What has lockdown taught us about hairdressing?

Lockdown has no doubt been a testing time for us all. With uncertainty in so many areas during the Coronavirus it can be difficult to know how to utilise the time that you now might have. Cos Sakkas, British Hairdresser of the Year 2020 nominee and international artistic director for Toni & Guy has been using Lockdown to reflect. "We’ve been talking to our salons and hairdressers around the world and the camaraderie, belief and humility has been awe-inspiring," says Cos. "There truly is no other industry like hairdressing – and the lockdown has made us all realise just what we offer. We work with amazing people, surround ourselves with positivity and passion and are always there for each other." Below COs shares the five things he believes lockdown has taught us.

Five things Lockdown has taught us about hairdressing

How much you’ve missed hairdressing

The actual physical action of cutting or colouring hair, transforming a head of hair and creating something beautiful, edgy or feminine. Working on a mannequin isn’t the same – there’s no better feeling than seeing your client smile when they look in the mirror.

Conversations with your clients

That one-on-one chat about everyday life, their families and their careers, their worries and their dreams. There’s more to your relationship than hair and we realise how important that emotional bond is.

Community spirit

Social media has brought the world of hairdressing closer together, sharing experiences of lockdown and reopening businesses from around the globe. We’ve shared concerns and worries and working together on solutions.

Your team is everything

The people you work with and surround yourself with are incredible. From assistants to salon managers, photographers and models, we work with people that are compassionate, funny, caring, loyal and exciting. Zoom catch ups have been great but I can’t wait for the day when we see each other again!

Education is as important as ever

There’s been a multitude of online education from cutting tutorials to hair up demonstrations. This has taught us all how important – and exciting – it is to keep our skills up to date and push ourselves out of our comfort zones. Nothing beats real-life education and we all wait for the day academies reopen and we can work with live models again.