Hairdressers are worried about the financial effects of the coronavirus crisis PARIS: In France, a country where the people are known for their sense of style, it is not surprising that one of the less critical, but nonetheless common and important to many, topics of conversation during the coronavirus crisis relates to appearance — specifically, hair. As is the case around the world, men and women in France have been obliged to live without hairdressers since the middle of March, when social-distancing rules forced the closure of more than 82,000 hair salons. They will have to continue to do so for at least a few more weeks, with plans for a gradual lifting of the lockdown currently planned to begin mid-May. As a result, there is a lot of online chatter about the length and color of people’s hair. While men try to figure out what to do with increasingly shaggy locks, many women who rely on artificial coloring to cover up signs of aging are worried about their rapidly expanding gray roots. Even when the salons reopen, many are wondering when they will be able to get an appointment as large numbers of people compete for slots that are likely to be limited to begin with. Award-winning French actress Muriel Robin, her own roots visibly gray, asked how French hairdressers might decide who they serve first. “Will we take turns by alphabetical order or by age?” asked the 64-year-old. Not every woman is prepared to wait, which has resulted in a profits boost for companies that produce hair-care products. A Sunday newspaper quoted Martin Crosnier, the director of consumer brands for L’Oréal France, as saying sales of home-coloring products increased by 60 percent in the week before the lockdown and by a further 35 percent since then. For salon owners, however, the financial situation is much more gloomy. Hairdresser Hugo Malhuret owns three franchised Jean Louis David hair salons in Paris, including one on Rue de Cambon, near the Ritz Hotel, and another on the Rue du Bac on the left bank. “French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe announced the closure of all shops on March 14,” he said. “Our clients are desperate because those who have gray hair do not know how to color it. They ask us for advice about hair coloring products in supermarkets that cover the growth of white hair; they’ve never done it by themselves and have no idea which color to choose. “As for men, there is not much they can do because they cannot cut their own hair using professional tools — there’s a risk that they’ll turn things into a huge disaster. It’s better just to let the hair grow, like our president, Monsieur Macron, who appears each week with longer hair. “You cannot cut your own hair; the only advice I would give to our clients is to try hair treatments since they are staying home.” Malhuret is optimistic that his salons will be able to re-open in a few weeks, albeit with precautionary measures in place to safeguard public health. “I think that we, hairdressers, will get back to work soon,” he said. “We won’t be opening the salons as usual with 20 clients filling the place. Instead we will make appointments with three or four clients maximum at a time. A client will arrive every half hour and they will wear a special mask kit. We will also be wearing masks and gloves and taking all the measures needed to protect ourselves.” He said that although he is receiving financial aid from the state to pay his employees wages while the salons are closed, he will still have to pay other bills, including rent. “We have a number of clients from the Gulf, the Middle East and everywhere, and we (previously had an average of 60 clients a day.” Cédric, a hairdresser from Lebanon, has run a hair salon on Rue de Suffren in Paris for 15 years. It is close to two large hotels and before the health crisis it usually had about 50 international clients a day. “The lockdown is difficult for everyone,” he said. “Our clients are anxiously waiting for us to reopen. They call to ask us how to color their hair to cover the gray roots but find doing it very difficult. “Some of our male clients are buying hair clippers to cut their own hair but most of them are waiting for our reopening because they find it too difficult to do by themselves.” Cédric has four employees and his salon also offers beauty treatments. He believes when salons reopen, initially they will only only be allowed to do so on weekdays and appointments might be limited to one client at a time. Despite government support, he added that the cost the pandemic to his business, and him personally, will be high.