With a high demand for personal grooming, new hair salons with better hygiene standards would open up, said Celebrity Hair Stylist Jawed Habib on Saturday, following the new guidelines issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs for the phased re-opening, Unlock 1, from June 1.
"COVID-19 has changed the complete industry. There will be more hair work than beauty or make-up work now. I think, there will be more people coming in for hair cut. More hair salons, as opposed to beauty parlours, would open up," he told .
However, he feels that fear and worry will prevail among people with regards to the infection.
"I am doubtful as to how will the hairdressers work with PPE kit on because the work entails a lot of movement. But as the government has directed, we will abide by the same. I am so happy that we will be back to work. There are around three crore salons in the country, with 9 crore people dependent on them for their livelihood. The industry has suffered a lot for 10 weeks," said Habib.
He also said that the industry would be changed for better, as cleanliness and hygiene would take the centre stage in the wake of coronavirus pandemic.
"There would be three important things - hygiene, services, and contact. Right from educating the hairdressers of the intricacies to ensuring a safe and good client experience, we are heading to a new culture in this industry," Habib explains.
All the salons were shut down as the COVID-19 lockdown was implemented on March 25.
"There are so many salons in the country but systematic work and cleanliness have also been pressing issues of this industry. Because of COVID-19, things will be different. Every minute detail would be dealt with, keeping safety in mind. The standards and hygiene of the salons will be at par with any salon in the world," said Habib Ahmed, the celebrity hairstylist's father.
( With inputs from ANI )