They say ‘change is as good as a holiday’ and, bar local hotspots, we can’t go on holiday. Cue major changes to hair colour, length and style, with clients ensuring the big post-lockdown salon trend is extreme change itself.
“I’m fairly certain that during lockdown a lot of clients spent too much time looking in the mirrors, seeing themselves on Zoom not liking their hair and wanting a change,” said Alan Buki, head of Alan Buki Hair and creator and founder of O&M. “Once isolation was over they came to the salon wanting change and we have had so many hair changes.”
Colour seems to be a major trend, with Alan citing blondes to brunettes, but especially brunettes to blonde, as having massive stock in salon right now. In terms of length, extreme cuts from long to short are also the rage but, with clients coming in with various requests, “big, sudden change in general is the real trend”, according to Alan.
Without big trips, events or occasions to look forward to, a fun and different hair transformation is a way to break the monotony of pandemic life. It’s essential salons capitalise on these client needs by showcasing their hairdressing talent in full on social media. Clients are going to want to find a hairdresser they can trust to not only master the change, but also help them work out exactly what it is they want.
“We’ve had so many clients come in in the last few weeks who all found us via social media or looked at our social media and picked a hairdresser to go to, Alan said. “When clients are thinking of change, it has to be something you decide in your head before you do it, and then once you decide to go through with it you have to decide which hairdresser will do it, so if you see something you like on social media you would go.”
“They come into the salon and say they want a change and have an idea of what they want. As you’re talking to them you’ll realise that change isn’t subtle, it’s quite strong, and create the look with them from there,” he continued.
Salons were in the unique position of staying open when nail salons, beauticians and other beauty sites were closed. As such, hair salons became the only way to progress and maintain aesthetics, with salons having to fix grown out roots and lengths, as well as at home hair mishaps. They also became a rare way to offer excitement, comfort and confidence, which can go lacking in these times, with stellar hair looks. As Alan sums up “it’s been a crazy time”.
So with big change on trend and salons more paramount than ever, make sure you’re marketing your salon and skills on social media, listen to your clients to discover and create what they need and continue to be a bright light in a dark year.
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