More Men Are Visiting Salons Post-Lockdown Than Women. And They Say Women Are Vain.

More Men Are Visiting Salons Post-Lockdown Than Women. And They Say Women Are Vain.

Let me make a confession. When the lockdown was announced, I was low-key happy to be locked up in my home, because, no human interaction, at least for some time. Plus, as much as I love to pretty up once in a while, I had absolutely no pressure to do so in the lockdown. That meant, I could be the mess I am in the comfort of my home and didn’t have to worry about my bushy brows or frizzy hair for once.

I can’t speak for everyone, but I sure didn’t miss my parlour didi, at all. Turns out, us ladies aren’t as obsessed with our looks as one might think and this lockdown has been proof. However, same cannot be said for men apparently. It’s been observed that more men have been swarming to the salons in the unlock phase than ever, and definitely more than women. Not just to get rid of their lockdown locks, but men are also opting for stylish trims and grooming services like beard grooming, manicure and pedicure.

Men are taking better care of themselves post lockdown which is refreshingly wonderful BTW, while women choose to continue chilling in unibrows and chipped manicure, sorry not sorry! Also, if need be, we have a bunch of DIY alternatives to cheat salon-like results so why sweat it (or rather, risk it)?

Salons and parlours were shut indefinitely when the lockdown started and now that they have been opening up as the restrictions lift in some regions, customers are starting to flock to their trusted hairdressers, albeit with all the precautions. The salon business took a serious hit but is now back on track. The only difference in the pre and post lockdown, apart from the number of bottles of sanitizers and masked people, is the ratio of customer base in the salons. Earlier, the ratio of women to men was 70 is to 30, which now is 40 is to 60. Shocker, isn’t it?

The CEO of salon chain Jean-Claude Biguine Salons, Samir Srivastav told TOI, “Men essentially always depended on their favourite salons a and barber shops for their grooming needs rarely experimented with DIY (do-it-yoursel Given that digital meetings now define the new normal n a WFH (work-from-home) culture, hair and facial grooming has definitely taken centre stage. Since the lockdown, we saw a rise in the number of requests for haircuts and beard grooming. From buzz cuts to stylish trims we have seen a wide range of demand flowing in. Beard trimming/grooming now equals haircuts in terms of services availed by our male clients in-salon.”

Also Read: Tamil Nadu Is All Set To Reopen Salons In Rural Areas. Hold On To Your Hairy Brows Though, There Is No News About Beauty Parlours

But then again, for women, there are DIY alternatives to salon services. Take getting rid of unwanted hair for example, you have epilators, waxing strips and razors that they can rely on and postpone going to a salon. There are even at-home facial clean-up kits that you can buy and score salon-like results, so what’s even the point risking your life for a blackhead-less nose but perhaps an infection? Talking about the hair appointments, raise your hands if you have chopped your long locks this quarantine for a cute lob (those YouTube tutorials did come handy after all). For those who didn’t, they are working on growing their mane to a desirable length. So, to sum it up, putting off salon appointment hasn’t been much of a Sophie’s choice for us, which explains the surprising skewed ratio of men and women customers visiting the salon post lockdown.

Although most men tend to ignore self-care and grooming or it seemed like that, it looks like the lockdown brought this cavemen approach to a 360-degree turn. Men now are being more attentive to style and thinking beyond their usual haircut-and-beard-trim-appointments at a barber’s shop. I mean they are really taking tidying up a notch higher with facials, manicures and pedicures. We are not complaining, because aren’t perfectly styled and groomed men naturally more attractive? They are.

It’s great that more men are into personal hygiene and grooming now and taking this more seriously than ever post lockdown. As for women, we are taking a break from looking freaking perfect all the time and enjoying every bit of it until salons are completely safe and we are forced to confront other humans again. Plus, the at-home alternatives have us covered meanwhile, so putting our salon appointments on hold. If you ask me, I can live without going to a salon all my life, TBH. Who needs excruciatingly painful waxing sesh anyway? Not me!

Also Read: #Culture: While Kalki Koechlin May Want To Be Hairy, Team Hauterfly Has Been Exploring Options To Get Rid Of Hair And We Have Some Things You Can Try

Anjali Agarwal

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