“If someone doesn’t have a COVID-19 cut, did they really live it through?” a Vernon hairstylist asks.
Soleah DeJay of The Color Room said they have seen plenty of home haircuts since the start of the novel coronavirus pandemic in March, but she said not all of them have been terrible, contrary to what one may surmise.
“I’ve got to give some credit to the husbands,” DeJay said with a laugh.
But since the salon reopened its doors with COVID-19 protocols in place in the second phase of the province’s Restart Plan, DeJay said clients are grateful.
“People certainly aren’t taking us for granted,” she said, noting lessons were learned in quarantine, such as, “It’s harder to cut a straight line with kitchen scissors.”
“Never in a million years did I think we’d be facing a pandemic like the Spanish Flu,” DeJay said. “Professionally, there was nothing we could do, it sucked. It’s unfortunate. But it’s more in our personal lives and mental health state.
“To overcome it, I was just holding onto the hope of coming back and seeing everyone,” she said of her colleagues and clients.
Hairstylists, DeJay said, are more often than not “people persons,” so the mandated COVID-19 closures were a challenge.
“Really, being able to do what we love, because it’s not an easy job when you’re standing there for eight to 12 hours — sometimes with no lunch break — it’s a physically demanding job,” she said. “But we love it. We love our clients
“It’s the people who come to the salon who keep us motivated.”
Although relatively new to The Color Room, DeJay said the protocols outlined by the provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry weren’t all that different than cleanliness expectations already in place in salons.
“Salons, certainly the ones I have worked at, have always been super cleanly places because we get a diversity of clientele, especially around cold and flu season, or clients with allergies,” she said. “As a hairdresser in the salon, you just try to make it the best you can.”
Creating the ultimate salon experience for clients, whether in the midst of a pandemic or not, has always been the goal, DeJay said.
“We want everyone to have an excellent experience,” she said. “When they do, we sleep easy at night.”
DeJay brings eight years of experience to The Color Room, with her also comes her expertise in product lines such as Kevin Murphy and Oligo — an ammonia-free Canadian brand.
Hard wax facial waxing will also be a welcome addition to the salon. DeJay said this no-strip method of waxing is great for eyebrows, lips, sideburns and more.
To book with DeJay, contact The Color Room at 250-541-4961, or reach her on Instagram or Facebook.
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