LONGING FOR NORMALITY

This lockdown, to put it bluntly, has been brutal for many. More so for the self-employed and business owners. I don’t know if it’s just been because the start of the year has always been hard in the UK or whether the pandemic has just made it worse.

Before Covid, having trips to the salon to have our hair done, or a lovely massage and being pampered,  followed by  a night out always made those cold dark days and nights easier to ignore and somehow made it more bearable.

 .
It has been a weird year for me. I have been a hairdresser since the age of 17 and finding something to do while I was off was hard and yes, this lockdown hit me hard emotionally. With a team of seven staff members on furlough and making sure everyone still had employment to come back to was daunting, but we have been established since 2005 and know how to dig deep to keep going and surviving. Not quite living off beans on toast, but near enough.

 
Lucky for me I also know how to be a groom and stable hand so was delighted to offer my services to Team Oakden at Dunbog Farm just outside Newburgh . I can’t thank them enough for allowing me to volunteer; they made me feel so welcome. I’m not going to lie, it was hard to come back to my own profession as I enjoyed working with the horses so much. However my colour correction skills had been put to good use after I was asked to sort out  a pony's tail as it had been very messy and turned orange from white. I had one delighted owner when after two days of gentle lifting and toning we managed to get a beautiful silver tail back. If you’re on Instagram or Tik Tok you can find the videos under Rebeltina.

Working with horses is different to owning them, that's for sure. I think I lost about a stone in my first week and I only got face planted through the mud once, at which James Oakden, being the gentleman that he is, didn't laugh. As many who know me will realise I couldn't get up for laughing at myself. It was made even funnier by the fact that Daniel, one of the grooms who had been waiting for it to happen, was off that day.

We were all set to go back to the salon on the 26th of April and the date got pulled forward to April the 5th so it was panic stations to get everything ready for coming back. Daunting as it was, the minute I slipped back on those Doc Martins and dressed in the standard black outfit I felt so good    welcoming customers back; it felt like Christmas. Compressing three months of backdated appointments was not as bad as I had imagined. Clients have been fantastic making our transition back to normality as easy as possible.

I know I say this all the time but all our local businesses need your support more than ever.

As we long for normality we are not out of the woods, 4000 hairdressers across the UK have closed their doors for good. How many more who are self-employed have moved on to other professions during this pandemic we don't know.  

No matter how small the purchase you make at a small business you’re paying for quality and care. Sure, you maybe be able to pick it up online but trust me when I say each time you buy something local we do a happy dance when you leave. You’re helping support future generations of trades people. You’re keeping business ALIVE.

So, if you’re growing your colour out, how about a glossing service, maybe upgrading your service to a conditioning treatment with your cut? How about a blow dry once a week as a treat? Or maybe even having your nails done or treat yourself to a fabulous back, neck and shoulder massage.

It seems more likely now this year that some of us may not a get a holiday abroad or a festival, but by goodness we should all be looking glamorous and feeling great, that’s for sure.

As I finish this article I want to thank all our staff. I could not be more proud of our team especially the younger ones who I worried about being thrown back in at the deep end but boy, they have really stepped up and proved themselves and it gives me great joy to see them grow in confidence and maturity.  I am really looking forward to the future of the Little Hair Company  So till next time be safe, be kind to yourselves and enjoy the little things.

Kind regards

 Tina

PS

Talking of our Staff, we would like to introduce a new member to our team, Sheree Cunningham who is our new Beauty Therapist. Sheree is local to the area and has worked locally before joining the team here at The Little Hair Company.