More than Hair: Impact of Barber Shop and Salon COVID-19 Closures on Minorities

Barbershops and salons have been a staple of many Black and Brown neighborhoods for decades.  Many Black and Brown folks identify these shops and salons as safe spaces to get a haircut/hairdo from a professional who uniquely understands the nuances of their hair. These are spaces where people meet, network, get counsel, feel safe, and leave with a new hairdo and a new level of self-esteem and confidence, which only comes from that great cut or style you can get at your neighborhood shop.
 
For minorities who may have spent many years of their lives stigmatized and traumatized, due to having different hair texture from their Caucasian peers, a fresh haircut or well-groomed mustache or beard can help boost how they perceive their self-worth.  It can also give the confidence to walk in the footsteps of their community leaders and idols, who teach the importance of showing up to everything well groomed. The forced shutdown of salons and barbershops due to the COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on the whole country and, indeed, worldwide.  For the Black and Brown community, the negative effects of the pandemic could leave a culture without a safe space that provides emotional support, confidence, friendship, and counsel in a sometimes biased world.
  
Many men of color who are trying to overcome traumas and economic and social barriers may suddenly feel more powerless as neighborhood establishments close- symbolic of yet another loss they must endure . Many feel that a well-groomed appearance is critical, but don’t know what to do with their hair, in a society where hair shaming can be an element of their professional review.  Furthermore, they suddenly have lost the comfort and emotional support of their stylist, who they usually express their issues, worries, thoughts, feelings and troubles with, so they don’t burden their family with these. As Dr. Victor from Cedar-Sinai Medical Center recently found in his national study, “Barbershops are a unique popular meeting place for African American men” and almost like a social club for them.
​
How do you survive COVID-19 without your hair expert?

1. Start the day with 5 positive affirmations, at least two of which embrace your appearance and true self, to set the day’s tone.
2. Women use this time as an opportunity to embrace your natural hair, and consider using wraps, scarfs or experimenting with your hair during this time. Men take advantage of this time to try out something new too.
3. Consider reaching out to your barber or stylist or people who you regularly talked to when you got your hair done and having a video chat, if they are open to it, to recreate that friendly environment you can’t go to right now due to closures.
4. Consider investing in clippers, if you are extra brave, and maybe get lessons or tips from your normal stylist or YouTube.
5. Reframe your point of view, self-editing instinct, and self-judgement and understand that just showing up healthy, timely, and ready to work in the midst of COVID-19 is a win. 
6. Seek professional guidance from a therapist or licensed counselor, if you worry that not being able to show up as your normal groomed self is affecting your productivity by causing you decision paralysis, anxiety, insecurity, or an inability to effectively negotiate or present ideas.
7. Above all, remember this will pass. Your job right now is to focus on what you need to do each day to face the day and excel. Remember, we and other therapists are offering virtual appointments to help you, if you want help.

---

References

• Bryant, Kelsey B., C. Adair Blyler, and Robert E. Fullilove. "It’s Time for a Haircut: a Perspective on Barbershop Health Interventions Serving Black Men." Journal of General Internal Medicine (2020): 1-3.
• Jean, Tyra. "The Gig is Up: Supporting Non-Standard Workers Now and After Coronavirus." (2020).
• Jefferson, Alison Rose. Living the California Dream: African American Leisure Sites during the Jim Crow Era. University of Nebraska Press, 2020.
• Victor, Ronald G., et al. "Effectiveness of a barber-based intervention for improving hypertension control in black men: the BARBER-1 study: a cluster randomized trial." Archives of internal medicine 171.4 (2011): 342-350.​

---

Contact Us

---

Author

Tamara Ince is the founder of Ince Counseling, a boutique style group practice that provides a safe milieu where individuals can reflect on their past, identify their triggers and learn to better manage their lives with awareness.  Tamara has always been curious about the brain and behavior, and how life’s circumstances shape how we feel about ourselves and how we receive information from our environment.  Follow Tamara @InceCounseling. 

---