better manage how short you go. Lastly, use sharp scissors. If you use dull scissors, it’s going to give you very uneven ends.”
Hair salons are among the many non-essential businesses that have been closed indefinitely due to concerns surrounding COVID-19.
Kevin Charach
