How COVID-19 Will Impact the Salon Experience, Haircare Trends in 2020, and More

[Photo by Aw Creative]

Salons and barber shops are slowly reopening in certain parts of the country, but what can consumers expect when returning to salons and what haircare trends will take over the remainder of 2020? We consulted the professionals at salon professional haircare brand KEVIN.MURPHY to get their take on what to anticipate when getting your hair done in the coming months, how salon closures are changing color and style trends, and the pandemic’s lasting changes on the industry. 

Coronavirus Safety Tips for Salons and Spas

KEVIN.MURPHY’s Global Design Director Kate Reid and DESIGN.DIRECTOR Wade Blackford shared their input on the above topics as people start to return to the salon.

Tastemakers and Trendsetters: Kate Reid, COLOR.ME by KEVIN.MURPHY Global Design Director

[Photo courtesy of Kevin.Murphy]

How will COVID impact hair color trends moving forward? 

Kate: The time in the salon is now limited due to only seeing one client at a time. This means quick, high-impact or high-performance products. We are looking at quick face frames, balayage, and any quick applications that give a noticeable difference being the key. Clients will book more regularly for services that build off the last visit. This means not as much outlay or planning for each visit so the client can pay for their color in more “bite size” appointments, and have a longer-term hair plan instead of just what they want to achieve in the moment.  

How will COVID-19 impact our hair styling/treatment moving forward? 

Kate: Clients are more invested in what they can do at home than ever before, therefore taking home products is in higher demand. Especially colored conditioners like COLOURING.ANGELS and RETOUCH.ME to touch up the grays in-between salon appointments. 

Wade: Clients are going to come back to the salon with a whole new mindset set around hairstyling. I’m sure they have all been diving into their cupboards and pulling out all those old tools that have been buried in there for a while to try out new things with their hair, which means they’ll be coming in more knowledgeable, and craving tips and tricks they can now implement at home. This means we need to be ready and arm ourselves with extra knowledge tips and tricks we can pass onto to them. Get ready for a whole new type of client! 

[Photo by Allie]

What will the salons of the future look like?  

Kate: Organized and cleaner than ever before, smarter systems, plus pre-consultations via Facetime to limit time spent in the chair.  

How has the client relationship with their stylist changed and what will it be like moving forward?  

Kate: The digital connection with clients makes it easier to plan for pre-consultations, salon service, home maintenance, and map out a real step-by-step program. Salons have also gotten better at creating communities that involve their clients to make them feel connected, as well as educated to try new at-home styling techniques and products.  

Wade: If anything, clients will come out of this even more connected with their stylists. The digital connection that has been made with stylists during this time was not just a quick fix or a substitute for the face-to-face we used to have. It will be ongoing and has already become a part of our DNA at KEVIN.MURPHY. Initiatives like KM.TV have shown us that it’s not only a new way to connect, but has grown the connection we already had. 

For more information, visit KEVIN.MURPHY’s official site and follow them on Instagram: @kevin.murphy

Kamala Kirk is a University of Southern California graduate and has been an editor/writer for more than a decade. She has written for E! Online, Total Beauty, TravelAge West, Malibu Times Magazine, and many more. She resides in Los Angeles and is a proud pug mom. Follow her on Instagram: @kamalakirk