CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — It's been over a month since salons and barber shops have had to close their doors. And on Monday, Gov. Greg Abbott said it may be a a few more weeks before they are allowed to open.
Some in dire need of a haircut are starting to take matters into their own hands.
At home.
"It really bothers me if it gets too long so I just went ahead and did what I had to do." Scott Ullman said. "I got a pair of clippers from Walmart. Just went to YouTube and did a how-to video."
We spoke to some hair experts who provided tips for at home hair care.
Brian Autry, the owner of Gulfway Barber Shop, said the key is taking it nice and slow.
“Don’t try to hurry up and do it. Take your time. There’s no rush.“ he said.
He suggested using clippers with attachments to cut short hair.
"Real easy to use. The teeth adjust so you can make longer cuts or shorter." Autry said. "You want to take it from the bottom and work your way up. If you go up too high you’re gonna gouge the top. You don’t want to do that."
Ariel Gonzalez is a master hairstylist and director of education at Atelier Salon. For those itching to make major changes to their hair, Gonzalez suggests waiting for salons to open back up, if possible.
But if you are going to make a change, keep it simple.
“There’s a lot of detail that goes into it -- that’s why I say do something very minimal." she said. "If you're going to cut, go a little bit longer than what you feel. If you wanna add a little bit of a fringe, a little bit of a bang -- that’s the safest way."
But with the social distance and stay at home orders still in place, it's also a great time to experiment with new styles.
“Start taking care of it. Learning how to style your hair at home. You have the freedom or the downtime, if you’re still home, to come up with different ideas with your hair. Try different curling tools. Practice at home now so that when you do get back to work it's going to be quick and simple."
And in the event that your hair doesn't turn out as planned ...
"Don’t worry about it. It will grow back. Hair grows." Autry said.
“There’s always a way to hopefully fix everything. So we’ll do our best whenever people get back into our chairs.” Gonzalez said.