Exclusive: I had the UK's first covid-secure haircut

Without wishing to rub it in, for the thousands desperate to remedy overgrown roots and fraying split ends, I was the grateful recipient of the very first covid-secure haircut in the UK – and the experience was every inch as thrilling as I expected.

So what was different? There were obvious changes from a pre-covid haircut from the get-go, at the salon Buller & Rice in Walthamstow, London, run by colourist Anita Rice and hairdresser Stephen Buller. I had to arrive at the salon at my allotted appointment time with very minimal belongings, and I waited outside for a moment before Stephen opened the door for me. I then used their alcohol hand gel immediately, before being offered a cloth face covering to wear (which I kept on throughout my visit).

Although it isn’t a government requirement for clients to wear a face covering throughout their hairdressing service, most salons including Buller & Rice are asking each customer to either bring their own, or wear one supplied by the salon. Both Stephen and Anita were wearing visors, which is a requirement in the government guidelines issued last week.

Anita and Stephen have made sure there is at least 1.5 to 2 metres between each chair (and they have removed a couple of chairs if the distancing isn’t possible), but everything about the actual experience of having my hair coloured and cut was the same as pre-covid. Everything was reassuringly, brilliantly normal. I was in some sort of post-lockdown heaven.

I wore a gown with an extra apron on top, and the team were wearing aprons, too. Stephen spoke to me through the mirror (which was surprisingly fine, considering I was wearing a face covering and he was wearing a visor), and for my colour, Anita carefully placed the foils while avoiding the straps of the face covering around the back of my ears.

Buller & Rice benefit from an outdoor courtyard at the back of the salon, which they have fashioned into a fun tiki bar where they will serve drinks in cans (no glasses) while you wait for your colour to develop. Other salons without outdoor space are having to make clever use of their spaces to ensure there’s adequate room for customers to wait while their hair colour develops. It’s a process that can take up to three hours.

Once my colour was done, I was taken over to the backwash area where I kept my face covering on, but removed the straps from around my ears and held it in place with my thumb and forefinger. Oh how I’ve missed the joy of having someone else wash my hair! Once the washing was done, I reapplied the straps around my ears and went back to my original seat for my haircut.

Again, besides the fact that I was wearing a face covering and Stephen was wearing a visor, I didn’t feel like it was a hugely different experience to pre-covid, which is so important in an industry that prides itself on that feel-good factor. I felt reassuringly safe, the team were constantly cleaning their hands and all of the brushes and tools were sterilised before being used on me.

There was some concern early in lockdown that once salons reopen, hairdryers may be banned. But following the government guidelines last week, the use of hair dryers was permitted, so I still had my hair styled in the usual way. As I left, I removed the apron and gown I was wearing, sanitised my hands again and as payment was pre-paid, I was ready to leave. Sure, there were no magazines to flick through, or frothy coffees to sip on, but the whole experience was brilliantly normal - in a post-lockdown kind of way.